iPad Keeps Restarting? Top 6 Ways to Fix Now!

Part I: Why Does The iPad Keep Restarting?

To fix any issue, the cause of the issue must be diagnosed. In this case, it is important to find out why the iPad restarts so often, leaving you frustrated before we can begin fixing the issue. So, what causes the iPad to keep restarting? As it turns out, there are several factors behind this, and let’s go through them one by one.

Reason 1: Overheating

Silicon chips are designed to thermally throttle and even shut down when too hot, or if they reach a certain temperature during operation. This is so that you do not end up with bricked hardware, this is for the longevity and reliability of the hardware. What taxes the chips? Games, photo editing apps, video editing apps, etc. are the kind of apps that push the limits of hardware, causing them to generate a lot more heat than, say, your Notes app or your Music app.

Further reading: [Complete Guide] 8 Ways to Cool Down an Overheating iPad!

Reason 2: Improper Use

Improper use constitutes using the iPad in a way that is not conducive to the expected use case scenario of the hardware. iPad must be operated within a specified temperature range and under a certain altitude, etc. as per Apple. Using the iPad near your stove is not proper usage, for example.

Reason 3: Using Unauthorized Accessories

Using accessories not designed or authorized to be used with the iPad can cause issues that would otherwise not occur if only authorized accessories were used. This is because unauthorized accessories might hamper or even impair the proper functioning of the devices.

Reason 4: Using Outdated Apps

Apps, no matter how much Apple wants you to believe, are complex software. Apps must be kept updated in line with the newest operating system requirements so that they continue to function smoothly and reliably. It is possible that 9 out of 10 functions work fine in an app 6 years later but when you try to use that 1 function, the app crashes, or, takes the iPadOS itself down with it, and the iPad restarts. Worse, it might not even take for you to access the function, it could get triggered on its own while using apps.

Reason 5: Corruption Within iPadOS

And then there is the entire iPadOS itself. Anything could have gone wrong with it, manifesting as the iPad constantly/ frequently restarting. You can’t figure this one out, fixing this requires reinstalling the OS again.

Part II: Top 6 Ways to Fix iPad Keeps Restarting Issue Now

Now that we know possible reasons why the iPad restarts often without warning, let’s dive into solving the issue for good.

Solution 1: Keeping It Cool

Electronics do not like to be hot, and the iPad is no different. What makes matters even more delicate is that the iPad does not have active cooling, it only has passive cooling. So, playing games, editing videos, and making music all sounds great and works brilliantly, but it heats up the iPad. When the iPad heats up, safety mechanisms may cause what is called thermal throttling, and eventually, the iPad might start behaving erratically, might just keep restarting every time you try to tax it again after every restart. What can we do? Just one thing - when you find the iPad is running warmer than usual or getting uncomfortably warm, stop using it and let it cool down. When the temperatures are within spec, the iPad should function flawlessly as ever.

Solution 2: Avoid Improper Use

Improper use means using the iPad in a way that hampers its free function. Using the iPad in a sauna or close to a stove, for example, constitutes improper use. Leaving the iPad under the sun or in a car with windows closed so the device can bake itself to death constitutes improper use. Playing games on the iPad till the battery is so hot the iPad surface itself becomes hot to touch, constitutes improper use. In short, use your iPad responsibly, respecting the limits of the hardware, and it won’t usually fail you.

Solution 3: Use Authorized Accessories

Unauthorized, no-name third-party accessories may come cheap but may cause lasting damage to your iPad in the longer run. A no-name, cheap folio case, for example, might be trapping heat and might be why the iPad keeps restarting. Using a cheap cable that is not MFi-certified (Made For iPhone/iPad) might be why your iPad keeps restarting when you charge and use it as it could be that it is unable to sustain the load and provide enough power. The same goes for power adapters, they need to be able to provide sustained power and might not be designed keeping everything in mind.

Solution 4: Update Apps And iPadOS

Apps designed and built using very old SDKs (Software Development Kits) to be run on very old iOS versions might cause unforeseen issues on newer OS. That’s because they could be using code that is no longer supported, causing errors and corruption in the system that would inevitably result in a crash and that might be why the iPad restarts every time you use that old game or software even just for a few minutes. What’s the fix?

Keep your apps updated by visiting the App Store frequently and updating your apps. Here’s how to do that:

Step 1: Go to App Store and tap your profile picture

Step 2: Drag down the screen to refresh the page and let the system check for updates to apps.

Step 3: Update the apps, if any update is available for them.

Check for an iPadOS update as well:

Step 1: Go to Settings > General > Software Update

Step 2: If any update is available, download and update your iPadOS.

Solution 5: Reset iPad Settings

Sometimes, after an app update or system update, things might not fall in place and the system settings get wonky, resulting in issues. You can reset the iPad settings to see if that helps the situation. Here’s how to reset iPad settings to resolve the iPad keeps restarting issue:

Step 1: Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad.

Step 2: Tap Reset.

Step 3: Tap Reset All Settings.

This will reset all settings on your iPad and the iPad will restart. You will likely need to set some settings again.

Erase All Settings And Content

A more thorough reset is to reset all settings and erase content on the iPad. That will restore the iPad to factory default, without the need to connect the device to a computer. Here’s how to erase all settings and content:

Step 1: Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad

Step 2: Tap Erase All Content And Settings

Step 3: Go through the steps to erase all content and settings and restore the iPad to factory defaults.

Note that this will remove all content on the iPad but will not remove anything that was in iCloud, including iCloud Photos. Anything that you manually transferred to the iPad and that exists on the iPad storage locally, will be deleted in this process. You can back up all data on the iPad before operating “Erase All Settings and Content”.

Solution 6: Repair iPadOS

Dr.Fone - System Repair

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Sometimes, the firmware file is corrupted in a way that it is best to reinstall it afresh. For those times, we recommend using an excellent tool called Dr.Fone, a Swiss-army knife for smartphones to fix nearly all commonly occurring issues in just a few clicks. To fix the iPad that restarts frequently for no reason, the System Repair module is what you need. This will let you fix the iPadOS without deleting data as well as use an advanced method that will delete data. Essentially, this is doing what you can do with macOS Finder or iTunes, but this has one advantage - clearer instructions, step-by-step guidance, and the ease of just a few clicks.

Step 1: Get Dr.Fone

Step 2: Connect your iPad to the computer (either macOS or Windows) and launch Dr.Fone

Step 3: Select the System Repair module. There are two modes – Standard and Advanced – start with Standard since this mode resolves issues without deleting user data whereas the Advanced mode will wipe out the user data.

Tip: You can use Dr.Fone - Phone Backup (iOS) module beforehand to back up your iPad. Yes, it’s that versatile. Everything you can possibly think of is covered!

Step 4: Choosing any mode will get you to this screen where the software on the iPad and the model of the iPad will be shown:

Step 5: Click Start to start the firmware download process.

Step 6: When the download is complete, the firmware file is verified and you get here:

Step 7: Click Fix Now to start fixing your iPad keeps restarting issue.

After the process is complete, you can now remove the iPad and start setting it up again.

Conclusion

iPad often restarting is a common issue people face when the iPad is not working under optimal conditions. These conditions can range from a poorly made case that is trapping heat inside, causing the device to heat up and restart to save itself, or something like an outdated app that crashes the OS and the iPad restarts. Then, there can be battery hardware issues as well, which would, unfortunately, be resolved only by Apple. But, for outward issues such as those mentioned above, you have fixes ready and you can even repair the system if nothing else works.