Even though I have auto updates switched of in ‘Apps’ on my iPad, somehow it insists on installing the latest version of MGP. And today, with Beta 2, connecting my two iPads took 5 minutes of quitting Metasever and restarting it while unplugging/plugging USB cables.
You honestly cannot expect any new user to to need to do this ^ without questioning their decision to buy this app. This is not a PROFFESSIONAL level piece of software if this is what it requires to connect two iPads to a computer. TOP PRIORITY. Get it sorted ASAP please.
And the thing is, my iPads DO see my computer even though MGP doesn’t. Because when I am stuck on the ‘No Computer Detected’ screen, if I quit Metaserver, both my iPads switch to the “radar’ scanning screen immediately. So if there is “No Computer Detected’, how do both my iPads know that Metaserver has just quit?.
Thank you for describing the issue in such detail — I completely understand how frustrating this is. You’re absolutely right that having to restart MetaServer or reconnect cables multiple times isn’t the experience you expect from a professional tool, and we’re treating this as a top priority.
To clarify what’s happening: on Windows, MetaGrid Pro’s USB connection relies entirely on Apple’s Bonjour components and Apple Mobile Device USB drivers, which are installed with iTunes or Apple Mobile Device Support. These drivers handle all communication between iPads and the PC.
When multiple iPads are connected at once, the Apple driver stack occasionally fails to assign both devices to Bonjour correctly. As a result, MetaServer may only establish a stable session with one iPad, while the second remains in a discovery state. That’s why you see the “No Computer Detected” message — even though both iPads still recognize that MetaServer exists (hence the instant switch to the radar screen when MetaServer quits). The Bonjour discovery layer is still active, but one of the USB sessions doesn’t complete properly.
We’ve investigated this in depth and unfortunately, the issue stems from the way Apple’s Windows drivers handle multiple simultaneous iOS USB connections. We can’t directly modify that driver layer, but we’re currently adding more robust retry logic and connection recovery in MetaServer to detect and re-initialize any stalled iPad sessions automatically. This fix is already being worked on for upcoming builds.
In the meantime, these steps often help restore both iPads without needing multiple restarts:
Quit MetaServer completely.
Unplug both iPads.
Wait about 10 seconds (to allow Windows to release the USB drivers fully).
Plug both iPads back in, one at a time, waiting 5 seconds between them.
Relaunch MetaServer.
If possible, connect each iPad directly to the computer’s USB ports (avoid front panel or hub connections), and ensure the Apple Mobile Device Service and Bonjour Service are running in Windows Services.
Again, I completely understand your frustration — this is one of those low-level compatibility challenges where Apple’s driver behavior on Windows gives us very limited control. We’re actively testing multi-iPad recovery improvements and your feedback helps us validate these edge cases.
Thank you again for your patience and for helping us make MetaGrid Pro more reliable in complex setups.
This is happening to me as well on Mac. At first startup, Metagrid Server crashes as soon as I connect my 2nd iPad. And if I close Metagrid on either of my iPads and then open and try to reconnect, Metagrid Server will crash. I’m running Tahoe 26.0.1 but it also happens on the same computer running Sonoma.