iPad only charges when connected to my Mac

I have seen this question asked before but no answers.doing troubleshooting, such as changing leads or power supplies does not help. I have been to the Genius Bar and that didn’t help either, they just told me my port was dead (we didn’t try plugging it into a Mac).


it is an iPad gen6 12.9”. It will not charge on any power adapters, just on my Nac Mini N4 and my M4 PowerBook. Two weeks ago I was on holiday and found it would charge if I shut it down. It would then startup after a few seconds and start charging.


as I said, I have tried multiple cables and multiple chargers,both App,e and third party. None are working unless powered from a Mac.


I am guessing the Fast charging option on the iPad has failed, so only low powered chargers work. Anyone got any experience with that? Apple won’t fix it, they just give you the open to but a heavily discounted replacement.




iPad Pro, iPadOS 18

Posted on Feb 19, 2025 12:20 AM

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Posted on Feb 19, 2025 11:24 AM

When charging from the USB port of your Mac, you will likely be charging at standard 5V USB bus voltage - limiting the charge current to ~2.4A (12W). By contrast, your USB-C Power Adapters will be using USB PD (Power Delivery).


When using USB PD, the Power Adapter and the charge-controller of connected device (in this case your iPad) mutually negotiate a higher charging voltage, this permitting higher power transfer while keeping the charging current at manageable levels. Higher current requires much larger conductors within cables.


Your description strongly suggests that your iPad's charge controller has a fault, is failing to work with USB PD power sources, but can still accept charge at 5V supplied by your computer.



For practical purposes, in lieu of repairing and returning your own iPad, Apple usually exchange the iPad for a renewed/refurbished iPad of the same model and specification. The cost of the exchange is the same as would otherwise be charged for repair. Unless you have benefit of an active AppleCare plan, an out-of-warranty repair while expensive will be somewhat less than the cost of a replacement iPad.


As for out-of-warranty repair costs, Apple offers a fixed-price price repair. You can verify eligibility and cost for your region/country here:

iPad Repair & Service - Apple Support


If you have an active AppleCare+ plan, the cost of repair is reduced to a small excess/deductible fee.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 19, 2025 11:24 AM in response to SW11

When charging from the USB port of your Mac, you will likely be charging at standard 5V USB bus voltage - limiting the charge current to ~2.4A (12W). By contrast, your USB-C Power Adapters will be using USB PD (Power Delivery).


When using USB PD, the Power Adapter and the charge-controller of connected device (in this case your iPad) mutually negotiate a higher charging voltage, this permitting higher power transfer while keeping the charging current at manageable levels. Higher current requires much larger conductors within cables.


Your description strongly suggests that your iPad's charge controller has a fault, is failing to work with USB PD power sources, but can still accept charge at 5V supplied by your computer.



For practical purposes, in lieu of repairing and returning your own iPad, Apple usually exchange the iPad for a renewed/refurbished iPad of the same model and specification. The cost of the exchange is the same as would otherwise be charged for repair. Unless you have benefit of an active AppleCare plan, an out-of-warranty repair while expensive will be somewhat less than the cost of a replacement iPad.


As for out-of-warranty repair costs, Apple offers a fixed-price price repair. You can verify eligibility and cost for your region/country here:

iPad Repair & Service - Apple Support


If you have an active AppleCare+ plan, the cost of repair is reduced to a small excess/deductible fee.

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iPad only charges when connected to my Mac

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