Five common iPad and tablet faults and how to fix them

From slow speeds to poor battery: find the solutions to your iPad and tablet woesBatteries are the cause of most tablet issues – almost 20% of all the faults recorded in our survey were down to the battery getting significantly worse in a short period of time.
Typically, this is a sign of a hardware issue with the battery itself, which might need replacing, but there are some setting adjustments you can try first.
How to check battery health on a tabletFirst, check the condition of the battery itself. If the battery needs replacing, then there’s no point doing any further troubleshooting, as only a new one will get your tablet healthy.


You can’t usually access the battery physically, but you can check it in the settings.
Android tablet: Head to the battery section in the settings to get an overall rating for the battery. You can get more information here, too. Select Battery from this menu and you’ll see how long a full charge should last. If this is much lower than normal, then it’s a sign that something’s wrong.iPad: Go to Settings, then Battery. Next, tap Battery Health and you’ll see the maximum capacity. Ideally, you want this to be as close to 100% as possible. If it’s low then you know you’re not getting much battery life, even when your iPad is fully charged.

Amazon Fire tablet: There doesn’t seem to be a built-in method of checking an Amazon tablet battery but there are battery health apps on the Amazon Fire store that will show you.Microsoft tablet: You can get a detailed battery report on Windows tablets – you’ll feel like a Matrix extra while you do it. Type cmd into the Start menu to bring up the command prompt box. Type in powercfg /batteryreport and a battery report will be saved into your C drive. This will tell you the maximum capacity and show how much it’s dropped over time, along with a range of usage stats.If you run any of these tests and find the maximum capacity has dropped dramatically, then your tablet’s battery is likely damaged and will need replacing. 
10 ways to get more from your tablet batteryIf your battery gets a clean bill of health, try these tips to get more life out of it.


The screen usually drains more battery than any other process. Turn down the brightness, or make it adaptive so it reacts to light and doesn’t maintain unnecessarily high brightness.Adjust the screen timeout so it turns off more quickly when you’re not interacting with it or watching something.Turn off any location services, particularly if you’re mainly using your device at home.If you aren’t using them, turn off Bluetooth and wi-fi. Even if you’re not connected, the tablet will periodically look for active connections, which drains the High quality tablet battery

Close any apps you’re not using. There are different trains of thought on whether this makes much of a difference on newer tablets, but you might as well try it just in case these apps are drawing some power.Your tablet probably has an eco or power-saving mode you can try. You’ll notice this mainly affects the screen brightness, but it will turn off some background processes, too.Switch to dark mode. If most of the background is black, then the screen doesn’t need to work as hard. This is because the backlight and pixels have to work harder to display a white screen.Switching off your voice assistant means the tablet isn’t alert and waiting to hear your voice, which will save some power.

Switch your email to push, rather than regularly checking for emails. You’ll need to actively go into the email app and refresh to see new emails, though.Uninstall apps you’re not using. Just because you’re not using them doesn’t mean they aren’t running processes in the background that are draining your tablet battery Plus, they might be getting automatic updates that are tuned for newer tablets, and older ones might struggle to run them. Join Which?

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Fault 2: Tablet is slowTablet with a cloud symbol and “storage”It can be very frustrating if your tablet is slow to open apps or switch between them.
Sluggish tablet speeds can be a symptom of age. As apps continue to be updated, the power demand starts to exceed the capabilities of the tablet’s processor and Ram, which then struggle.
Things can slow down when the tablet operating system gets updated, too, for similar reasons.
There are other possibilities, though, and it’s worth trying the suggestions below before admitting defeat to slower speeds.


We promise we’re only going to say this once, but try turning it off and on again. It’s the oldest trick in the book, but it works. Your tablet being on for days leads to a build-up of open apps and running processes that you probably aren’t using, but are slowing you down. Restart to give your tablet a clean slate and speed things up.
Clear your tablet’s cacheApps collect data to make them load faster in future. Ironically, this can slow down your tablet as apps accumulate increasing amounts of data.
You can manually clear the cache of apps in the settings menu. 
Android tablets: Go to Settings then Storage, followed by Cached data to clear the storage. You can also do this on an app-by-app basis in the App Menu.

iPads: Open the app you want to clear, then hold down the power button until you see the ‘Slide to power off’ prompt. Release the power button and hold the home button until the app restarts. When it does, the cache will be cleared. For iPads without a home button, go to General settings then iPad storage. Choose the app you want to clear and select Offload app. This keeps some data, such as logins, but clears the cache when you reactivate it. This will work with older iPads, too.

