Sleep seems to work, but doesn't (iPad 2)

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Level 1

6 points

Sleep seems to work, but doesn't (iPad 2)

For years, my iPad 2 (iOS 9.3.5, 32GB) has gone nicely to sleep whenever I close the magnetic cover. (It's a Yoobao cover.) Battery wouldn't run down while it was asleep, and all was well.

Now in the past couple days, although it seems to go to sleep when I close the cover (I say "seems" because I need to type my passcode when I re-open the cover, even if the cover was closed just 5 seconds ago), still the battery runs down. If I leave it overnight in this pseudo-sleep mode, the charge will go to zero.

It doesn't seem like the battery is dying, because if I turn the iPad completely off and leave it off for a number of hours, there's no appreciable loss of charge.

Any ideas what I can do about this?

iPad 2, iOS 9.3.5, 32GB

Posted on Oct 2, 2016 7:53 PM

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Answer 1

poikkeus1

Level 4

2,475 points

Oct 5, 2016 8:16 PM in response to gyandev

I'm not in any position to trouble-shoot your iPad, but it's still possible to do some meaningful tests.

First, see removing the Yoobao cover makes any difference. If that fixes things, there are quite a few well-recommended covers to replace your old one.

Second, consider if the recent iOS update might be the cause of your woes. If so, reporting the problem to Apple is recommended.

Finally, and most importantly, change the auto-lock period from 'never' to '10 min' (Settings > General>Auto-lock).

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Answer 2

Oct 5, 2016 8:16 PM in response to gyandev

Hi. The lock settings have been moved. Check Settings > Display & Brightness > Lock/Unlock. This enables the cover.

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Answer 3

gyandev Author

Level 1

6 points

Oct 5, 2016 8:16 PM in response to poikkeus1

Thanks so much for your ideas. I removed the cover, but no change. And the auto-lock was set at 5 min, so that wasn't the issue either. I've also:

"Reset All Settings," but there was no change.

Rebooted multiple times, but no change in behavior—even without having launched anything but Settings.

Checked the charge port, but nothing seems amiss (hard to tell for sure, of course).

Made sure screen brightness has been set in the exact middle all through this, and anyway, charge is getting drained while the screen is completely dark.

I think there is a bit of battery degradation, in that it loses 3% of its charge when shut down overnight; in the past, it would lose 0% when shut down. The bigger problem, however, is that it loses more than 30% of its charge when it (supposedly) sleeps for 7-8 hours — not good, and not normal.

All I can think of is (a) new battery, (b) restore to factory settings, or (c) both of those.

Any smarter ideas out there?

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Answer 4

gyandev Author

Level 1

6 points

Oct 5, 2016 8:35 PM in response to Diana.McCall

Thanks, Diana. Unfortunately, I've tried that and several other things, but no go. See my other follow-up message in this thread.

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Answer 5

Oct 6, 2016 10:22 AM in response to gyandev

Hi. To confirm whether it's sleeping or not, you can just tap the Sleep button to make iPad sleep. The screen should go black. I suspect it is still sleeping when you close the cover, provided it's still enabled. Now, regarding your battery issues, check Settings > General > Background App Refresh and make sure only apps that you want to update are enabled. Also check Settings > Battery and see which apps are using the juice. It will show if an app is using power when in the background. If your iPad includes cellular, you might want to disable WiFi Assist in the cellular settings.

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Answer 6

gyandev Author

Level 1

6 points

Oct 6, 2016 2:38 PM in response to Diana.McCall

Thanks, Diana. Yes, the iPad was sleeping when its cover was closed. I followed your advice on the Background App Refresh issue, and turned off the whole feature, so no apps are updated in background. And for this testing period, I've had only Settings open. Still, neither of those steps affected the battery drainage. I am beginning to think it's time for a new battery. Ouch.

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Answer 7

poikkeus1

Level 4

2,475 points

Oct 6, 2016 2:55 PM in response to gyandev

If its any use...my iPod touch started to lose charge after around three years at which getting a new battery was my best option. (That's about three hours use every day.)

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Answer 8

gyandev Author

Level 1

6 points

Oct 6, 2016 4:40 PM in response to poikkeus1

So I assume that the new battery solved the problem. If so, great. And thanks for your reply. I'm slowly accepting the idea of plunking down $100 for a battery exchange.

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