Thank you for describing this issue perfectly. I’m having the very same issue. I game with a First Gen iPad Pro, I cannot connect to my Microsoft account upon app start up. Upon launching the Minecraft App, the Splash screen appears, then shows the “loading bar”; at this point the app “freezes”. I have used my iPhone to connect to my MS account but same results.
Thank you for describing this issue perfectly. I’m having the very same issue. I game with a First Gen iPad Pro, I cannot connect to my Microsoft account upon app start up. Upon launching the Minecraft App, the Splash screen appears, then shows the “loading bar”; at this point the app “freezes”. I have used my iPhone to connect to my MS account but same results.