Several users have reported that the newest iPads (iPad air and iPad mini) become physically hot (or uncomfortably warm) to the touch during use. If you are having this problem, here is what you can do to solve your iPad overheating problem:
1.Restart/reset your device. Simply rebooting/resetting your device may fix your problem, so give it a try. To restart your iPad, simply press and hold the on/off button. To reset, simply press and hold the on/off and home button together until you see the Apple logo.
2.Power cycle. At least once a month, charge the battery to 100% and then completely run it down until it shuts down on its own.
3.Disable Location Services by tapping Settings > Privacy > Location Services
4.When you are not using, close all apps and services (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.).
5.Adjust brightness. Turn on Auto Brightness by tapping Settings > Wallpapers & Brightness and toggle Auto-Brighness on.
6.Reset network settings. Simple tap Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
More: iPhone 4S overheating issue
Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the original editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.
Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.
In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.
Matthew Gibb says
Great device the ipad, but it is too thin and fragile. This Samsung tablet is better in some ways. Today it is 90F so Ipad cant handle heat and it had similar problems with cold in the winter. Thinner is actually a serious design flaw that matters to some of us.
Sandra fox says
Can’t switch off iPad when it gets very warm
Kathy Driscoll says
New I pad gets very hot just being used 15 minutes at a time. It is powered off every time I am through browsing.
This is not an acceptable situation.
I’ve received two warning notices to shut down immediately because the temperature was too HOT. I’m in NH not SC! This has got to be a defect!
MJ says
Just installed 11.3.1 on my iPad Air 2 and now it has been running hot.
As I have not changed my use, I am getting worried.
MJ
sandra j vogel says
My IPAD Mini 4 is heating up…very hot to touch. NOT ON>>NOT USING>>>NOT CHARGING. Just starting heating up while not on and will not stop. help. cannot do anything. no power. ??????????????????
SK says
Hi Sandra,
Please contact Apple Support promptly. If it is still under warranty, they should fix or replace the unit (or battery, if that’s the problem.) This is not normal behavior and is dangerous, so please contact Apple Support as soon as you can.
SK
My IPad 3 is overheating and battery do run down quickly.And sometimes when charging it will jump from 75% straight to 100%.Pls what do I do to reactify these problems.
Hi Rilwan,
Sorry to hear about your problems with your iPad 3. Let’s try and recalibrate your battery. To do this, we need to fully discharge the battery–the easiest way to do this is unplug it from any power source and then start streaming videos back to back until the iPad shuts itself down. After it shuts down on its own, try to power up again. If you’re able to power up, continue streaming videos again until it shuts down. Keep doing this cycle until you can no longer power up the device.
Then, attach your iPad to the charger and plug into a wall outlet and let it charge, undisturbed (do not use it), for at least 16 hours. After those 16 hours, take it off the charger and power it up. Once on, force restart it by pressing and holding the power and home buttons and maintain this hold until the Apple Logo appears on-screen, then release.
When it starts up, plug it back on the charger and connect to wall outlet and let it charge again for another 2-4 hours–do not use it. After that time, force restart it again and then see if your battery is performing normally (or close to it.)
If the battery is still problematic, it may need replacement. Contact Apple for more information and fees for their iPad battery replacement service.
SK
I would never sleep with a device under my pillow
My iPad Air just started overheating, that is what woke me up at 1am last night, I had my iPad Air under the pillow with iOS 11 beta 10 listening to my sleep music and then when I took it from under the pillow it said iPad too hot wait for it to cool down
Don, We haven’t tested the iPad Air with 11/Beta 10. If you just installed Beta 10,there’s a possibility that the re-indexing is happening and the processor is working hard. The heating problem may vanish on its own within a couple of days. I’m assuming you are using your Wi-Fi to listen to music. If that is the case, try to switch off the Wi-Fi and listen to music that is already downloaded. If the iPad doesn’t heat up, you may want to reset your Network settings and then turn on the Wi-Fi. There could be something with the wi-fi connection that is making it work harder. Keep us posted and Good Luck. Thank you for stopping by. We will be doing more testing with iOS 11 when the public edition is released in the next few days. Will keep you posted!
My ipadmini is overheating even if I turn it off and on again.
Hi there EVCJ,
There’s lots of things that could contribute to your iPad overheating. IF it’s so hot that you cannot touch it, then that’s a serious problem that needs examination by a certified Apple technician. Do not use it until its been looked at.
If the overheating problem is not as serious as that, there are a couple of things to do.
1) Remove your iPad from its case, if you have one. These often trap heat.
2) Toggle off Bluetooth (Settings > Bluetooth)
3) Switch off Location Services (Settings > Privacy > Location Services)
4) Turn off background App Refresh (Settings > General > Background App Refresh)
For more tips on overheating, please read through these articles addressing this problem:
1) iPhone Overheating
2) iPad and iDevices Get Too Hot!
We also have a video on iPhones and iPads Overheating on YouTube.
Keep us posted.
I had just buy my iPad Mimi 4 3 days ago but overheating when I’m using Facebook and searching something in Google plus.why is that?
My ipad mini is new and it have heating problem what can i do
HI… I use my Ipad retina mini for aviation in Fl… just discovered the specs for for shutdown over 95F— which is a typical Fl day— is there an app to give me heads up of the internal temp…. can’t find one…it’d b useful