Symptoms like random crashes, lags and freezes are often tied to performance issues on an iPhone or iPad that’s running low on storage. They also occur among other symptoms of wear-and-tear in old devices. But for a new iPad Pro to experience the same issue, software-related factors are likely the main trigger. If you need help dealing with the same problem on your iPad Pro 2018 device, then this post is for you. Read on to learn what to do on your end whenever your iPad Pro keeps lagging and freezing. Try these tweaks before rushing to a service center.
Before we move on to our troubleshooting, if you are looking for a solution to a different issue, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed some of the most common problems reported by our readers. Find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If you still need our help after that, then feel free to contact us by filling up our iPad issues questionnaire.
First solution: Clear all background apps then reboot your iPad Pro.
Apps that are left suspended or running in the background for long may crash or get corrupted at some point. When this happens, there’s a tendency for other apps to become affected and adverse symptoms are therefore triggered. Thus the first workarounds you should try is to force close background apps on your iPad Pro. This is how you do it:
- Go to the Home screen, to get started.
- Then, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause slightly in the middle of the screen.
- Swipe right or left to locate the app that you want to end/quit.
- Then, swipe up on the app’s preview to close it.
- Follow the same steps to close or end all the rest of the background apps.
After clearing all background apps, reboot your iPad Pro to clear cache and to refresh its memory. To reboot/soft reset your iPad Pro 2018 tablet, simply perform these steps:
- Press and hold the Top button and either Volume button until the Power Off slider appears.
- Drag the slider to power off your device completely.
- After 30 seconds, press and hold the Top button again until the Apple logo appears.
If your iPad is frozen or not responding, then it needs a forced restart to get back up and running again. Here’s how it’s done:
- Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
- Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
- Then, press and hold the Power button until the Apple logo appears.
Allow the device to finish its boot-up sequence so you can use it again.
ALSO READ: How to fix an iPad Pro (2018) that’s stuck on Apple logo
Second solution: Check and manage your iPad storage.
As mentioned earlier, memory issues like low storage space are also among the underlying causes. This is likely the case if you’re fond of downloading huge apps and multimedia files on your iPad. While the iPad Pro offers a huge storage capacity, it’s memory will eventually be consumed as you add more contents. A device that’s running low on storage is usually prone to encountering performance issues and random to frequent lags and freezes are among the symptoms. To fix the problem, memory management or freeing up some space on your iPad storage is recommended. Here’s how to get started:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Select General.
- Tap iPad Storage.
Navigate through the list of apps and then select all unused apps to delete from your iPad Air. Aside from apps, you can also delete old messages as well as unwanted contents. Or move some of your important files to iCloud, iTunes or other storage Once you’re done deleting old apps, reboot the phone to refresh its memory and clear its cache.
Third solution: Update your apps and delete bad apps.
Updates for apps and iOS not only bring in new features but also embed fix patches to address widespread issues including symptoms of performance degradation. App updates can be downloaded automatically or manually through the App Store. If you haven’t set your apps to auto-update, then the following steps will walk you through on how to implement pending app updates manually. To check for pending app updates, follow these steps:
- Tap App Store from the Home screen. Doing so launches the App Store app on your iPad Pro.
- Then scroll down to the bottom of the App Store screen and tap on Updates. A list of apps with pending updates will show up on the next screen.
- Tap the Update button next to the name of an app to update individual app.
- Tap the Update All button on the upper-right side of the screen to update all apps at once.
To delete bad apps from your iPad Pro, you can do it straight from the Home screen. Here’s how it’s done:
- Tap and hold the app icon from the Home screen until all app icons are wiggling.
- Tap the X on the upper-left corner of the app that you want to delete.
- Then tap Delete if prompted to confirm that you want to delete the app.
- Do the same to delete other bad apps from your device.
After deleting bad apps, tap anywhere on the screen to stop the icons from wiggling and get back to normal state.
Alternatively, you can access the Apps folder from your iPad storage. Just follow these steps to get there:
- Tap Settings to launch the settings app on your iPad.
- Tap General.
- Tap [Device] Storage.
- Select the app you want to delete.
