Q: Magic Mouse keeps losing connection

My old magic mouse came with my 2011 iMac, I was pretty convinced that buying a brand new magic mouse 2014 would result in an improved version. I was wrong.

Although I'm happy now after adding the metal washers, and that others are happy after buying Apple recharagable battery kits, putting bits of paper or metal foil in the battery compartment etc, why does not Apple solve the problem? The mouse should work with any type of battery, without compensatory measures, period.

Glad to hear the Eneloops are working Linelle.

I'm not sure why WiFi would effect a Bluetooth device, but some people feel it does. Obviously it shouldn't.

...and yes, the mouse SHOULD work with a standard battery and no fixes needed. But it doesn't. Thus this thread.

Hans, I agree with you. We shouldn't have to jerry-rig the mouse to make it work. I also got my first one in 2011 with my iMac and then bought one later for my MacBook Pro (would rather not use track pad 100% of the time). Both are behaving the same. Good to know (actually bad to know) that new ones have not been improved, so I won't try that option. A corded mouse would solve the problem, but I don't need another cord.

Kort, new day, still a solid connection. Clearly it's the batteries. I'm surprised not all batteries are the exact same size.

I notice that the batteries are draining faster than the non-rechargeable ones. It really shouldn't matter, since I have a ready supply of Enneloops, but it's interesting. Is the clearly better contact and continuous connection using the battery more?

" Is the clearly better contact and continuous connection using the battery more? "

I think so. I know I have to charge mine in less than a month's time when using them every day. One can turn off the mouse when not in use and that may lengthen the battery life.

Kort, that makes sense. I don't use my iMac every day, so that might be the way to go. My laptop is being used so much that it wouldn't be practical to turn the mouse on and off. I'll just pop batteries in and out more often. I'm glad to have found this thread and all the help.

I put Enneloops in my iMac's MMouse. It's working great. Honestly, since I use my iPhone camera most of the time and my point and shoot very little these days except on a trip, the batteries were going to waste.

For what it's worth, the eneloop batteries did not work for me.

i feel like  we are not using proper battery , even i had same issue . now i;m using Apple  rechargeable battery with battery charger . now working well.

This problem bugged me for a while until I replaced my mouse with one that used to be attached to my old windows computer.  Problem solvered.

BUT. It all came back to haunt me when my wife chucked a big tanty because her Magic Mouse would keep dropping out and giving her grief.

I see from all the entries here that it is a common problem.

This post is aimed more at Apple than all the victims who suffer from this problem.  But read on, it may give you a few clues about the real causes and what can be done to overcome the issues.

My background is in telephony - the old fashioned telephones that Mum and Dad used to use.  This is relevant here because the signal that comes down the phone line is not amplified or digitized like things are today.

Two of the big problems that Alexander Bell had to overcome was crosstalk and static.  Crosstalk was solved by twisting the cable pairs, and few other things, but static was a really big issue.

Static is caused by loose connections and so obviously the solution is to tighten all connections, solder all joints etc.  but a telephone call may have dozens of relay contacts in series to connect two phones to each other, what can be down to make sure they are all good?

This is done by using special metal and alloys for the contacts and by having more than one contact.  All telephony relay contacts have two (2) contact points.  This is because when only one contact point is used it can vary in electrical resistance and cause static due to a poor connection.  When there are two (2) contact points the variation in electrical resistance is overcome and a silent static free connection is made.

When we examine the contacts for the batteries in the Aple Magic Mouse we find that batteries have only one contact point at each end of the batteries. This means that static will develop at these places. The static interferes with the Bluetooth signal and the mouse loses sync.  If Apple wants to cure the Magic Mouse of this issue it will devise two (2) contact points where the electrical connections are made to the batteries.

Understanding the problem may make it easier for readers to modify there Magic Mouse battery holder.

I found that simply putting pencil lead on all contact points and sticky tape on the batteries to hold them tight in the mouse was a good interim measure until Apple gets around to fixing the problem properly.

have had this problem for about a week - intermittent "lost Connection" followed by a "Connection" notification. Its been driving me nuts !

