Category Archives: iPads

Faculty, iPads, Student

Don’t FRY your iPad!

MDS tech has seen three iPads that have been electrically fried, resulting in a need for replacement [and a bill sent out].

According to tech support, this is caused by using el-cheapo cables or charger blocks that are NOT Apple “Mfi certified”.

Look for this icon on the packaging – but make sure it isn’t counterfeit!

All students are given a charger block AND a quality cable at the beginning of school. Obviously it can be handy to have extras at the house, but PLEASE make certain they are quality, certified cables and chargers.

PLEASE MAKE SURE ANY CHARGERS OR CABLES YOU PURCHASE ARE MFI-CERTIFIED.

The makes certain that the cables are wired correctly, the charger blocks have the correct circuit protection, and they won’t damage your iPad.

One clue that they are NOT certified is their price –> cables that are $3 are probably NOT certified, and they very well can fry your iPad.

Faculty, iPads, Student

My iPad can’t…..[problems]

Some basic things to check when your iPad is misbehaving  – weird problems like email not downloading, or not being able to download Moodle docs into Notability, etc.

1) Do you have any room open in your ipad?
2) Have you done the Reboot Dance lately?
3) Do you have an active internet connection?
Try surfing to an off-campus site you’ve never visited before – like www.hamsandwichtees.com
4) Are you on the correct network?
Make sure you’re on MDS-student and not MDS-tech in Settings
5) Is your OS up to date?
Settings –> General –> Software Update
If not, we can switch your network and get it updated at school [takes about an hour], or you can update it at home.
6) Have you tried the Moodle document download using a different web browser?
iPads, Student

Black iPad Apps – what to do

If you have apps on your ipad that are “black” or “grayed out” or just “won’t work”, here are some things to try:

  1. First, make sure you have a live connection to the internet. Fire up a web browser and visit a website you’ve never visited before. Then plugin your iPad and wait a half-hour to see if anything changes.
  2. If nothing has changed,  then do the “iPad Reboot Dance“:
    Swipe out of all your running apps,
    then press AND HOLD the power button on the top of your iPad.
    Swipe to turn it off.
    Wait 2 minutes, and power it back on.
    THEN plugin your iPad and wait a while, to see if anything changes.
  3. Try clicking on one of the dark apps – sometimes that gets the install process kickstarted.

If NOTHING works, then send an email to IPAD – listing what apps are dark.