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iPad Sluggish or Freezes

gedstrom

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I have developed a problem in my iPad over the last couple of months. It has sometimes become sluggish when I press a button on the screen and the entire iPad seems to freeze for a few seconds. I am running the latest iOS 11.0.3. I realize that I might be able to troubleshoot it by uninstalling apps and seeing when the problem goes away, but I was wondering if anyone else out there has seen anything like this. It also seems to affect the "Home" button and the iPad can be sluggish even turning on.
 

giradman

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Hello - I'm assuming your iPad is a Pro (forum posted) - correct? First, go to General -> About and tell us the 'capacity' of the device and how much storage remains 'available'? Second, if not already done, try a 'Reset', i.e. hold down both the HOME & ON-OFF buttons until the Apple logo appears (may take 10+ secs, so be patient), release and let the iPad reboot - post back and good luck. Dave :)
 
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gedstrom

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Okay, I have reset it. I will have to give it a workout for a while because it is not always sluggish. Only a little time will tell.
 

twerppoet

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It’s a good practice to restart or reset the iPad at least once a month (or whenever it seems slow or glitchy). Like any computer, errors accumulate over time and a restart is needed to clear them.

The iPad does not turn off when the screen goes black. It’s only in sleep mode, and does not count as a restart.
 
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gedstrom

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Thank you. I should have thought of it myself as I often have to reboot my desktop because it gets into some strange mode. I just never gave the same thought to the iPad. I was aware that the usual "off" is really just a sleep mode and not a real power-down.

A question related to a reset, however: Does the 2-button press and hold type reset perform the same re-initialization as a full power-down and then back on? I know that the 2-button method is the only method that works if the iPad gets permanently locked up. But other than that, are the 2 operations equivalent?
 

J. A.

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Apple calls it “force starting”. That describes quite well what happens. The device is turned off, and starts again.
 

giradman

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Thank you............

A question related to a reset, however: Does the 2-button press and hold type reset perform the same re-initialization as a full power-down and then back on? I know that the 2-button method is the only method that works if the iPad gets permanently locked up. But other than that, are the 2 operations equivalent?

Hi again - I've been trying to 'discover' the difference between these two maneuvers for the last half dozen years! Searching brings up plenty of hits on 'how to do' the maneuvers but is virtually silent on the exact events that take place and their differences? I suspect that an Apple engineer would need to offer us a clear explanation?

Also, Apple has changed its terminology for these procedures - my previous descriptions have used: 1) Force Quit (for an app); 2) Restart (just the ON-OFF button); and 3) Reset (2-buttons together). In the first pic below from the iOS 11 Manual, 'Restart an app' replaces 'Force Quit', 'Restart' remains the same, and 'Forced Restart' replaces 'Reset' - the term 'Hard Restart' has also been used for the latter; 'Reset' is reserve for the functions that erase various items on the iPad, including 'Erase All Content and Settings' (General -> Reset ->); so, guess that I will have to change my terminology.

In my mind, 'Restart' (1 button) is similar to shutting off a standard computer, i.e. 'Shut Down...' on my Mac laptop - apps are closed gently, disc writing is closed out, caches may be cleared, a number of 'processes' stopped, etc. Whereas, a 'Hard Restart' (my old 'Reset'; 2 buttons) is similar to shutting off a computer that has become unresponsive (e.g. kernel panic, frozen screen, etc.) by using the power button (or pulling the plug) - NOW, will this go through some of the closing procedures just described? I'm not sure - maybe someone will 'chime in' w/ better information?

P.S. for those using iOS 11 and not aware of this feature, then look at the second pic below - there is now a 'software ON-OFF switch' (General -> Shut Down) which brings up the right half of the combo image - good if the physical button is broken and possibly w/ a 'frozen' screen.

.
Restart1.PNG
Restart2.png
 

twerppoet

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The biggest difference between a restart and reset is that a reset bypasses the UI. It will work even if the iPad’s operating system is frozen. A restart requires the operating system be working, at least enough to present you with the slide to power off switch.

I believe, but have no proof, that the reset also clears out extra memory catches and temporary settings. I could easily be wrong.

Because of this I tend to use the reset fairly often. However, it should be noted that Apple only recomends the reset if the iPad is unresponsive.

@giradman; I suppose I’ll have to get in the habit of calling it force restart. Thanks for the tip.
 
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giradman

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The biggest difference between a restart and reset is that a reset bypasses the UI..............

@giradman; I suppose I’ll have to get in the habit of calling it force restart. Thanks for the tip.

Agree - after 6 years or so, the trio of 'Force Close - Restart - Reset' is hard-wired into my brain - :eek:

SO, guess that I'll switch to 'Force Close - Restart - Force Restart', but suspect that 'Reset' will creep back occasionally - :cool: Dave
 

LannyC

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I call a forced restart a "hard restart" or "hard boot," because it uses hardware buttons to bypass the UI (like ctrl-alt-del in Windows, or holding in the power botton on iMacs). iOS doesn't really have a soft restart, chosen from a menu like MacOS, which would be problematic in an OS with no UI.
 

giradman

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I call a forced restart a "hard restart" or "hard boot," because it uses hardware buttons to bypass the UI (like ctrl-alt-del in Windows, or holding in the power botton on iMacs). iOS doesn't really have a soft restart, chosen from a menu like MacOS, which would be problematic in an OS with no UI.

Hi Lanny - I guess the 'bottom line' is to reserved the term 'Reset' for that option in iOS Settings General -> Reset - I guess another choice would be the '1-button Restart' or the '2-button Restart' - :) Dave
 

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