Amazon Fire tablets: Open Settings, then Apps and Notifications. Next, select Manage all Applications and select the app you want to clear, followed by Storage. You’ll now see the option to clear the cache.Microsoft tablets: Microsoft tablets run Windows 11 and often use software rather than apps, so clearing a cache doesn’t make as much sense. You can use ‘Storage Sense’ (click Settings, System, then Storage and toggle it on) to free up space on your hard drive, though.Five other ways to speed up your tablet

Generally, a newer tablet shouldn’t run slowly unless you’re using some software that it really isn’t capable of running. For example, if you’ve bought a low-end tablet and start editing some uncompressed 4K footage, then it’s going to struggle.
It’s important to buy a tablet that suits your needs and can handle the tasks you require. Thanks to our tough, independent lab tests, we know which jobs each tablet is best for – so check our tablet reviews before you buy.


Keep your apps and operating system up to date: Newer versions often optimize software to help things run smoothly. You can use our free tablet security tool to find out if yours is still receiving updates. Seek alternative apps: Keeping your apps up to date is a good idea, but if you find an app is starting to feel sluggish following an update, then it could be that it’s now exceeded what your tablet can cope with. There are likely dozens of alternatives you could try and some might run better, so try looking in the app store for a different option.

Remove widgets: If your tablet has to load a bunch of widgets every time you return to your home screen then it will slow things down. Make sure you only keep genuinely useful widgets that you check a lot.Reduce startup processes: This is one for Microsoft tablets mainly, but if you have loads of software set to start every time you turn on your tablet, it could slow your startup to a crawl. Go to Settings, Apps then Startup to see what loads up when your tablet turns on.

Free up some storage space: If your hard drive is almost at capacity, it can slow down your tablet. Try to delete some old apps and content to free up space. You can always move files from your physical storage to the cloud.

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Amazon Fire Max 11 review: Easily the best Fire tablet yet

The latest Amazon Fire tablet ticks all the boxes for an affordable mid-range tablet. But before you buy, you need to read the rest. Amazon has launched a new tablet in the Fire Max 11, which promises faster performance and longer Amazon tablet batterylife on an 11-inch display, all with a new design. The tablet starts at $229, or you can bundle the keyboard case and stylus to create what Amazon calls a productivity bundle for $329.
All in all, the Fire Max 11 is easily the best Fire tablet Amazon has ever madeThere’s a lot to like about the Fire Max 11, both in theory and in practice. I’ve been using it for the last week, trying to get work done with it, as well as doing some web browsing, shopping, and watching videos .


Also: Amazon continues to improve Kindle Scribe. This is the latest update
It’s not perfect. But at $229, that’s not necessarily the case. Below you’ll see what’s new in Fire Max 11, as well as features I’m eager to see improved in the next version.
What’s new with this modelAmazon’s Fire tablets never really had a massive overhaul in terms of design. A few years ago, Amazon added rounded corners and moved the front-facing camera, but other than that, the tablet looks much the same as before.

With the Fire Max 11, that’s no longer the case. Amazon went back to the drawing board and completely redesigned the tablet based on customer input and feedback.
1. Different design methodsClose-up of the corner of the Fire Max 11.Jason Cipriani/ZDNETGone is the plastic casing, replaced by an aluminum casing. The edges of the tablet are flat, much like the latest iPad models. The case sports an 11-inch display — the largest on a Fire tablet — with a 2,000 x 1,200 resolution.
On one side of the tablet’s case, there’s a fingerprint reader that acts as a power button. It’s located next to the volume up and down buttons, and there’s a USB-C 2.0 port for charging. Finally, there’s a microSD card slot for up to 1TB of additional storage.

ALSO: You might be using the wrong microSD card
The other side of the tablet has a series of magnets that hold the optional $35 stylus in place. It doesn’t actually charge, as the official Fire Max 11 stylus is powered by a single AAAA battery. The magnetic connection is strong enough to keep the pen in place when you carry it around your home or office, but in a backpack it’s more likely to fall off.


