It’s never great when your major software update inadvertently bricks some of your high-end tablets and a build has to be pulled.
Following Apple’s release of iPadOS 18 to the public, a number of M4 iPad Pro users stated that their iPads had stopped turning on after the update. Apple, in turn, pulled the iPadOS 18 build from their servers in the short term.
As confirmed by 9to5Mac, the OTA update for iPadOS 18 is no longer available for this year’s iPad Pro models with the M4 chip. Apple even stopped signing the IPSW files to restore the M4 iPad Pro with the iPadOS 18 firmware. Other devices seem not to have been affected by the issue, as the update is still available for them.
In the case of one user, their iPad turned off midway through the update process and no longer turns on. It’s not even possible to restore the iPad software using a computer.
“I just took it to the Apple Store who confirmed it’s completely bricked, but they said they had to send it out to their engineers before they can give me a replacement even though I have Apple care,” said a user who had their iPad bricked after installing the update.
Apple has yet to publicly acknowledge or comment on the issue.
Like iOS 18, iPadOS 18 adds a new Home Screen with customizable icons. The update also comes with Math Notes, Handwriting with Smart Script, live audio transcription, the Calculator app for the first time on iPad, and Game Mode.
If you’ve had issues upgrading to Apple’s latest operating systems, please let us know about your experiences in the comments.