Magic Mouse not working with rechargeable batteries

Me too! I use regular Duracell batteries with the MM and all is well. Then I decided to go green and buy rechargeable AA batteries (XP-333 from Power2000). Nothing. The mouse doesn't work at all. I think I might just chuck the MM and buy a non-Apple mouse. Their mice are always garbage.

Hi, I read somewhere that some batteries are a tad smaller & will not make + & - contact!
this may be your issue...L

I have this same problem, and I thought I was going crazy! The battery is still AA, so why would it matter whether it is rechargable or not? I'm using Sunbeam brand batteries, not Philips. Perhaps the size is a little different. I don't notice any difference. The batteries work perfectly in a variety of other electronic devices, just not my Magic Mouse. It is sort of comforting to know I am not the only one who has had this problem. I guess I'll buy some Energizer batteries later today to see if that makes any difference.

When I used Philips rechargeable batteries, my MM would freeze every time. Put regular AA alkalines back in, and the mouse works fine. Apple needs to address this.

Message was edited by: David Lennard1

Resolved! 😉 I bought some standard Energizer AA batteries and now my Magic Mouse works fine. I'm now using the Sunbeam brand batteries for my Wii remotes. I guess Apple's Magic Mouse is just very particular about the brand of batteries you use...

Fresh alkaline batteries put out about 2.2 volts that drops gradually with use. Freshly charged rechargeable NiMH or NiCd batteries put out about 1.5 volts and stay nearly constant in voltage until they are almost discharged, then their voltage drops fast. So there are many devices designed for alkaline that do not work with rechargeable.

Can't comment on Magic Mouse, but I can tell you that Sanyo Eneloop NiMH rechargeable batteries work just fine in the earlier Apple Mighty Mouse. And I notice that Apple is now selling rechargeable batteries and a charger for them. So I suspect that if your mouse does not work with rechargeable, it has a hardware problem.

I recently purchased the Apple Rechargeable Batteries with Charger. When using the rechargeable batteries, the magic mouse never works correctly. Sometimes, I cannot scroll up\down & left\right, other times there is no right or left click and sometimes the cursor will not move.

Replacing the Apple rechargeable batteries with new alkaline batteries solves all the problems, every time.

I think it is time to make a Genius Bar appointment and see what they can do.

I suspect it may be a voltage issue. Virtually all rechargeables work in my Mighty Mouse but I have not been able to get rechargeables to work at all in my Magic Trackpad. I have tried about 5 different varieties. What I have not tried, as I did not have any with me in France, are these "instant on/ready to use" rechargeables. I measured the voltage of newly recharged NiMh cells at about 1.47V, which quite quickly dropped to about 1.3 to 1.4V and then stayed there a long time. Fresh Alkaline were about 1.6 to 1.8V and fresh Oxyride or Lithium, about the same. For high current devices, the lower voltage of the NiMh cells may not be an issue, as their internal resistance is much lower than alkaline, so that the effective voltage in use may the same. However for very low current devices like Mice or trackpads, the free voltage may be more important,

Wilson

Al; did you use a volt meter to measure your batteries. Every NlMH or NiCd battery I've ever measured was at 1.2v when fully charged and alkaline batteries are at 1.5v.

All types of AA batteries should work fine in both the Mighty Mouse of the Trackpad. At least they do in mine. Alkaline's last for several weeks and rechargeable's last two to three weeks.

I second the endorsement of Sanyo eneloops. They work great in my MM and a full charge lasts about 3 weeks. They also work great in my Sony point and shoot digital camera. I'm just saving money hand over fist by not having to buy a steady stream of alkalines!!

Regards,
Steve M.

I use Sanyo eneloops in mine and they work fine. Not sure that this is Apple's problem.

Danny W.

Faulty mouse, get it replaced. The cheapest possible alkalines lasted 5 weeks for me, on continuous daytime (work) use. NiMH rechargeables last a couple of weeks.