I really like this new design. As I said when the Fire Max 11 was first announced, it reminds me of the Lenovo Chromebook Duet, which is a design I really like. The metal chassis with flat edges and even the design of the keyboard case look like they came directly from Lenovo, with a few minor tweaks and changes.
Without the case attached, the Fire Max 11 is lightweight and easy to hold, whether you’re watching a show, browsing the web, or even reading a book in the Kindle app.
2. Keyboard, trackpad and stylus support

When you look at the Amazon page for the Fire Max 11, you’ll find that the 64GB model starts at $229 and the 128GB model starts at $279., when you start looking at the Style options, you’ll notice that there’s a productivity bundle that includes a keyboard with a built-in trackpad and stylus. The 64GB and 128GB models are bundled for $329 and $379 respectively.
The last time Amazon launched a Fire tablet with a productivity bundle option was the Fire HD 10, and it was really, really bad. The keyboard and case combo is bulky and uses Bluetooth to connect to the tablet. This time around, the Fire Max 11’s productivity bundle feels like Amazon has spent some time perfecting the keyboard, trackpad, and stylus experience.

The keyboard shell is made of two pieces and is covered with cloth material. There’s a piece that magnetically attaches to the back of the tablet case, adding a layer of protection but also hiding a foldable kickstand. The stand is sturdy and adjustable, offering a variety of positions and viewing angles.
With the Fire Max 11, you no longer have to charge the keyboard separately and rely on a Bluetooth connection for pairing, which is almost always fraught with lag and delays. That alone is a major win in terms of the new tablet’s availability.
Another win is the addition of a trackpad. Navigating the Fire Max 11’s interface using the trackpad greatly enhances the experience. The trackpad is on the small side, but this is an 11-inch tablet; some things can be cramped.


Plus: My favorite keyboard just got a major upgrade — ChatGPT users are sure to love it
I personally think Amazon kept the trackpad smaller to provide more space for the keyboard. The room pays off, as writing and using the Fire Max 11’s keyboard is a joy. There’s plenty of space between the keys, and the keys themselves are of adequate size , so I could start typing on the keyboard almost immediately with minimal errors.

Performance-wise, the Fire Max 11 gets the job done, but can be slow at times. It’s fast and responsive most of the time, opening tabs or apps a little slower than I’m used to on an iPad.
However, in some cases, when I started switching between multiple apps or tabs in Amazon’s Silk browser, the Fire Max 11 could slow down noticeably. Eventually it will recover smoothly and performance will return to normal – which is to say, perfectly acceptable.

Amazon estimates the Fire Max 11’s battery life to be around 14 hours of use. I looped a 4K video using the Fire tablet version of VLC with the display at 50% brightness (and the keyboard detached), and the Fire Max 11 lasted 11 hours and 23 minutes, so you can rest assured.


In the week or so I spent using the Fire Max 11, primarily as an entertainment and web-browsing device, battery life was excellent in both real-world and standby use.

Amazon’s Fire tablets run Fire OS, a highly customized version of Android that lacks support for any Google apps or services like Maps, Gmail, Sheets, Docs, and the Play Store. As a result, Amazon tablets don’t have access to hundreds of Thousands of Android apps in the Play Store.


Instead, Fire tablet owners must use Amazon’s own App Store. While there are many well-known apps from companies like Facebook, Zoom, Hulu, and TikTok, there are still a ton of productivity apps that simply don’t exist. For example, Slack, one of the most popular team communication apps, is not available.

Amazon’s App Store is mostly made up of games, streaming services, and dubious-looking apps that serve as shortcuts to web versions of Google’s various services.
While I was reviewing the Fire Max 11, Amazon pushed an update to my tablet that supports sideloading apps. This means you can download apps from outside the Amazon Appstore, such as Slack, and install them on your tablet.


But while sideloading is an option, it’s not a good one. It is highly insecure and forces users to find APK files from websites that may or may not be legitimate. Not to mention, this is a technical task that those who are not tech savvy would not even want to try. Nor should they do so simply because of the security risk.

Plus: The best tablets you can buy right now
If Amazon is serious about its pursuit of more powerful, more useful tablets, it’s time for Fire OS to comply with Google’s mandate for tablets to include all of Google’s apps and services. Either do that, or throw a lot of money into developers like Slack and let them bring their apps to the Appstore.

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