Symptoms of random to frequent lags and freezes are often seen on early devices, particularly after several months or years of regular use. The occurrence of these symptoms is often tied to memory-related issues, wear-and-tear or performance degradation. Performance issues in early devices in general are typically due to hardware flaws. Similar symptoms can also transpire in later devices mostly because of software errors including glitching apps, malware and bugs. There are also some cases wherein a device suddenly lags and freezes following an update installation. In this case, the symptoms are tagged among other post-update issues. Lined up below are a few helpful procedures that will help rule out software-related factors that caused an iPad Air 3 to lag and freeze. Feel free to refer to this troubleshooting guide whenever needed.
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Troubleshooting iPad Air 3 that keeps freezing and lagging
To help you find quick definite solution, think of when or what triggers your iPad Air to lag and freeze. For example, did it start acting up after installing a new app, changing some settings, or installing an update? Doing so will help you determine the underlying cause and thus allow you to work immediately on the fix. But if identifying the root cause isn’t possible, then performing these subsequent solutions (individually) would be necessary. These methods are used to rule out software-related factors that caused performance issues in iOS devices.
First solution: Clear all background apps.
Apps that are left suspended in the background are useful for multitasking purposes but may also inflict same troubles when they crashed. This is the main reason why it’s but recommended to clear background apps from time to time, especially the ones that are no longer in use. Otherwise, you will likely to end up facing adverse symptoms like random lags and freezes. For starters, clearing all background apps on an iPad Air 3 is carried out this way:
- From the Home screen, press the Home key twice to view recent applications.
- Swipe up on an app card or preview to close individual apps.
- Do the same to close/quit all other background apps on your iPad Air.
- After clearing all background apps, tap the Home screen or press the Home key to go back to the Home screen.
Without any background apps, try using your iPad and see if it is already performing better and smoothly.
ALSO READ: How to fix iPad Air 3 apps that won’t update via App Store
Second solution: Reboot the iPad.
Another simple yet very effective solution to performance issues like random lags and freezes caused by minor firmware crashes is so-called soft reset or device restart. In iOS devices, rebooting is also a way of clearing out junk files including corrupted data that are stored among other cached files. This process does not affect any saved information on the internal memory, so it’s a safe solution to try even without backing up files. Here’s how to soft reset/reboot an iPad Air 3:
- Press and hold down the Power/Top button for a few seconds until the Power off slider appears.
- Drag the slider to power off your device.
- After a few seconds, press and hold the Power/Top button until the Apple logo appears.
Allow your device to finish booting up and then use it as you normally do and see how it performs.
ALSO READ: How to fix iPad Air 3 Facebook app that keeps crashing, not working
Third solution: Manage your iPad storage.
As mentioned earlier, memory issues particularly low storage space are often the root cause of performance issues including lags and freezes. While what you’ve got is still a new device, it is still possible to fill up its memory space if you’re fond of downloading huge files and heavy apps. To clear this out, you can check your iPad storage with these steps:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap iPad Storage.
See how much the available space is. If you think there’s a need to free up some space, delete old and unused contents like old messages, videos, photos and apps that are no longer useful from your device.
Fourth solution: Install pending updates.
Apps that are obsolete are often succumbs to random flaws and glitches. When this happens, there’s a higher chance for the entire system to become affected. This is when adverse symptoms are triggered. To fix the problem, updating apps is recommended. To check and download pending app updates on your iPad Air 3, follow these steps to go to the App Store-> Updates menu:
- Go to the Home screen then tap App Store. Doing so launches the Apple Store app.
- Scroll to the bottom of the App Store screen then tap on Updates. A list of apps with pending updates will appear.
- Scroll through the apps list then tap the Update button next to the name of the app to update individual app.
- If multiple app updates are available, tap the Update All button on the top-right corner of the screen.
Your iPad must have ample of storage space, battery life and stable Internet access to complete the update. After updating all apps, reboot the iPad to apply the recent software changes and to refresh the apps. Then see if that solves the problem on your iPad Air’s performance.
ALSO READ: How to fix an iPad Air 3 that has no Internet access but connected to WiFi network
Fifth solution: Reset all settings.
Performing software resets can also be the key to resolving the issue invalid settings or incorrect customizations are to blame. In this reset, all customized settings are erased and original options are restored. Symptoms inflicted by incorrect settings are likewise eliminated. If you’re willing to give it a try, then here’s how to reset all settings on your iPad Air 3:
- From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap Reset.
- Select the option to Reset all settings.
- Enter your passcode to proceed.
- Tap the option to confirm all settings reset.
Allow your iPad to finish resetting and then reboots when done. As soon as it boots up, re-enable individual features that you want to use again on your device including Wi-Fi functions.
Last resort: Erase your iPad and restore its factory settings.
Complex system errors that caused your iPad to lag and freeze continually usually require tougher methods like full system resets to be totally obliterated. Thus if you’re still facing the same issue after exhausting all prior methods, then you may have to consider a factory reset as the last resort. This reset wipes everything from your device including saved apps, files, and personal information. Stubborn bugs and malware causing symptoms of lags and freezes are likewise cleared out in the process. Before you proceed to a factory reset, back up all your important data from the iPad Storage to iCloud or iTunes. Otherwise, you will lose them all permanently. Here’s how it’s done:
- From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap Reset.
- Select the option to Erase all content and settings.
- Enter your passcode to proceed.
- Tap the option to confirm full system reset or factory reset.
If your iPad Air 3 is freezing and not responding, the above steps won’t be applicable because the display is not responding to your touches. This is when iTunes play its role. If you’ve got a Windows or Mac computer with the latest iTunes app installed, then you can use it to erase your iPad and restore its factory defaults through iTunes. Just connect your iPad to the computer using the Apple-supplied USB cable/Lightning cable and wait for iTunes to sync with your iOS device. When your iPad appears in iTunes, select it to access iOS then follow the onscreen commands to manually erase and restore your iPad Air 3.
After the reset, you can use the start-up wizard to proceed to the initial setup process to make everything ready for use again.
Is your iPad Air 3 still lagging and freezing?
Try to think of what triggers the iPad to lag or freeze. If the symptom occurs only when using a certain app, then that could be an isolated problem with that app. In that case, deleting the faulty app will likely solve the problem. If the iPad just randomly lags and freezes regardless of which app is running, then that’s more likely due to some fatal system error. This is when performing an iOS restore through iTunes is needed. You may opt to troubleshoot further and carry out a recovery mode restore or DFU mode restore on your iPad Air 3 to eliminate fatal system errors that trigger the symptoms. If possible, back up all important files from your iPad Air to iTunes beforehand as they will all be erased during the system restore.
Alternatively, you can take your iPad Air 3 to the nearest Apple service center in your area and have it scrutinized by an authorized technician. Frequent lags and freezes are also among the common indicators of hardware damage from previous incidents of accidental drops or liquid exposure on the device. Don’t forget to avail for warranty if your device is still covered. Talk to your carrier for more details of availing iPad warranty for service or new unit replacement.
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