Have always used Duracell AA's and have NEVER had this problem. I believe my mouse batery cover has become loose with age and lots of use.

I went out and BOUGHT new ENERGIZER ADVANCED LITHIUM AA batteries and installed them in my mouse. This was after I did the following:

* removed AA Duracell batteries

* cleaned the contacts (both negative and positive) with rubbing alcohol and a clean q-tip

* Allowed inside of battery case to air dry

* used small pieces of aluminum foil on the BOTTOMS of each NEW battery where it meets the spring-like contact

* installed batteries

* installed a folded up piece of paper to ensure the battery COVER is secure. Clicked it into place

* disconnected Magic mouse from Bluetooth pairing on my iMac using a WIRED mouse.

* Shutdown iMac

* Removed all USB connected devices and pulled out power cord on iMac. Plugged everything in again after 30 seconds.

* Re-started iMac.

* Set up Magic mouse as a new device in System Preferences/Bluetooth

* Paired the device and it was recognized.

So far, its been about 20 minutes and the situation SEEMS to be corrected ! I will of course, report back if it FAILS me.

i am hopeful that the BATTERY type is actually what has resolved this matter.

By the way, I have a bluetooth printer paired with this iMac and have had ABSOLUTELY no issues with it. This is a magic-mouse-only matter. 

G O O D  L U C K  to anyone dealing with an unreliable Magic Mouse !

After about 10 hours of use, i can report that the connection lost is happening LESS often with my first time use of lithium batteries, but the problem of DISCONNECTION IS STILL OCCURRING.  

While changing the battery BRAND did improve performance, i think my Magic Mouse is actually having technical troubles staying connected to Bluetooth. May be time for a replacement. It is about three years old and gets heavy use.

VERY VERY Happy to report I took my defective Magic Mouse into the Genius bar and after briefly explaining the problem, a genius walked up to the shelves and handed me a BRAND NEW mouse, no questions asked. That is the kind of service that makes me a loyal (and GRATEFUL) Apple customer.

I brought it home and paired it. Those reading shuld note the mouse COMES WITH Energizer batteries, so from now on, that is the brand I will buy.

Cheers.

VERY VERY happy to report I took my defective Magic Mouse into a store and the Genius ba. After briefly explaining the problem, and all of the fixes that a tried form this thread, a genius walked up to the shelves and handed me a BRAND NEW mouse, no questions asked. That is the kind of service that makes me a loyal (and GRATEFUL) Apple customer.

I brought it home and paired it. Those reading sshouldnote the mouse COMES WITH Energizer batteries, so from now on, that is the brand I will buy.

Cheers.

Just for the record, even if the battery-size issue in relation to the Magic Mouse has already attracted several useful answers in various parts of Apple Support Communities:

A few weeks ago when I started using my new Magic Mouse it was using Energizers, and I experienced no problem that could be related to poor connection between the batteries and the mouse.

A few days ago when the Energizers died and I installed a pair of “Eveready Super Heavy Duty” batteries I suddenly started experiencing symptoms of poor connection, so I dived into ASC and found that the sizes of the batteries might be the culprit.

I then decided to install a new pair of Energizers. That trick solved the problem. But just to satisfy my curiosity I used my vernier caliper gauge to measure the diameters and lengths of Energizer and Eveready HD batteries, and found that the samples in my possession had roughly the following dimensions:

Energizer: diameter 13.94mm, length 50.6mm

Eveready HD: diameter 13.9mm, length 49.68mm

And just for good measure {!} I stuck a few layers of masking-tape on the inside face of the battery-compartment cover, with the aim of ensuring that the batteries wouldn’t rattle around in the poorly designed compartment.

While installing the tape I had to ensure that its layers were short enough so as not to encroach on each end of the battery compartment—in other words so that the tape layers were no longer than the batteries.

Warning: If too many layers of tape are installed then the battery-compartment cover will bulge and so make the mouse tend to swivel uselessly on its own vertical axis instead of sliding properly on its two black plastic tracks.

Anyway, from now onwards I’ll stick with Energizer even if these discussion forums have suggested that some other brands will do just as well.

Thanks, perfect solution to a very annoying problem!