Apple iPad Air 2 Owners Thread

[Steve Dean]

Purchased a 128GB WiFi/Cellular last night.  I did not activate the cellular part since I have a hotspot on my phone currently.  I also picked up a black Griffin Survivor Slim case. 

 

I did not get the chance to start using it last night since it did take several hours to download (30GB) from iTunes with the information that I have on my phone.  My WiFi at home was a little slow. 

[Azimuth]

I've been marvelling all these months how powerful my Air 2 is. I love using it. Today, all of a sudden, the touch screen has become really unresponsive. I've never experienced this before. I'm also picking up a bit of lag.

 

Wut.

 

Edit: cleaned the screen, shut down all open apps and rebooted. The reboot took longer than normal. Red flag. Unfortunately the reboot didn't help.

 

I also have a "null" app as of a week ago and cannot get rid of this thing. It was Pages.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[MacinJosh]

I've been marvelling all these months how powerful my Air 2 is. I love using it. Today, all of a sudden, the touch screen has become really unresponsive. I've never experienced this before. I'm also picking up a bit of lag.

 

Wut.

 

Edit: cleaned the screen, shut down all open apps and rebooted. The reboot took longer than normal. Red flag. Unfortunately the reboot didn't help.

 

I also have a "null" app as of a week ago and cannot get rid of this thing. It was Pages.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Might have to do a wipe and restore.

 

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk

[Azimuth]

After my last post I wondered if Tapatalk wasn't messing up (like a memory leakage thing, or something, wreaking havoc on my iPad as a whole).

I deleted it earlier and things felt better. I've just reinstalled now. I'll test over a couple days before wiping my iPad completely. I hope I don't have to do that...a restore with LTE data isn't cheap!

 

Regards the Pages app, I finally got rid of it. Never had an app getting stuck like this.

 

 

 

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[Azimuth]

Okay so this morning it's clear that nothing has changed. My touch screen seems faulty. I'm getting like 30% accuracy and a lot of key presses aren't registering. I'll swipe the screen and it'll register a button press. While I'm typing this, if I tap *really* hard I can get my accuracy up a bit.

 

As a hard core Apple fan, I'm starting to lose faith. I've had so many Apple problems of late and the telltale signs are hard to ignore.

 

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6636867

 

I'm now filled with such angst. Apple products just aren't like they used to be.

 

Edit: after reading that feedback from the above link, I'm 99% sure something is wrong with the charging circuit. Plugged in, my Air 2 becomes leggy as can be with the described touch screen problems. Unplugged it goes back to normal. I'm using an original iPad 12W charger.

 

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[MacinJosh]

Okay so this morning it's clear that nothing has changed. My touch screen seems faulty. I'm getting like 30% accuracy and a lot of key presses aren't registering. I'll swipe the screen and it'll register a button press. While I'm typing this, if I tap *really* hard I can get my accuracy up a bit.

 

As a hard core Apple fan, I'm starting to lose faith. I've had so many Apple problems of late and the telltale signs are hard to ignore.

 

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6636867

 

I'm now filled with such angst. Apple products just aren't like they used to be.

 

Edit: after reading that feedback from the above link, I'm 99% sure something is wrong with the charging circuit. Plugged in, my Air 2 becomes leggy as can be with the described touch screen problems. Unplugged it goes back to normal. I'm using an original iPad 12W charger.

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It sounds like you have a faulty charger. I've had a number of those. The touch screen goes crazy when you have the device plugged into one. Just get that replaced and you should be fine. Do you have anyone in your area that is licensed to service Apple products other than the cell carriers?

 

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk

[Azimuth]

Sweet, at least I have something to work with. @MacinJosh you rock! The worst is handing it in and saying you don't know what is wrong. Typing right now is as expected. I feel awful for hammering the screen earlier.

 

To answer your question, we have Core Group in South Africa but I'm still not sure what the relationship is to Apple. To confuse matters more, their outlets look like Apple retail stores and they dress like Apple employees.

 

https://myistore.co.za/

http://www.istoreonline.co.za/

 

So because I bought my Air 2 from Core Group's retail store, incidentally called "iStore", I can return it to them directly. They give excellent service and would do Apple proud. My iPhone 6 was purchased from a carrier so I couldn't return it to Core Group. That battle rages on...

 

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[MacinJosh]

Sweet, at least I have something to work with. @MacinJosh you rock! The worst is handing it in and saying you don't know what is wrong. Typing right now is as expected. I feel awful for hammering the screen earlier.

