Fast fixes for iPad
Delving into its accessories and the mysteries of USB–C
68 iPAD HAS A BLACK OR FROZEN SCREEN
Force–restart your device. On an iPad with a Home button, press and hold the top and Home buttons until the Apple logo appears on the screen; without a Home button, press and quickly release first the volume button closer to the top button, followed by the volume button further from it, then press and hold the top button until the Apple logo appears. Connect its mains charger, leave it an hour and try again. If its gets stuck, connect to a Mac or iTunes on a PC and repeat the keypress sequence to enter Recovery to update it.
69 MY iPAD SHUTS DOWN UNEXPECTEDLY
Try force–restarting it. If that doesn’t fix it, suspect the two common hardware causes, an ageing battery or faulty memory. The combination of falling battery performance, low charge, and cold can cause it. In Settings, tap Battery to see a summary. Falling maximum capacity and reduced peak performance indicate battery replacement is getting closer. If the battery is healthy, get it checked out by an Apple store or service provider.
70 CAN’T USE A PERSONAL HOTSPOT
Check the hotspot provider is configured correctly in Settings > Personal Hotspot. Leave the provider on that screen when trying to connect your iPad to its hotspot. On the iPad, turn Wi–Fi off and back on. Check you’re trying to connect to the correct network. Re–check the Wi–Fi password if it’s required and ensure you type it in correctly. Shut the iPad down and turn it on again if all else fails.
71 APPLE PENCIL ISN’T WORKING
Check it’s the right model: see support.apple.com/en-us/ HT211029. Pair 1st Gen Pencils by plugging them into the Lightning port; 2nd Gen Pencils pair on the magnetic connector on the side of the iPad. If that doesn’t work, shut the iPad down, start it up and check Bluetooth is turned on in Settings > Bluetooth. Try charging the Pencil, and if it still won’t connect use BT Inspector (App Store) to check its signal.
72 iPAD MAGIC KEYBOARD IS NOT WORKING
Update iPadOS. Remove any other case or cover and connect the keyboard carefully. If the keyboard doesn’t respond, shut your iPad down for 30 seconds and start it up again. Try a force–restart if that doesn’t fix it. If your iPad doesn’t charge when you connect the USB–C charging cable to the port on the keyboard, check you’re using the correct cable and try a force–restart.
73 AIRPRINT ISN’T WORKING
You will want to check your printer has AirPrint support and is
connected properly to the same Wi–Fi network as your iPad. Apple’s official list of supported printers can be found at support.apple.com/ en-us/HT201311. Open the App Switcher by swiping up and pausing in the middle of the screen, or double–clicking the Home button. Then tap Print Center, which lets you see and cancel any queued print jobs. You should also check your printer’s documentation to see that it is all properly set up, and then try turning it off and on again.
80 ENABLE SAFARI’S iCLOUD TABS
First, you need to check that Safari is enabled in Settings > Apple ID > iCloud. Enable these by tapping on Edit at the foot of the Start Page to customize that page, and turning on iCloud Tabs there.
81 CONTROL AIRPLAY
Your iPad needs to be connected to the same Wi–Fi network as the Apple TV, compatible smart TV, Mac, or other target. When you can see the AirPlay button, that gives you a choice of targets, or tap the Share button. The same button turns it off. Screen mirroring is in the Control Center, and may require you to enter into your iPad a passcode shown on the target display.
82 USE THE APP LIBRARY
From the Home Screen, keep swiping to the left until you reach it. You can open apps directly if they have larger icons; to see all apps in a category tap a group of small icons. Search for an app by typing its name in the search field. New apps are automatically added to the App
83 CAN’T SYNC WITH iCLOUD
Reset your AirPods or AirPods Pro when they’re in their charging case. Close the lid and wait 30 seconds, open it, and on your device tap Settings > Bluetooth > [AirPods] > More Info, then Forget This Device. With the lid of the case still open press and hold the setup button on its back for about 15 seconds until the light flashes white. To reconnect them, with the lid of their case still open, hold the case next to the device and follow the steps on its screen.
Library, but you can delete an app by touching and holding its icon, then tapping Delete App.
84 DISABLE SHARED WITH YOU
Open Messages and tap the conversation with the shared content. Tap the name at the top of the thread and turn off Show in Shared with You there before tapping Done at the top right. Shared content remains in Messages but is hidden from the Shared with You section. To remove shared content when it’s still in the Shared with You section of an app, touch and hold the content thumbnail, then tap Remove. Disable sharing with individual apps in Settings > Messages > Shared with You.
85 WIPE iPAD’S DATA
Back it up fully first. Then go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad. To migrate to a new iPad, tap Get Started and follow the instructions. To erase everything on the iPad, tap Erase All Content and Settings. You can also do this when connected to a Mac or PC with iTunes using the Restore iPad command in General.