iPads are generally durable and bug-free, but they can also get issues like any other devices. When you find your iPad frozen at Hello or “Slide to Upgrade” screen, it can be scary especially if you just upgraded its iOS to the latest version or you reset it to default factory settings.
The good news is you can get your iPad restored and working normally again, but you may have to restore it from the latest backup to do this.
How to fix iPad frozen at Hello
It’s not enough to just push the Sleep/Wake button and power on your iPad. Although this is a first troubleshooting step, you may have issues with normal rebooting if you’re stuck at Hello or the Slide to upgrade screen.
Hard reboot
This tells the iPad to immediately shut down without confirmations. To do this:
- Press and hold down Sleep/Wake button
- Release the buttons once you see the Slide to power off query and follow instructions for a normal restart. If the query doesn’t display, just hold down the buttons until it does, or until the iPad powers down by itself.
Unlike a soft reboot, doing a hard reboot doesn’t confirm that you’re powering the device down. Hard reboots are used where the iPad may not ask for confirmation like when it’s frozen during activation or during updates.
- Once the iPad powers down wait a few seconds and hold down the Sleep/Wake button to power it back on.
- Release them once the Apple logo appears
If rebooting didn’t resolve the iPad frozen at Hello issue, you can repeat the steps, or plug it into a wall outlet to let it charge and eliminate any low power issues.
Reset iPad using iTunes
To get past the iPad frozen at Hello screen, you can reset the device to default factory settings. This is where the main issue happens, because restoration only happens if you have Find My iPad turned off, and you can’t do this if you can’t access your iPad settings.
If it’s not turned on, you’ll get a notification when you try to restore the iPad. If it’s turned on, you can try to remotely restore the device through iCloud.com.
If Find my iPad is off, restore the device via iTunes by doing this:
- Turn on your computer and open iTunes (download the latest version first)
- Connect your iPad to the computer with the lightning connector cable
- iTunes will recognize your iPad, but if you’ve never connected it before, confirm that you Trust this computer and then click on iPad button to go to Restore iPad options
- because it’s frozen, it may not be recognized so press and hold Sleep/Wake button and Home button below iPad’s display and iTunes will prompt you to restore it
Once you restore your iPad, set it up like you did when you first bought the device.
Recovery mode
If the iPad is still frozen at Hello, try to go into recovery mode as this will help you get back to default factory mode.
Elsie is a tech writer with 8+ years professional experience. For Tech News Watch, she brings rich experience contributing to topics such as Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS among others. In her spare time, she loves checking out the latest tech trends, gadgets, and news, listening to music and cars.
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