How to fix delayed touchscreen response on your Apple iPad Pro 2018 [Troubleshooting Guide]

Delayed touchscreen response on an iPad Pro can be tied to a system problem, if not, hardware damage. Should the symptom be attributed to the software, then you’re likely dealing with some malwares, erratic apps and corrupted data. In this case, performing some workarounds could help. Otherwise, service is needed.

But before rushing to a service center, it wouldn’t hurt to try some means to fix the touch screen not working problem on your end. To give you some inputs, I’ve mapped out a few possible solutions for your reference. Read on for more information.

For owners who are looking for a solution to a different problem, drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common problems with this device. Browse through the page to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work or if you need further assistance don’t hesitate to contact us by filling up our iPad issues questionnaire.

First solution: Restart the iPad.

The iPad may be just acting a little shaky due to some random glitches. Like iPhones, bad apps and corrupt caches can trigger random touch screen symptoms to occur suddenly. Most of the emerging symptoms are considered minor though, hence easily remedied by a restart. If you haven’t restarted already, then consider this as the first possible solution to try on. You can do a soft reset first with these steps:

  1. Press and hold the Side/Power button and either Volume buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
  2. Release the buttons when the Slide to Power Off command appears and then drag the power off slider to the right.
  3. After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power/Side button again until the iPad restarts.

If your iPad’s touchscreen isn’t responding at all, then you will need to do a forced restart. It works the same as a soft reset when it comes to clearing random glitches but the only difference is that it’s carried out using the hardware keys. This is how you’ll restart an unresponsive iPad Pro:

  1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
  2. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
  3. Then, press and hold the Power button on the side of the phone and then release when the device restarts.

Allow your iPad to finish booting up and then try using it again and see if it’s fixed. If it’s touchscreen response is still delayed or very sluggish, then continue to troubleshoot and try other applicable solutions.

Second solution: Install pending app updates.

Bad apps and services can also affect your iPad’s performance. Should the delayed touchscreen response on your iPad is triggered by some bad apps, then installing app updates can potentially fix it. App updates usually bring in fix patches to get rid of in-app bugs and malwares. If you haven’t configured all your third-party apps to auto-update, chances are that you’ve missed to implement some critical updates and thus eventually resulted to having some erratic apps on your device. In this case, follow these steps to manually check for pending app updates from the App Store:

  1. From the Home screen, tap App Store.
  2. From the App Store main screen, scroll down to the bottom and then tap on the Updates tab. A list of all apps with pending updates will then appear.
  3. Tap the Update button next to the name of the app to update individual apps.
  4. If multiple app updates are available, then you can just tap on the Update All button on the top-right of the screen to install all app updates simultaneously.

Restart the phone after updating apps and see if the problem is gone.

Aside from updating apps, deleting bad apps can also be considered an ultimate solution especially if your iPad Pro is only acting up when using a certain app. That app could be the main trigger and therefore needs to be removed or reinstalled. If you think this is necessary, then here’s what you should do then:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Select General.
  3. Tap iPad Storage.
  4. Find and select the suspected app then tap the option to Delete or Uninstall it.

Give your iPad another restart once you’re deleting bad apps and then see how it works.

Third solution: Update to the latest iOS version available.

Aside from updating apps, updating your iPad software to the latest version available is also imperative. Apple typically rolls out updates that contain fix patches to address existing and widespread iOS problems. A faster way to update an iPad is through settings. The device must be connected to the Internet and has got ample of storage space and battery life, to get this done. Just follow these steps to get started:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Select General.
  3. Tap Software Update.
  4. Then follow the onscreen instructions to download and install update on your iPad Pro.

If the above steps couldn’t be carried out due to delayed touchscreen response from your iPad, then you can use iTunes to manually update your device instead. To get this done, you will need to secure a computer that has the latest version of iTunes software installed.

Fourth solution: Reset all settings.

Performing software resets is usually needed to deal with persistent issues that could not be remedied by the prior procedures. There might be some customized settings on your iPad Pro that caused conflicts and triggered the symptoms. To clear that out, restoring the original options can help. To do this, reset all settings on your iPad Pro with these steps:

  1. From your Home screen, tap on Settings.
  2. Select General.
  3. Scroll down to and then tap on Reset.
  4. Select the option to Reset all settings. This will erase all customized settings from your iPad Pro and then restores the original options and values.
  5. If prompted, enter your passcode then follow the onscreen instructions to confirm all settings reset.

The device should restart when the reset is finished. When it boots up, you can start enabling individual features that are disabled by default.

Fifth solution: Erase the iPad and restore factory default settings.

A master reset or factory reset is often needed to deal with stubborn symptoms that are attributed to complex system errors. But before doing so, be sure to back up all your important files from the iPad because they will also be deleted in the process. After the reset, you can set up your device as new. A factory reset can be carried out through your iPad settings or using iTunes. If your iPad is still able to respond, then you can go for a factory reset through settings. Otherwise, use iTunes on a computer instead. To factory reset through settings, simply follow these steps:

  1. From your Home screen, tap on Settings.
  2. Select General.
  3. Scroll down to and then tap on Reset.
  4. Select the option to Erase all content and settings.
  5. If prompted, enter your passcode then follow the onscreen instructions to confirm factory reset.

To factory reset an iPad Pro using iTunes, refer to these steps:

  1. Open iTunes on your computer. Be sure to use the latest version of iTunes to avoid system conflicts.
  2. Connect your iPad to the computer using the Apple-supplied syncing cable.
  3. When your iPad appears in iTunes, select it then navigate to the Summary section.
  4. Then click the button to Restore [Device].
  5. If prompted, click the Restore button to confirm.
  6. Wait for your device to finish restoring to its factory default settings and then restarts when done. By then, you can set it up as new.

Major software problems in mobile devices are often resolved by a factory reset or master reset. That said, your iPad Pro should already be responding to touchscreen gestures as intended. But if that didn’t happen, then more advanced procedures are likely needed.

Other options

Restoring the iPad Pro can also be considered among the last possible solutions to try if it’s still acting the same or responding late to touchscreen input gestures. The problem might be due to a corrupt operating system and thus require system repair. Your next option would be a recovery mode restore and if that still fails, a DFU mode restore. Both these restore methods offer a higher chance of repairing major system damage but cause permanent data loss. Should you wish to proceed, don’t forget to back up all your important files to iTunes so you can just restore them later.

If your iPad Pro is showing the same delayed touchscreen response after restoring iOS in recovery mode or DFU mode, then your device needs service. The device might have obtained some physical or liquid damage and the symptoms had just emerged. In that case, take your iPad to the nearest Apple service center in your area so that it can be thoroughly scrutinized by an authorized technician.

I hope that we’ve been able to help you fix the problem with your device. We would appreciate it if you helped us spread the word so please share this post if you found it helpful. Thank you so much for reading!

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