 

To answer your question, we have Core Group in South Africa but I'm still not sure what the relationship is to Apple. To confuse matters more, their outlets look like Apple retail stores and they dress like Apple employees.

 

So because I bought my Air 2 from Core Group's retail store, incidentally called "iStore", I can return it to them directly. They give excellent service and would do Apple proud. My iPhone 6 was purchased from a carrier so I couldn't return it to Core Group. That battle rages on...

 

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Too bad Core Group couldn't help you with your phone. I'm actually surprised because most major 3rd party retailers should be able to provide repair service and support regardless where you bought it. I'm glad I could be of service to help you out on that. I don't want to see someone who likes Apple products lose faith over a faulty power supply. I know it can get frustrating at times, like I'm currently suffering with a bad battery pack in my 2014 15" retina MacBook Pro. I have to take it in soon so the battery doesn't have a chance to permanently damage my trackpad or the aluminum, but regardless of that, I'm so overly satisfied with my Apple products.

 

 

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[Azimuth]

To risk going too far off topic, it's just that I've had so many issues of late. Note that I have renowned bad luck. Like being rear ended four times with my new car.

 

First it was my iPhone 6, then it was my replacement 5S that was faulty (the original was said to have had battery/component damage hence the bent phone), my mom's new iPhone 6 was stuck on the Apple boot screen for 20 minutes and thought to be a dud, now my Air 2.

 

Sigh.

 

 

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[Azimuth]

Not even a week later and my Touch ID recognition is noticeably slower. I'm thinking I should setup as a new device as far as possible.

 

Please can someone double-check my thought process?

 

- I can delete all apps and start over, that isn't an issue

- E-mail can be synced again because of modern adoption of IMAP

- Notes can be synced again because of the link to an e-mail account

- Photos and videos can be moved off the device and back on after it has been setup as a new device. Main question is will all the metadata stay intact? I'll have to copy to and from a Windows desktop since I currently don't own a Mac

- Music can be downloaded from scratch so isn't an issue

 

So what, then, do I actually stand to lose by not restoring from an iCloud backup? Document data, application data and history? Then again, can't I sync all of these again simply by turning on iCloud and making sure all switches are on?

 

 

 

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[MacinJosh]

Azimuth, make sure you have iCloud Photo Library turned on in Photos in iCloud, and all your photos will be saved in iCloud, especially if that 157GB is your iCloud storage space. Photos can be downloaded when needed, or you can change the settings to auto download them back to your iPad once you log in to iCloud. The default setting is Optimize i"Device" storage, but I prefer to Download and Keep Originals.

 

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk

[sbolen]

Flickr just updated their universal iOS app and it's gorgeous. If you're looking for a high-quality backup service (free!) to stash your photos, you get 1TB free.

 

I'm still on my unlimited plan, so I've got everything up there.

[Azimuth]

@MacinJosh I'm waiting until the new photo service isn't beta before I activate it. Heard some stories that made me stay away.

 

Edit: okay doesn't seem to be beta anymore. Can anyone vouch for iCloud Photos Library? I use say the sync across all devices was always appealing. I usually have a "Inter Device Share" set up on Photostream to get specific stuff synced.

 

Regards iCloud storage space, yes, 157GB is what remains free of my monthly 200GB plan.

 

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[sbolen]

@MacinJosh I'm waiting until the new photo service isn't beta before I activate it. Heard some stories that made me stay away.

 

Edit: okay doesn't seem to be beta anymore. Can anyone vouch for iCloud Photos Library? I use say the sync across all devices was always appealing. I usually have a "Inter Device Share" set up on Photostream to get specific stuff synced.

 

Regards iCloud storage space, yes, 157GB is what remains free of my monthly 200GB plan.

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm using it. I backed up my iPhoto library before flipping over to Photos - just in case.

 

It worked really well - all of my albums were in tact, and I can see everything on my iPhone/iPad/Mac/Web. I'm now in the process of uploading over 16,000 photos from Photostream on my iPad to Flickr - totally seamless.

[MacinJosh]

@MacinJosh I'm waiting until the new photo service isn't beta before I activate it. Heard some stories that made me stay away.

 

Edit: okay doesn't seem to be beta anymore. Can anyone vouch for iCloud Photos Library? I use say the sync across all devices was always appealing. I usually have a "Inter Device Share" set up on Photostream to get specific stuff synced.

 

Regards iCloud storage space, yes, 157GB is what remains free of my monthly 200GB plan.

