If you’ve bought yourself a new iPad, or you’ve had yours for a while, then hopefully, you’re getting its full benefits for work and play. With all of the great features on each new generation of the iPad, it has more than justified its place amongst the highly competitive tablet niche market. There are sometimes both hardware and software issues that arise with iPads, though, just as is the case with any electronic device. If yours won’t turn on, for instance, then you’re going to have to do some troubleshooting to figure out what the problem is. Read our guide for some advice on what to do if this is happening.
If Your iPad Won’t Turn On, a Force Restart is an Option
The force restart of the iPad makes sense to try as one of the first options if yours won’t turn on. That is particularly true if you are operating under the assumption that what is happening is due to a software problem rather than a hardware one.
If you have one of the iPad models where Face ID is enabled, then press and immediately release the Volume Up button. Then, do the same thing with your Volume Down button. Press and hold your Power button and see if the device restarts.
If you have one of the older generations of the iPad that has the Home button, you should press and hold both the Top or Side button and the Home button. The Apple logo should come up after a few seconds.
Let the iPad Charge if It Still Won’t Turn On
The next fix that you could try is to plug the device into power and then leave it there for a while. At least an hour would be preferable. After a few minutes, the charging screen should come up. If an hour has passed and you do not see the charging screen, then you should start looking at your hardware as a potential problem.
Look carefully at such features of the iPad as the charging port and the jack. You should also closely examine the USB cable and the power adaptor. Is there are anything visibly wrong with any of them? Are there frayed wires or signs of wear? Do you know of any times recently that the iPad or any of the elements associated with it got wet? Did you accidentally drop or kick the device?
If you’ve determined that the issue is one of hardware, or you suspect it, then it might be necessary to take it to an Apple Store with a Genius Bar. They can examine not only the device but also the equipment that you use in conjunction with it. Something might have to be replaced.
If so, then you’ll have to figure out if the iPad is still under the factory warranty, or if you got AppleCare+ for it. If the device is still covered, then it is likely that the repair will not cost you anything. That’s provided that you didn’t try to open it up to fix it or something else that might have voided the warranty.
What if the iPad Turns On, but Doesn’t Function as It Should?
Let’s say that your iPad wouldn’t turn on as it usually would, so you plugged it in to power and left it there for several hours. Then, you came back and unplugged it and turned it on to see if the problem was fixed. The device turned on, but then it seemed to get stuck during the startup process. Maybe the display turned red or blue, or the Apple logo came up, and then you couldn’t get past that screen to access any of the usual functionality.
All of these are problems that are occasionally reported by iPad users. If you see any of these things happen with your device, follow these steps.
- Use an Apple-approved USB cable to connect your iPad to a laptop or PC that is running iTunes. Make sure that you are running the most recent version of it.
- Check to see that your iPad shows up under Devices on the upper left-hand side of the screen.
- If your iPad model has Face ID, then press and immediately release the Volume Up button, and then the Volume Down button.
- Press and hold your Top button until the iPad begins to reset. Keep holding that button until the device goes into recovery mode.
- If you have an older version of the iPad that has the Home button, then you must press your Home button at the same time as the Top or Side button. The recovery mode screen should show up.
- You will see the options of Restore or Update. Choose Update. Your computer will now reinstall the latest version of iOS without deleting any of your data or apps.
- It will probably take a few minutes. Once the latest iOS version has been installed, you can disconnect your iPad.
At this point, you can try turning on your iPad as you normally would and see if that solved the issue.
Other Problems Associated with the iPad Not Turning On
There are a few other issues that you sometimes run into with iPads that are related to them not turning on. For instance, you might be able to hear sounds and alerts, but the screen remains black. You might have a black screen, but the iPad makes a distinctive chirp when you turn the sound off and on and connect it to power.
The screen also might turn on, but it won’t respond to you sliding your finger over it, tapping it, or any other gestures. You might not be able to execute the forced restart because of a broken or a stuck button. You might also have tried the iOS restore, as described above, but iTunes refuses to recognize your device.
If you are encountering any of these problems, then the time has probably come to bring Apple employees in on it. It likely won’t do you a lot of good to talk to Apple Support online or over the phone, since they won’t know for sure what is happening with your device until they examine it in-person.
Remember that the iPad not turning on or turning on and then not functioning correctly can be the result of hardware problems, software ones, or both. If you dropped the device, got it wet, or something along those lines, then it would seem rather obvious that is what is wrong with it.
Sometimes, though, it is entirely mystifying why your tablet is malfunctioning. Getting an expert opinion is undeniably the best option for you. The Apple employees will figure out what is wrong, and then they’ll steer you in the right direction as far as what repairs need to be made.
