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Has my iPad battery gone south?

I bought an iPad 3 last spring and have generally been amazed at how long I can putz with it and the battery would stay fairly close to full; until a few weeks ago. It's a 32mb WIFI, no bluetooth, and pretty much stays at home. For instance, yesterday morning I watched a couple short YouTube videos, checked some emails, and maybe checked a website. When I closed the case cover it was around 92% and I know nobody else used it for the rest of the day. Next morning I went to check email and got the dreaded outline of a battery again and it would not turn on. Can you help me figure out what is draining it? I don't think I'm doing anything differently and this is about the third or fourth time it's happened in a few weeks.

iPad (3rd gen) Wi-Fi, iOS 5.1.1

Posted on Mar 2, 2013 7:48 AM

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13 replies

Mar 2, 2013 8:32 AM in response to David Bartosic

If you are still running iOS 5.1.1 like your tagline is showing, you could try updating the iOS and see if that helps.


Do you recharge the battery at all or do you wait until it is so low that you are forced to charge it? I charge my iPad battery every single night because I use the iPad all day long at work and I use it quite a bit on weekends so I have made a habit of charging it every night.

Mar 2, 2013 8:45 AM in response to David Bartosic

Update your iOS.


You can call apple support and they can do a diagnostic check on the battery (they'll send it via email, sms).


you can aslo install one of these free apps, they will let you know what apps, features or settings are draining your battery.



Install and use Battery Doctor HD

http://itunes.apple.com/tw/app/battery-doctor-hd/id459702901?mt=8


Battery health and maintenance App

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/carat/id504771500?mt=8

Mar 2, 2013 8:53 AM in response to David Bartosic

Using the battery level meter in this manner is comparable to using your car's fuel gauge to calculate miles per gallon. The only thing that matters is the total amount of operating time from full charge to auto-shutdown.


Use the wall-mount charger that came with the iPad and charge overnight. Admittedly the labeling is hard to read but, if you use a magnifier and squint your eyes, you'll see "Output 5.1V, 2.1A." The symbol between volts and amps is the symbol for DC. Do NOT use an iPhone charger. Do NOT use an iPod charger. Then, operate it normally until auto shut-down (ignore any low level alerts that may appear). An irony is that doing that test to determine the total operating time is also the exact procedure necessary to calibrate the battery level meter.


I'm not claiming that you do not have a problem. I am stating, however, that we don't yet know whether or not a battery problem exists.





According to Apple:

Use Your iPad Regularly

For proper reporting of the battery’s state of charge, be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down).

Elsewhere, Apple elaborates and explains that two half-discharges (or four quarter-discharges, etc.) equals one full discharge.

Mar 2, 2013 8:58 AM in response to David Bartosic

Try this first - Reset the iPad by holding down on the Sleep and Home buttons at the same time for about 10-15 seconds until the Apple Logo appears - ignore the red slider - let go of the buttons. (This is equivalent to rebooting your computer.)


Or - Recalibrate the battery. See link below.


The quickest way (and really the only way) to charge your iPad is with the included 10W or 12W (5W on Mini) USB Power Adapter. iPad will also charge, although more slowly, when attached to a computer with a high-power USB port (many recent Mac computers) or with an iPhone Power Adapter (5W). When attached to a computer via a standard USB port (2.5W, most PCs or older Mac computers) iPad will charge very slowly (but iPad indicates not charging). Make sure your computer is on while charging iPad via USB. If iPad is connected to a computer that’s turned off or is in sleep or standby mode, the iPad battery will continue to drain.


Apple recommends that once a month you let the iPad fully discharge & then recharge to 100%.

How to Calibrate Your Mac, iPhone, or iPad Battery

http://www.macblend.com/how-to-calibrate-your-mac-iphone-or-ipad-battery/


At this link http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/galaxy-tab-android-tablet,3014-11.html , tests show that the iPad 2 battery (25 watt-hours) will charge to 90% in 3 hours 1 minute. It will charge to 100% in 4 hours 2 minutes. The new iPad has a larger capacity battery (42 watt-hours), so using the 10W charger will obviously take longer. If you are using your iPad while charging, it will take even longer. It's best to turn your new iPad OFF and charge over night. Also look at The iPad's charging challenge explained http://www.macworld.com/article/1150356/ipadcharging.html


Also, if you have a 3rd generation iPad, look at

Apple: iPad Battery Nothing to Get Charged Up About

http://allthingsd.com/20120327/apple-ipad-battery-nothing-to-get-charged-up-abou t/

Apple Explains New iPad's Continued Charging Beyond 100% Battery Level

http://www.macrumors.com/2012/03/27/apple-explains-new-ipads-continued-charging- beyond-100-battery-level/

New iPad Takes Much Longer to Charge Than iPad 2

http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/03/new-ipad-takes-much-longer-to-charge-than-ipa d-2.html


Apple Batteries - iPad http://www.apple.com/batteries/ipad.html


Extend iPad Battery Life (Look at pjl123 comment)

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3921324?tstart=30


New iPad Slow to Recharge, Barely Charges During Use

http://www.pcworld.com/article/252326/new_ipad_slow_to_recharge_barely_charges_d uring_use.html


Best Practices for iPad Battery Charging

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/best-practices-for-ipad-batte ry-charging/


Tips About Charging for New iPad 3

http://goodscool-electronics.blogspot.com/2012/04/tips-about-charging-for-new-ip ad-3.html


How to Save and Prolong the battery life of your new ipad

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4480944?tstart=0


Prolong battery lifespan for iPad / iPad 2 / iPad 3: charging tips

http://thehowto.wikidot.com/prolong-battery-lifespan-for-ipad


iPhone, iPod, Using the iPad Charger

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4327


Install and use Battery Doctor HD

http://itunes.apple.com/tw/app/battery-doctor-hd/id459702901?mt=8


To Extend a Device’s Battery Life, Get to Know It Better

http://tinyurl.com/b67c7xz


iPad Battery Replacement

http://www.apple.com/batteries/replacements.html


In rare instances when using the Camera Connection Kit, you may notice that iPad does not charge after using the Camera Connection Kit. Disconnecting and reconnecting the iPad from the charger will resolve this issue.


 Cheers, Tom 😉

Mar 2, 2013 9:11 AM in response to David Bartosic

Thanks all. I'm going to try the "reboot" when it's once again fully charged up. I always keep the OS and apps up to date (unlike my profile!) and I think the OS is 6.1.2 or 6.2.1 (without looking). And I always use the white USB cord plugged into a surge protector to charge it up. And I'm going to try some other suggestions here.


It almost seems like what my cheap cell phone does. If just turned on, the battery will last for WEEKS (I hardly use it) but if it's somewhere where it can't get phone service, the battery drops like a rock trying to connect.

Mar 16, 2013 12:51 PM in response to David Bartosic

Well I spoke too soon. This morning I logged on to my iPad and the Battery Doctor suggested I unplug it to prevent overcharging, which I did. I watched maybe 15 minutes max of YouTube vids and closed it with the battery level still saying 100%. By 3pm it was down to 24% without using it at all. The Battery Doctor gives general tips (like turning off Bluetooth when I don't have it) but I can't really see how it could help me figure out what is draining the iPad while sitting unused. I did the reboot and have closed any apps not being used, which is most. Time to go to the Genius Bar???

Has my iPad battery gone south?

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