As iPads age, they can develop a few common issues that can be frustrating to deal with. However, there are some simple fixes you can try to get your older iPad working well again. Here are 5 of the most common problems with older iPads and tips to resolve them.
Photo source: https://pixabay.com/photos/tablet-ipad-read-screen-swipe-1075790/
1. Battery Life Decreases
One of the most common and annoying iPad problems is when the battery starts draining much faster than it used to. After a few years of charging cycles, it’s normal for any lithium-ion battery to lose some capacity. There’s no way to reverse this, but you can squeeze a bit more life out of an aging battery. Dim the screen brightness, disable unwanted background app refreshing in Settings, and close apps you’re not using. If that doesn’t help much, it might be time to replace the iPad battery. Take your device to The PhoneLab for a new battery.
2. Slow Performance
Has your once speedy iPad become sluggish and laggy? This is another very common aging issue. Over time, storage space tends to fill up on any gadget, which can bog things down. Try offloading photos and videos to the cloud and deleting apps and media you no longer need. Reboot your iPad to clear temporary memory caches for a quick boost too. If it’s still persistently slow, getting the latest iOS update or doing a factory reset could help.
3. Screen Scratches and Defects
Unless you had a screen protector on it, chances are an older iPad’s screen will have picked up some scratches and scuffs over the years. While light surface scratches can simply be lived with, deeper ones and cracks can interfere with visibility and touch sensitivity. Apply a smooth screen protector to hide superficial scratches or replace the digitizer glass/LCD screen entirely if defects are more severe.
4. Charging Port Malfunctions
Is your iPad not charging? If you notice issues with getting your iPad to charge reliably, the Lightning port could be dusty or damaged. Use a toothpick or soft brush to gently clean out any debris that might be obstructing the charging port. If part of the port itself looks bent or broken, the dock connector may need to be replaced.
5. Apps Crashing or Freezing
Finally, apps randomly crashing or freezing is an annoying iPad problem that tends to happen as your tablet ages. This is often just a software issue caused by a particular app, a memory overload issue, or system file corruption over time. Start by doing a force reboot if any apps hang. If you pinpoint crashes to a certain app, delete and reinstall it. For system-wide stability issues causing app crashes, a full factory reset typically helps get your iPad working smoothly again.
While no gadget lasts forever, well-cared-for iPads can remain very usable for 5+ years. Follow these troubleshooting tips to give your faithful old tablet a speed and performance boost. But if your aging iPad ultimately needs more repairs than it’s worth, it might be time to upgrade to a newer model.
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