iPad mini 6 “jelly scrolling” is normal behaviour consistent with AppleIt’s commonplace for brand spanking new products to launch with some issues, and even Apple’s devices aren’t resistant to that. Fortunately, most of these post-launch problems are often fixed through a software update, just like the “Unlock with Apple Watch” iPhone 13 bug that’s already addressed within the latest iOS 15.1 beta. Unfortunately, that also depends on whether Apple considers something a bug or a non-issue. It seems that it doesn’t see any problem with the “jelly scrolling” being reported by new iPad mini 6 owners.
After many generations, Apple has finally changed the formula of the iPad mini and simplified the planning. It employs a new and bigger display, requiring some developers to regulate their apps to match the new screen size and determination, making users and reviewers more perceptive of a change within the experience, leading to reports of this “jelly scrolling” behaviour.
This term refers to how the left half of the screen seems to lag behind the proper half when scrolling a page, making paragraphs of text look wobbly. It’s subtle but noticeable once you become conscious of it, and it seems to be more prominent when scrolling slowly. There also seems to be some reference to the screen’s orientation, where the jelly effect sometimes disappears completely when holding the iPad mini 6 in landscape orientation.
Apple tells Ars Technica that this is often actually normal behaviour for LCD screens, where there’s a delay when lines at the highest and bottom of the screen are refreshed. However, many sites mean that the iPad mini 6 appears to exhibit this more prominently than the other LCD iPad, though there are indeed instances where uneven scrolling is noticeable on other devices. Apple’s explanation doesn’t address factors, just like the screen’s orientation or the delay affecting half the screen instead of just the sides.
Unfortunately, calling it a non-issue suggests that Apple won’t be entertaining replacements due to that specific complaint, which may leave owners fewer options if they’re truly bothered by this jelly scrolling behaviour. That said, Apple could sneak during a fix in iOS 15.1 that might “improve display performance” while silently addressing what it doesn’t want to call a bug.
