Fix: iPad Crashes When Moving Icons After iOS 26 Update

After updating to iPadOS 26, you might encounter a serious bug where your iPad freezes or crashes completely whenever you try to move icons on your Home Screen. As detailed in this Apple Community discussion, pressing and holding an app icon can cause the entire device to become unresponsive, with even the power and volume buttons failing to work for several minutes before the iPad reverts to the lock screen. This issue appears to be a software bug in iPadOS 26, likely related to new visual effects or a glitch in the Home Screen management system.

Why Your iPad Crashes When Moving Icons

The process of rearranging apps on your Home Screen is managed by a core iPadOS component known as SpringBoard. With iPadOS 26, Apple introduced new animations and visual effects. The bug likely occurs when the system attempts to render these new effects while you are dragging an icon, causing a critical process to hang or crash. This problem seems to be more common on certain models like the iPad Pro, possibly due to a conflict with higher refresh rate ProMotion displays.

How to Fix an iPad That Crashes When Moving Icons

While a permanent solution will require a software update from Apple, these steps can help resolve or work around the issue.

1. Force Restart Your iPad

A standard restart may not resolve this issue, as some users report the problem persists after rebooting. A force restart is more effective at clearing deep-seated temporary glitches.

• For iPads without a Home button: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Then, press and hold the Top button until the Apple logo appears.
• For iPads with a Home button: Press and hold both the Top (or Side) button and the Home button at the same time until you see the Apple logo.

2. Update to the Latest Version of iPadOS

This is a known bug, and Apple is likely to release a fix in a minor software update (e.g., iPadOS 26.0.1). Installing the latest patch is the most probable permanent solution.

1. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
2. If an update is available, tap Download and Install.

3. Reset the Home Screen Layout

This action will reset your Home Screen apps to their original, default layout, which can resolve corruption issues causing the crash. It will not delete any apps or data, but you will need to reorganize your apps afterward.

1. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad.
2. Tap Reset > Reset Home Screen Layout.
3. Confirm by tapping Reset Home Screen.

4. Avoid Moving Icons Across Multiple Pages

As a temporary workaround, some users have found the crash is triggered specifically when trying to drag an icon from one Home Screen page to another.

1. Press and hold an icon until it jiggles.
2. Move the icon only within its current page.
3. To move an app to a different page, drag it to the App Library and then drag it from the App Library to the desired page.

5. Reduce Visual Effects

The crash may be linked to the new, more intensive animations in iPadOS 26. Reducing these effects can make the system more stable.

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Motion.
2. Turn on the toggle for Reduce Motion. This may help prevent the bug from being triggered.

6. Sign Out of and Back into iCloud

In some cases, a syncing issue with iCloud can cause unexpected behavior on the Home Screen. Refreshing your iCloud connection may help.

1. Go to Settings > [Your Name].
2. Scroll down and tap Sign Out.
3. After signing out, force restart your iPad using the steps in the first solution.
4. Go back to Settings and sign back into your Apple ID.

If none of these solutions work, contact Apple Support.