- Then tap Delete App to proceed.
- If prompted, tap Delete to confirm app deletion.
Follow the same steps to delete other errant apps that caused your device to act up.
ALSO READ: How to fix your Apple iPad Pro that won’t connect to the App Store
Fourth solution: Update your iPad Pro software to the latest version available.
Keeping your device software up to date is recommended to ensure optimum performance. Aside from getting new features, installing the latest iOS update can also address various issues inflicted by software bugs and malwares. If your iPad has ample of storage space, at least 50 percent battery life and is connected to the Internet, then you can go and check if there are any pending updates to implement. To check for iOS update, simply follow these steps:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Select General.
- Tap Software Update.
- Then tap the option to Download and Install if an update is available for your iPad Pro.
Alternatively, you can use iTunes to manually scan for, download and install an iOS update to your iPad Pro on a computer. This can be deemed a better option given the condition of your iPad Pro that’s lagging and freezing. Here’s how it’s done:
- Connect your iPad to the computer using the original USB cable/Lightning cable.
- Open iTunes and wait for it to detect your iPad.
- When your iPad Pro appears in iTunes, click on its icon to select it.
- Navigate to the Summary section then click the button to Check for Update.
- If an update is available, click the button to Download and Install.
- Enter your passcode if prompted to continue.
Follow the remaining instructions to finish updating your iPad Pro in iTunes. Once the update is complete, reboot your iPad to implement the new system changes and to refresh apps and services. Then try to see if that solves your iPad’s performance issue on lags and freezes.
Fifth solution: Reset all settings on your iPad Pro.
This method is usually deemed a potential solution to device issues occurring after implementing app updates and system updates. The same thing goes when the device suddenly acts up after making some system settings changes. Performing this reset can help rule out system settings errors that might have caused conflicts and triggered the device to act up. It doesn’t affect any saved information on the internal memory so there’s no need to back up files beforehand. If you wish to try it, then here’s how you do it:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Select General.
- Scroll down to and tap on Reset.
- Choose the option to Reset all settings.
- Enter your device passcode when asked to proceed.
- Then tap the option to confirm that you want to reset all settings on your iPad Pro.
When the reset is finished, your device will restart and then loads up the original values and options. This means the need for you to re-enable the features that are disabled by default so that you can use them again on your phone.
Last resort: Erase your iPad and restore to factory defaults.
Performing a full system reset is often suggested among the last options when dealing with persistent software issues and symptoms. This allows you to erase everything from your device system including fatal system errors and bugs that caused stubborn symptoms. But the main downside is the fact that this reset results in permanent data loss as everything will be deleted from your iPad Pro. To recover your files after the reset, be sure to back them up to iCloud or iTunes beforehand. Once you have secured the backup, you may proceed to a factory reset through your iPad settings or iTunes. To factory reset through settings, just refer to these steps:
- From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Tap General.
- Scroll down and 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 you prefer to use iTunes for the system reset, then here’s how what you should do then:
- On your computer, launch or open iTunes. Be sure to use the latest version of iTunes app on the computer to avoid system conflicts.
- Then connect your iPad to the computer using the original USB cable while pressing and holding down the Home button.
- Release the Home button when the Connect to iTunes screen appears.
- At this point, iTunes will prompt you with a message saying that it has detected your iPad in recovery mode and that you can restore your device. If you see this message, just click the Restore iPad button to instigate recovery mode restore through iTunes.
Follow the rest of the iTunes commands to finish resetting and restoring your iPad. Once the reset is finished, reboot your iPad to refresh its memory and then you may proceed to the initial setup process. Just use the start-up wizard for automatic setup.
Is your iPad Pro still lagging and freezing?
Lagging and freezing symptoms occurring to your iPad Pro are probably tied to hardware damage given the fact that they persisted after all the above procedures are exhausted. To rule out hardware damage, take your iPad Pro to an Apple-authorized service center in your place and have its physical components scrutinized by a technician. If hardware damage is present, then your device needs repair. For any further recommendations, you can also report the problem to your device carrier. You can also opt to avail for some warranty if your device is still covered.
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