iPad touchscreen not working

[baniciki]

Hello, I have an iPad Pro 11 whose touchscreen stopped working. It has been used for 4 years, mostly for youtube and reading books, the battery is still great. What happens is this: when I press the power button, the lock screen appears, but I can't unlock it because the touchscreen doesn't work. I tried to reset it by pressing the volume button up, down and holding the power button, release it when the apple logo appears. I tried to connect it to the PC on iTunes, but it throws a message on the screen that it must be unlocked first in order to connect. I also tried to connect the mouse via usbA-usbC adapter but it shows the same message. Please help because this really doesn't make sense, I have the impression that the tablet is programmed to lock itself after 4 years in order to make extra money for repairing, I believe, a bizarre 'problem'. Is there anything else I can do before taking it to the service center?

 

[MacInWin]

I have the impression that the tablet is programmed to lock itself after 4 years in order to make extra money for repairing, I believe, a bizarre 'problem'

Don't be paranoid. If Apple were doing this there would be thousands of complaints, and there are not.

Defects do occur. You might have one. However, let me ask if the iPad is in a case? If so, what happens if you take it out of the case? I had a strange problem with an unresponsive device which was caused by the case pressing on the edge of the screen, which then blocked any touches anywhere else on the screen. That's a long shot, but if it is in a case, try taking it out.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

A lot of folks uses BT keyboards with the iPad Pro. If you have one, can you try to attach that and see if you can get things going that way? The iDevices are not mouse-enabled devices, as their primary user interface is touch based.

If the Apple Store or certified location is near by, no harm in showing them the device in its current state to see if they can suggest any ideas. If the touchscreen indeed has failed and needs to be replaced, assuming there's no damage to the device, they might work with you or at least tell you how much it's going to cost so you can decide how to proceed.

Assuming this is the 3rd gen from 2021, a new replacement screen will run around $500 if you want to do the work yourself. So don't expect fixing it to be cheap.

 

[vansmith]

A lot of folks uses BT keyboards with the iPad Pro. If you have one, can you try to attach that and see if you can get things going that way? The iDevices are not mouse-enabled devices, as their primary user interface is touch based.

True but they do have mouse support assuming you meet the requirements. That said, my suggestion here is utterly useless if you can't get into the iPad.

A simple solution might just be to borrow, if you can, one of the smart keyboards to see if the iPad is at least operational and/or to allow you to set up a bluetooth keyboard and mouse (if this is something that your iPad can do).

 

[Rod]

Mechanical repair sounds like the only option to me.
if you can’t enter your PIN you can’t even restore the device via USB much less access Bluetooth settings to connect a keyboard.

As for some form of planned obsolescence that makes no sense. In most cases a 4 year old device would not be repaired by Apple so they’d get nothing out of it. My opinion is 4-5 years is all you get out of a heavily used Apple device anyway. By that time the technology advances almost require an upgrade just to stay compatible with software.