 

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I use iCloud Photo Library, and it works great. No problems with my photos transferring from iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It's nice to have access to all my iPhone photos on my Mac when I need to.

 

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk

[Azimuth]

It sounds like you have a faulty charger. I've had a number of those. The touch screen goes crazy when you have the device plugged into one. Just get that replaced and you should be fine. Do you have anyone in your area that is licensed to service Apple products other than the cell carriers?

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk

Update: I'm now using a different charger, a 10W iPad charger. Same symptoms. Device has a complete slow down and touch screen is real bad (while plugged in and charging). Charge is currently at 98% so it's definitely not a power saving feature.

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Azimuth]

I'm using it. I backed up my iPhoto library before flipping over to Photos - just in case.

 

It worked really well - all of my albums were in tact, and I can see everything on my iPhone/iPad/Mac/Web. I'm now in the process of uploading over 16,000 photos from Photostream on my iPad to Flickr - totally seamless.

I successfully made the switch. Used up a lot of mobile data but it had to be done. I dread syncing my iPhone and then each device re-syncing!

 

I've chosen to have photos "optimized" on my device. The only issue here is that photos are only cached when viewed. This messes up sharing from other apps which just can't grab the photo e.g. Telegram and Hangouts. The workaround is to share photos from the Photos app outwards and not use apps to "fetch" photos.

 

 

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[DanielB]

I noticed Sprint no longer even lists the iPad Air 2 on their site. Have they stopped selling it, or are they just temporarily out of stock of all capacities and all colors?

[MacinJosh]

I noticed Sprint no longer even lists the iPad Air 2 on their site. Have they stopped selling it, or are they just temporarily out of stock of all capacities and all colors?

I'm thinking its a temporary thing that they stopped selling them online. Some stores may still have them in stock, or may be able to order them.

 

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk

[DanielB]

I'm thinking its a temporary thing that they stopped selling them online. Some stores may still have them in stock, or may be able to order them.

 

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk

 

So I checked today when I was at the Sprint store...they only have a few 16 GB Air 2's left in stock in the store and the warehouses. 64 GB and 128 GB models in ALL colors are out - can't even be ordered. The store reps didn't have confirmation of this, but think Sprint is discontinuing their sale of the Air 2. The Mini 4 seems to be a big push for them, but it's just too small for my needs.

[MarshieZ]

So I checked today when I was at the Sprint store...they only have a few 16 GB Air 2's left in stock in the store and the warehouses. 64 GB and 128 GB models in ALL colors are out - can't even be ordered. The store reps didn't have confirmation of this, but think Sprint is discontinuing their sale of the Air 2. The Mini 4 seems to be a big push for them, but it's just too small for my needs.

 

Keep a watch on Swappa. As I've been watching the iPhones, I've noticed the Air 2's pop up on there every so often. However they get snagged pretty quick. 

[DanielB]

I was lucky enough to get in touch with someone from Marci's department over the weekend. Sprint has indeed stopped selling the iPad Air 2 - any they have left for sale in stores are merely left-over stock that they would like to deplete as soon as possible.

 

Having said this....if you want an iPad Air 2 of any color and any capacity on Sprint EasyPay, Best Buy can hook you up.

[Azimuth]

I successfully made the switch. Used up a lot of mobile data but it had to be done. I dread syncing my iPhone and then each device re-syncing!

 

I've chosen to have photos "optimized" on my device. The only issue here is that photos are only cached when viewed. This messes up sharing from other apps which just can't grab the photo e.g. Telegram and Hangouts. The workaround is to share photos from the Photos app outwards and not use apps to "fetch" photos.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Aloha.

 

Man, I regret going with the "Optimise iPad Storage" iCloud Photo Library setting. I use a 60Mbps LTE connection and always have to wait for photos to cache to my iPad from iCloud. Severely irritating. Apps still can't request photos to cache so you can't share optimised photos.

 

I've switched to the "Download and Keep Originals" setting but in doing so, I'm outta space. Had to delete all my games; all my big apps; all my music; all my iTunes movies. Gah!!!

 

How are you guys finding the Optimise iPad Storage setting in the U.S.? I really advise against using it, especially if you have lots of self-made videos. Accessing those is a wait-a-thon of note.

 

 

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[Azimuth]

No more iPad users on S4GRU?

 

 

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[MacinJosh]

No more iPad users on S4GRU?

 

 

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There are a number of iPad users here, but just not very much discussion like smartphone users.

 

 

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