New iPad Air 4 battery drain - unsatisfactory response from Apple support

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SV934 Author

Level 1

4 points

New iPad Air 4 battery drain - unsatisfactory response from Apple support

New iPad Air 4 (1 month old) - WiFi only model

All background refresh/ location/ Airplay/Mail fetch/Bluetooth etc. is OFF

Autobrightness , Dark Mode is ON

Primary usage - content consumption ONLY

iOS= 15.5

Battery drain from 100% to 0% - streaming ONLINE content on Netflix/Amazon/Disney+ = 5 Hrs

Battery drain from 100% to 0% - watching OFFLINE content on Netflix/Amazon/Disney+ = 5+ Hrs

Battery cycles = 20+

Battery issue reported to Apple after 3 days of device purchase.

Software restored using iTunes as well- which did help to some extent but again same issue is seen after updating to iOS 15.5

Multiple sessions/calls later - Apple support says that the battery performance is fine and the drain is due to usage.

Logical that if the device is used, the battery will be consumed.

Questions :

Is this normal drain?

Are we supposed to lose 20% in one hour? in both online and offline content?

Anyone facing this issue?

Do we have any Escalation matrix for Apple-- if it exists?

This is the worst performing Apple device that I have and going by this experience, I have no other option but to sell it, because Apple support has simply wasted my time and not given me replacement option when I raised this issue.

They did not even connect me with their technical team for a better response.

Is this really an Apple device that I'm using?

I am expecting some more 'textbook' or cliched responses from Apple support.

As of now, I am totally dissatisfied with device performance and the support that I have received.

iPad Air, iPadOS 15

Posted on May 31, 2022 8:33 PM

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Answer 1

LotusPilot

Level 10

303,848 points

Jun 1, 2022 3:02 AM in response to SV934

Apple quote their battery life as “up to” - these figures being in ideal conditions to a tightly defined set of parameters. Typical usage by an end-user will rarely achieve the quoted battery endurance. Many video Apps, streaming or otherwise, can be particularly heavy on the battery.

While “typical” in-use performance of an iPad might be ~10% per hour, I find that video playback and/or video meeting/collaboration Apps (e.g., Zoom, Webex Meet, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet) will push battery utilisation to +15% per hour. As such, your quoted performance is, perhaps, not particularly unusual.

Be aware that using Dark Mode will have absolutely no benefit in extending battery endurance with an LCD display - as the LCD screen backlight remains illuminated at the set level. If you have a current model iPad Pro 12.9” with the XPS Display, with its mini-LED backlighting and local dimming, then using Dark Mode can improve battery endurance. With OLED screens (not available for iPad), each pixel is an independent light source; with OLED, using Dark Mode can improve battery performance.

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Answer 2

babowa

Level 9

78,580 points

May 31, 2022 8:53 PM in response to SV934

You do realize that this is not Apple support? we are just other users here and do not work for Apple. My iPad Pro generally uses 30 - 50% streaming an online movie or shows for 3 hours or so. I have no idea if that is normal or not, I don't worry about it and just plug it in to charge.

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Answer 3

SV934 Author

Level 1

4 points

May 31, 2022 9:03 PM in response to babowa

Yeah, I know this is not Apple support. Its a community and thats why I have posted this to see if there are other users who may be able to understand the problem and reply accordingly -as per their experience.

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New iPad Air 4 battery drain - unsatisfactory response from Apple support

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