How to fix an Apple iPad Pro 2018 that suddenly keeps lagging and freezing [Troubleshooting Guide]

Random to frequent lags and unresponsiveness usually transpire among other symptoms of performance issues in mobile devices. These symptoms are often tied to memory issues like when the device is running low on memory space. They can also occur as main symptoms of wear-and-tear in earlier devices. New devices are also not exempted from encountering these symptoms but the common triggers are more likely related to the software. Devices that succumb to the same symptoms from an accidental drop or liquid exposure are likely depicting symptoms of hardware damage. In that case, service is needed.

Tackled in this post is a similar issue on the iPad Pro 2018 device and some possible solutions. Feel free to refer to this walkthrough whenever you need more help when troubleshooting a 3rd generation iPad Pro that’s suddenly lagging and freezing.

For those 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 issues with this phone. Browse through the page to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you still need our help, contact us anytime through our iPad issues questionnaire.

Troubleshooting iPad Pro 2018 that keeps freezing and lagging

Before troubleshooting, check the memory status of your device. Being a new powerful device isn’t an exception for your iPad to give into memory problems especially if you’re fond of downloading complex or heavy apps. Make sure your iPad has ample of memory space. If necessary, delete old and unwanted apps to free up space for new apps and contents. If memory space isn’t the problem, then go ahead and rule out software-related issues that might have triggered your iPad Pro to act up.

First solution: Clear all background apps on your iPad Pro.

Background apps consist of apps you’ve previously opened or used but not closed. These apps are on standby mode and all set for launch when triggered. While keeping apps in this state benefits in terms of same app reloading, they can also cause conflicts if they crash. To make sure this isn’t what caused your iPad to misbehave, clear all background apps on your iPad Pro with these steps:

Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and then pause slightly in the middle.
Then swipe right or left to navigate through the apps.
Swipe up on an app preview to close individual apps.

Follow the same steps to end or clear the rest of the background apps.

Second solution: Force restart your iPad Pro.

Random software glitches from minor system errors can also trigger occurrence of akin symptoms. If your device screen isn’t responding, performing the standard restart or soft reset can’t be done. In this case, you will need to force restart your iPad Pro. Here’s how it’s done:

Press the Volume Up button for 1 second then release and directly press the Volume Down button for 1 second and release.
Then press and hold the Power button for at least 5 seconds until the Apple logo appears.

Alternatively, you can do the standard process to turn off the iPad Pro for a few seconds and then turn it on again. Here’s how it works:

Press and hold the Top button and either the Volume Up or Volume Down button until the Power Off slider appears.
Slide a finger along the slider to turn off your iPad.
After 30 seconds, press and hold the Top button again until the Apple logo appears.

Both these methods are effective in terms of clearing out minor software errors and glitches that caused apps or iOS itself to suddenly become unstable.

Third solution: Delete/uninstall bad apps on your iPad Pro.

Bad apps are also among the possible triggers. Your device screen can end up frozen or unresponsive if certain apps crashed or stopped responding. If the symptoms occur only when using a certain app or after downloading a new app, then that app is most likely the culprit and therefore needs to be obliterated. In this case, you can follow these steps to uninstall or delete the bad app from your iPad Pro:

Tap Settings from the Home screen.
Scroll down the left menu then select General.
Tap iPad Storage.
Select the app that you want to uninstall.
Tap Delete App.
If prompted, tap Delete App to confirm.

If you still need to use the app, then you can reinstall it from the App Store. Reinstalling the app is also a way of refreshing it. Here’s how it’s done:

Tap to open the App Store from your Home screen.
From the App Store start page, tap the search icon (magnifying glass) at the bottom right.
Enter the name of the app you want to reinstall then tap the search button.
Select the app from the search result then follow the onscreen instructions to download and install the app on your iPad.

After reinstalling useful apps, restart your iPad Pro (soft reset). Doing so will refresh your apps and iOS itself.

Fourth solution: Update apps and firmware.

Installing pending updates for apps and iOS can also be considered as an ultimate solution if the symptoms are triggered by malwares and bugs. Updates usually embed fix patches to get rid of bug-inflicted errors and problems on an iOS device. If you can connect to Wi-Fi internet and the connection is stable, do the steps to attempt installing OTA updates and pending app updates on your iPad Pro. To install pending app updates, refer to these steps:

From the Home screen, tap App Store.
From the App Store main page, scroll down and tap Games tab.
Then tap on Apps.
Select Updates.

To update iOS wirelessly, follow these steps instead:

From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
Scroll down and select General.
Tap Software update.

After installing updates, restart your iPad Pro to apply the recent changes to your apps and iPad system.

Fifth solution: Reset/restore your iPad Pro.

If the problem continues, then you may opt for a full system reset or iOS restore. Your device system may be encountering fatal errors that can only be rectified by a master reset, if not iOS restore. In that case, you can try performing a factory reset/master reset first with these steps:

Tap Settings from the Home screen.
Select General.
Tap Reset.
Select the option to Erase all content and settings.
If prompted, enter your device passcode.
Read and review the warning message then tap Erase to continue.
Read and review the second message then tap Erase again to confirm.

If the problem continues after performing a factory reset, then you may opt for a recovery mode restore. This will put your device in a recovery state and repair

Turn off your iPad Pro, if it isn’t off already.
With your device turned off, connect it to your computer using the Apple-supplied USB cable. Make sure the both ends of the USB cable are secured. Then open iTunes on the computer.
While it’s connected to iTunes, force restart your iPad Pro with these steps:
- Press and quickly release the Volume Up button, then press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Top button until your device starts to reboot. Keep holding the Top button until your device enters recovery mode or Connect to iTunes screen.
When you see the option to Update or Restore, select Update to prompt iTunes to attempt reinstall iOS without erasing your data. Otherwise, select Restore option to erase everything from your device and repair fatal system errors.
Wait for iTunes to finish downloading the software for your device. The download process usually takes around 15 minutes.
Your device will exit the Connect to iTunes (recovery mode) screen if the download takes more than 15 minutes. If this happens, just wait until the download is finished and then go back to the previous step to enter recovery mode again.
After the Update or Restore process completes, you can proceed with the device setup.

If all else fails, you can go for the deepest type of system restore called DFU mode restore. This will put your device in a state that’s still able to communicate with iTunes even when the boot-loader isn’t activated. A DFU mode restore is often required to fix an iPhone or iPad with a totally corrupted operating system.

Other options

Hardware damage is the worst possible cause. Persistent lags and screen freezes may likely be attributed to a damaged component if the previous methods failed to fix them. To rule out hardware damage, you can take your iPad to the nearest Apple service center in your place and have it checked by an authorized technician. Your device might have obtained some sort of physical or liquid damage and therefore needs repair.

For other official suggestions, contact Apple Support or your iPad provider/carrier.

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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