FAQ | What’s the Deal with the iPad mini’s ‘Jelly Scrolling’ Issue?

Despite the many new features and the new design of the sixth-generation iPad mini has, many users have found an annoying new issue. An issue that it seems Apple isn’t going to fix any time soon. 

This issue is being called “jelly scrolling,” It happens to the iPad mini when you’re scrolling through documents or web pages. You know, pretty much the reason you’d get an iPad mini in the first place. 

Apple had to address this issue since it has affected so many users, and you might not like its response. Read on to find out everything you need to know. 

What Is ‘Jelly Scrolling?’

The iPad mini’s “jelly scrolling” happens when half of its display refreshes slower than the other half. This produces a kind of wobbly, dizzy effect. 

According to many reports, it seems like it mostly happens when you use the iPad mini in portrait mode. Users report that this issue doesn’t happen in landscape mode. 

To be fair, this issue doesn’t happen all time, and it remains a bit subtle, so you might not catch it the first few times. That said, it’s noticeable enough to see once you are aware that it could happen.

What Does Apple Have to Say About It?

Unfortunately, for all iPad mini users, it seems like Apple doesn’t see a problem with “jelly scrolling.” Instead, the company says it’s a “normal behavior” for LCD screens. 

Recently, Apple gave a statement to ArsTechnica, pretty much saying that there’s nothing to fix since that’s how LCD screens work. 

In response to our inquiry, Apple has told us that the “jelly scroll” issue on the 6th-generation iPad mini is normal behavior for LCD screens. Because these screens do refresh line by line, there is a tiny delay between when the lines at the top of the screen and lines at the bottom are refreshed. This can cause uneven scrolling issues like the ones observed on the iPad.

ArsTechnica

Even though Apple says that “jelly scrolling” is normal for LCD displays, it hasn’t been noticed on other iPad models with a similar LCD screen.

Why Does “Jelly Scrolling” Happen?

Despite Apple’s response, recently, iFixit explained why this issue happens on the iPad mini. 

And while it’s true that jelly scrolling is normal on LCD and OLED displays, you usually can’t see it as clearly as in the iPad mini. 

During its video, iFixtit shares that this issue does happen to other iPads, like the fourth-generation iPad Air. The only difference is that it happens when it’s on landscape mode. And, of course, it’s not as noticeable. 

According to iFixit, you can see jelly scrolling because of how the controller board that drives the display is mounted. The controller board is placed vertically instead of horizontally on the iPad mini like it is on other iPads. 

While “jelly scrolling” does happen on other displays, it’s usually covered because the display is refreshing in the same direction where you typically scroll. For instance, the display on your iPhone or any other phone vertically refreshes when in portrait mode. Hence why you don’t see when it’s refreshing the display.

On the other hand, when it’s in portrait mode, the sixth-generation iPad mini refreshes horizontally, which is what’s probably causing the wobble effect you see on your screen. 

There’s also the possibility that Apple used a cheaper display panel, causing this issue to be more prominent than expected.

iFixit also explains that the iPad Pro also has its controller board mounted vertically, so it technically does suffer from “jelly scrolling.” The only difference is that you can’t see it because of the iPad Pro’s higher refresh rate. 

What Can You Do About It?

Unfortunately, as of right now, there isn’t any way to actually fix this issue. However, if you absolutely don’t want to see this issue, you can try to use your iPad mini in landscape mode more often. That’s not how most people hold their iPad mini, but it’s still an option.

The other option is to ask for a refund. If you’re still within the first 14 days of purchase, you can ask Apple for a full refund and get a different iPad. It’s probably not what you wanted to hear, but since Apple doesn’t seem to be too eager to fix this issue, that might be the only option.