Several users are reporting that their iPad freezes during the Apple Pay step while setting up iPadOS 26. The issue seems especially common on freshly updated devices, including brand-new iPads that shipped with iOS 18 and were then upgraded to iPadOS 26.
When you reach the Apple Pay / Wallet setup screen and tap “Set Up Later” or try to skip it, the device gets stuck on an infinite loading screen. Restarting doesn’t always help, and the setup process refuses to move forward.
If your iPad is frozen during Apple Pay setup, here are the fixes that actually worked.
Table of contents
Add a Real Credit Card (Then Remove It Later)
This is the simplest solution, and surprisingly effective.
On a brand-new iPad mini that had just been updated to iPadOS 26, what finally worked was adding a real credit card during setup.
Once the card was added, the setup process completed normally, and the iPad reached the Home Screen.
If you have a card available, this may be the fastest fix.
Force Restart and “Restart Setup”
If adding a card doesn’t work, or you’d rather not, you can restart the setup process entirely.
Here’s how:
- Press Volume Up
- Press Volume Down
- Press and hold the Power button until the iPad force restarts
- Once it turns back on, hold the Power button again
- Select “Restart Setup” (or a similar option)
This will delete any information you’ve entered during setup and start fresh.
From there:
- Skip everything possible
- Don’t add Apple ID
- Don’t add payment info
- Don’t configure Wallet
- Just get to the Home Screen
Once you’re in, you can manually add your Apple ID, Apple Pay, and other details afterward.
Several users report that completing setup “the normal way” causes the device to spin endlessly at various stages.
Complete Setup Without Wi-Fi
Another surprising workaround is to disconnect from Wi-Fi before restarting the setup.
If possible, try:
- Turning off Wi-Fi (or powering off your router briefly)
- Restarting the setup process
- Completing setup offline
Plug the iPad Into Power
Another user spent significant time troubleshooting and found that plugging the iPad into a power source allowed setup to proceed past the Apple Pay screen.
It’s unclear why this works, but it may prevent background setup processes from stalling.
Before restarting again, try to:
- Connect the iPad to a wall charger
- Wait a minute
- Attempt to proceed through Apple Pay
This level of setup instability is unusual for Apple products. If your iPad freezes during Apple Pay setup in iPadOS 26, don’t panic, the device isn’t bricked.
