While iPads have become a substitute for many people’s laptops and smartphones, they face issues now and then. One of your biggest potential problems is when the iPad’s screen turns black. While this is known as the “black screen of death,” it’s usually not a major issue.
The iPad’s black screen is caused by software glitches, outdated firmware, malicious apps, and hardware issues. Or, your iPad may simply have low brightness or no charge. Easy fixes include updating, restarting, resetting, and recharging it.
However, if your iPad has a hardware problem, you’ll have to send it in for repairs. So let’s look at the possible causes of the black screen of death and easy ways to fix the problem without sending it for repair.
Why is Your iPad Screen Black?
Your iPad’s screen may go black due to a software glitch, low battery or brightness, outdated firmware, or malicious apps. Sometimes, a hardware issue may cause your iPad’s screen to blank out. Fortunately, most of these issues can easily be resolved with simple fixes.
Let’s take a closer look at what may cause your iPad’s screen to turn black:
A Low Battery
Low battery is the leading cause of the iPad’s black screen. While the iPad can last up to 7 hours on a single charge, it’s easy not to take notice of the battery level when you’re playing games or watching videos.
While you should get a low battery warning and the charging status light turn red, sometimes you may not get the warning message, and the iPad will turn off unexpectedly. This often happens when running a power-intensive app with a low battery.
Even if you’re sure the battery showed enough charge and the iPad abruptly shut down, the issue may still be due to a low battery. Sometimes, a damaged charging port or battery may cause the battery to show that it’s full even though it’s low on charge.
So, if your screen goes black for no reason, the first assumption is that the battery is dead. However, if charging the iPad doesn’t work, you can consider other causes.
The Brightness May Be Low
Sometimes, a simple brightness issue will make it seem like your screen is black. You may set the brightness low by mistake or notice the black screen when you take the iPad outdoors. Most people keep the iPad’s brightness lower indoors to increase the battery’s lifetime.
If you’re outdoors, it may be challenging to increase the brightness using the screen controls, so the best option will be to use Siri to increase the brightness.
Outdated Firmware
An outdated iOS may also be behind the black screen of death. While your screen won’t turn black due to obsolete firmware, the iPad is more likely to get software glitches or viruses that cause the screen to freeze. In addition, if you’re running an outdated iOS, your iPad may go black when you’re playing a CPU-intensive game or opening certain apps.
Sometimes, installing updates may bring bugs that will cause the black screen of death. While the easiest solution is to uninstall and reinstall the update, you may have to put it on hold if it’s causing glitches.
Malicious Apps
Many tech geeks will fret over the black screen of death for a good reason too. A black screen on most devices is often a sign of malware attacks, and it could not be easy to recover your data in such cases. However, there’s no reason to panic yet. Most malware issues are temporary bugs that can be removed by rebooting the iPad.
If you get a black screen whenever you use a specific app or your device slows down with certain apps, there could be an issue with the app. Usually, deleting and reinstalling the app may resolve the issue if updates aren’t available.
Hardware Issues
Hardware problems may also be behind the black screen of death. For example, if you’ve dropped the iPad recently, an internal component may be damaged, and the iPad’s screen will go black unexpectedly.
Similarly, battery problems may result in the iPad switching off repeatedly, even if it shows enough charge. Finally, in rare cases, a damaged screen may turn black, although you’ll notice the damage, and the screen will shut off when it’s turned off.
How do You Fix a Black Screen on Your iPad?
While a black screen may be intimidating, there’s no need to worry or contact Apple support just yet. Depending on the cause of the problem, you can fix it by forcefully restarting the iPad, recharging it, increasing the brightness, and burping the iPad.
If these simple fixes don’t work, you can reboot or reset the iPad, delete apps with bugs, and use an iOS repair tool. As a last measure, you’ll have to contact Apple or send your iPad for repairs.
Let’s take a closer look at how to deal with the black screen of death:
Increase the Screen Brightness
The first thing to do when you get a black screen is to increase the screen’s brightness. This is usually the most effective solution if there’s nothing wrong with the iPad. However, if you’re outdoors and can’t see the screen brightness tool, use Siri voice commands to increase the brightness.
But what if you don’t have Siri enabled? In such cases, you’ll have to go indoors or into a dark room. If you can see the screen and increase the brightness, all’s good. If not, move on to the next fix.
Charge the iPad
In most cases, the “black screen of death” is nothing more than an indication that your iPad’s battery is low. Put the iPad on charge for at least 30 minutes before restarting it. If the charging status button doesn’t light up, there could be something wrong with the charger or charging port. Try the charger with another Apple device to pinpoint the cause of the charging problem.
