Why won't my iPad play a particular song or video? Why isn't a song or video visible? Why won't my iPad play some songs and videos that will play on my Mac or PC?

If your iPad won't play a specifc single song or video, or a music or video file won't show up in your iPad, but these songs play without a problem in iTunes or other applications on your Mac or PC the most likely cause is that the music is in a format that is not supported by the iPad.

You will need to re-rip the content from CD or DVD, re-download the songs or videos in a compatible format, or convert the songs or videos into a format that the iPad can play.

Why does my iPad "hang," "freeze," or skip in the middle of some songs or video clips?

If your iPad "hangs" or "freezes" in the middle of some songs or videos this is most likely due to a problem with the particular audio or video file -- it could be corrupted, for instance -- or general data corruption on the iPad.

First, try to repeat the problem and see if it is consistent with a single specific song or video clip. If it only occurs with one particular song or video, the problem likely is only with the single file and it should be deleted or replaced.

The vast majority of the time, deleting the troublesome file will solve the problem. However, if the problem occurs with multiple audio or video files that are from different sources (files that are not "ripped" from the same CD or DVD or downloaded from the same site, for example), there may be a larger issue. Effectively, if you can not determine a particular pattern for the problem, try restarting the iPad. If restarting the iPad does not correct the issue, try resetting it.

If neither restarting nor resetting the iPad solves the problem, as a method of last resort, it may be necessary to restore the iPad. Note that that is not needed commonly and restoring the iPad will delete everything on it. Please be absolutely sure that you have the latest version of your files backed up before restoring your iPad.

Why does the audio on my iPad or some songs or videos on my iPad have static or sound "funny" and distorted?

It first is important to determine whether or not the static or distortion occurs through the speaker or headphones or both.

If static or distortion occurs through the speaker while playing some music or video files, the problem most likely is with the file itself (or the artist may have intended for the audio to sound distorted). If all audio sounds odd through the speaker, however, first try Apple's general troubleshooting advice and if the problem persists, you may have a hardware problem and need to have the iPad serviced.

If audio static or distortion occurs through headphones, but not through the speaker(s), it likely means that either the headphones are dying or the audio jack is failing.

First, try using the headphones with another audio source -- like a computer or stereo -- and see if the audio still is problematic. If it still sounds distorted or has static, the headphones should be replaced. If the headphones work properly in another device, then the problem is most likely the iPad audio jack.

Inspect the audio jack and see if it is noticeably cracked or damaged, although it still may need repair even if damage is not visible (it could be a bad solder connection or other internal hardware problem). Try Apple's general troubleshooting advice as well for good measure.

Also see: How do I replace the headphone/audio jack in the original iPad and the iPad 2?