Don’t Let It Go: Here’s How to Unfreeze a Tablet

Tablets were a godsend for some people who wanted the productivity and entertainment a laptop could provide without lugging one everywhere.

For some manufacturers, tablets became their bread and butter, but they’ve caused a number of issues from companies not serious about the market. Figuring out how to unfreeze a tablet is important to a lot of users who struggle with tablet issues.

Here is what you need to know about dealing with Android or Apple tablets.

Dealing With An Android Device

The two main tablets that people work with run on either an Android system or iOS, which is covered below. For now, we’ll deal with Android devices and what to do when the display is frozen or the thing just won’t respond.

Make sure that each step along the way you’re looking at your tablet. Each one of these steps could be the solution to your problems and could let you know more about what’s really going on.

Note: Because each of these steps represents a possible solution to this issue, check the tablet status after completing each step.

Power Up

Start off by powering it up with the AC adapter. Get it into a wall outlet that you know is perfectly functional.

Press and hold the button for 30 seconds. If the tablet turns off, try to turn it on again. If ti turns back on, then you should be able to get back to normal.

If it doesn’t, continue through these steps to try to initiate the external data reset procedure. Note that these steps are going to get your tablet back to its original factory settings and delete your work.

Getting to the Recovery Screen

If your tablet is off, you need to press and hold the volume up button. Continue holding this button and then press and hold the power button. Keep them held for a few seconds.

You should see the logo of your system come up. When that happens, let go of the power button.

While holding the volume up button, you’ll see the system recovery screen come up. Then you can let go of the volume button.

In some cases, just getting to this point can allow your tablet to restart. You might not need a forced reset. At this point, you can press the power button to cancel the reset and restart the tablet.

If it turns on normally and starts operating, then you can go back to normal.

Inside the Recovery Screen

At this point, you need to use the volume down button to navigate the reset option. Make sure that you’ve tried everything else before you jump on this option. It’s a permanent solution.

Press the power button as soon as you get to the reset option. Inside of this option, you’ll likely be asked to confirm that you want to reset.

Highlight the “yes” option and it will delete your data and go back to factory settings after you press the power button.

Dealing With an Apple Device

Apple devices work a little differently than Android devices, but the basic functionality is the same when it comes to resetting.

Power The iPad

Start by making sure that your device has enough power. It can sometimes get stuck in a loop when trying to conserve power. When it’s not giving you any response at all, let it charge for an hour before taking drastic moves.

Close Your Apps

One of the most common reasons an iPad will freeze up is if there are too many apps running. Close up all the apps you’re not using. Make this a regular practice if you’re not already doing so.

Double-click your home button and you’ll be able to swipe up on each app to close it.

If you can’t get that to work, close every single app. If one particular app is causing issues, you might have to delete and reinstall that app. There could be a necessary software update required.

A Force Restart Can Work

Frozen iPads might need to have a force restart. This allows them to clear their cache and bet back to normal. If you can’t do a normal shut down, that might be your only option.

Hold the home button and the power button at the same time. It might take you ten seconds or more.

When you see the Apple logo comes back up, you can let go.

Reset Your Settings

A frozen iPad could be dealing with intense software or malware problems. If that’s the case, you might have to go back to your factory settings. This requires deleting a lot of your data, apps, and everything you’ve saved on the iPad.

However, this might be the only option.

If you can get to the Settings app, tap General and then go to “Reset”.

“Reset All Settings” will help to solve many of your issues by going back to the basic factory functions.

However, if a piece of data is causing issues, you might have to go to “Erase All Content and Settings”. This is an intense choice, but it might be your only option here.

Figuring Out How to Unfreeze a Tablet is Useful

When you figure out how to unfreeze a tablet, you can help other tablet users with their issues. Troubleshooting a tablet is fairly easy with many of the menu options available. However, when it’s freezing up, you could feel like you’re up the creek if you don’t try the above options.

If your device feels hot to the touch, check out this guide to learn what that means.