If your iPad’s charging light is on, but the battery is still low after several hours of charge, the real problem could be a defective battery. The same is true if the battery’s status is 100% after charging and the iPad’s battery dies soon after. Unfortunately, the only solution for battery problems is to replace the battery.
Do a Force Restart
Restarting the iPad will help resolve most temporary bugs and glitches causing the black screen problem. While you can’t restart the iPad normally if the screen is black, you can do a force restart. Follow these steps to force restart the iPad:
- Hold down the Home and Power buttons simultaneously until an Apple logo appears.
- If your iPad doesn’t have a Home button, press the Volume button and hold down the Power button until the Apple logo appears.
- When the Apple logo appears, release the Power button and wait for the iPad to restart.
If the black screen issue is caused by a temporary glitch or problems with the app cache, doing a force restart will work wonders in resolving the problem.
Burp the iPad
While this may seem like a strange solution, it works in some cases. For example, if the iPad’s internal cables are misaligned, “burping” it may help resolve the issue. To “burp” the iPad, follow these steps:
- First, wrap the iPad with a towel—cover both the back and front of the device.
- Gently “pat” the back of the iPad the same way as you would pat a baby.
- Finally, remove the towel and switch on the iPad.
If this solution works, don’t be satisfied just yet. Misaligned cables are usually a sign of a hardware problem, and the only long-term solution is to repair the iPad. Fortunately, this is a minor hardware issue and doesn’t cost much to repair.
Update the iPad and Apps
An outdated iOS and apps could also result in glitches which may cause the screen to go black. The best solution is to install the latest iOS version and update all apps. Then, start with the most common apps and work your way down.
The best way to update iPad apps is through the App store. Search for each app and click on “update.” To update the system firmware, go to the general settings and click “system update.”
If you can’t update the system software because of the black screen, follow these steps to update the iOS through the iTunes app:
- Connect the iPad to a laptop. Make sure your computer has the latest version of iTunes.
- In the iTunes app, click on the iPad device.
- Under Summary, click on Check for Updates.
- Install the update if there’s one available.
Uninstall Malicious Apps
If the iPad shows a black screen every time you’re on a particular app, the issue could be due to malware or glitches in the app. If you’ve installed the app from an unverified source (this is only possible in jailbroken iPads), then it’s best to uninstall the app and look for an alternative.
If you’ve installed the app from the App store, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling it. You can try offloading the app if you want to keep saved data. Go onto Storage and click on the app. You’ll have the option to either uninstall or offload the app.
If offloading doesn’t work, try uninstalling and reinstalling the app.
Use an iOS Repair Tool
If you’re sure there’s a software problem, you can repair the iPad with an iOS repair tool. While these don’t always help resolve the issue, they can help you pinpoint the cause of the problem.
Some of the best iOS repair tools include:
- Joyoshare UItFix
- Dr. Fone
- PhoneRescue for iOS
All work to an extent, but don’t expect them to fix the black screen problem magically.
Reset the iPad
If nothing else works, the only solution you’ll have is to reset the iPad. This will remove all installed apps, data, and files. However, it will also help resolve any app glitches and remove bugs that may cause the screen to go black. Follow these steps to reset the iPad:
- First, connect your iPad to a laptop with the iTunes app installed.
- Click on the iPad icon on the iTunes app, select This Computer, and Backup Now. This will backup all your data to the computer.
- Press and hold the Home and Sleep buttons simultaneously. Keep holding the buttons even after the Apple logo appears until the Restore or Update options appear.
- If your iPad doesn’t have a Home button, press the Volume Up button followed by the Volume Down button, and then hold down the Power button until the Restore or Update options appear on the iTunes app.
- Click on Restore to reset the iPad. If you’ve backed up the data, you can restore it after the iPad is cleaned out.
Send Your iPad for Repairs.
If none of the above steps work and your iPad has a black screen even after you’ve tried updating and resetting it, the issue is with the iPad’s hardware. In most cases, a damaged screen will be the problem, but only a qualified Apple technician can tell you for sure.
Other issues that may cause your screen to go black are wire misalignment and battery problems. Fortunately, these aren’t too expensive to repair compared to a screen replacement.
If the screen replacement is too expensive and you have an older iPad, you should consider a replacement.
If the hardware issue wasn’t caused by negligence (dropping the iPad), and you still have time on the warranty, you can get it repaired at no cost. However, never try to open or fix the iPad yourself, as this will cancel the warranty.