How to Extend the Battery Life of an iPad

Just as with an iPhone or iPod Touch, the battery life of your iPad will be shorter during heavy use. However, there are some measures you can take to keep your device on and active for hours of enjoyment, and this article explains what you can do to lengthen the battery life.

Steps

1. Turn off Wi-Fi and cellular data (iPad + 3G) settings. Your iPad drains battery power when searching for and attempting to connect to the nearest Wi-Fi or cellular network tower, so if you're not planning on using Safari or apps that require these features, shut them off.
   
   • Go to "Settings", "WiFi option" or "Cellular", and tap the off switch.
2. Turn off or decrease the timing for data fetching. Data that is updated regularly includes email notifications and RSS feeds.
   
   • Go to "Settings". Tap on "Mail, Contacts, Calendars" and go to "Fetch New Data". Tap "Manually".
   • Alternately, tap "Hourly" to increase the fetching interval.
3. Turn off Push notifications. The usefulness of this step depends on how many emails or IM+ you usually receive; if you get a lot, this step is probably worth using as this can deplete battery life.
   
   • Go to "Settings", "Mail, Contacts, Calendars" and "Fetch New Data". Turn off Push.
4. Tone down the brightness. It goes without saying that the brighter the screen, the more battery power your iPad consumes. Turn the brightness down to the lowest setting you find comfortable, but make sure you can still see your screen.
   
   • Go to "Settings", then "Brightness & Wallpaper".^[1]
   • Select "Auto Brightness", which will allow the iPad to adjust brightness depending on the brightness of your location; or
   • Drag the slider to the left to lower the default screen brightness. 25 percent to 30 percent brightness should be sufficient for daytime use, and for most people, it should also work during nighttime.
5. Turn off location services. Active use of maps and other location services will drain battery life. If left on, Maps updates continuously, and you do not need that app draining your battery.
   
6. Avoid frequent use of 3D or graphic heavy apps. For example, BrickBreaker HD looks great in high-definition, but playing for long periods of time drains battery life like a hose.
   
7. Switch on Airplane Mode when you don't need wireless connections. It's a quick and convenient way to disable all of the iPad's wireless features like cellular data, Wi-Fi, GPS, location services and will increase battery life. It's also a good idea to use Airplane mode in areas where 3G is patchy or weak.
   
8. Keep the iPad away from temperature extremes. Extremely high or low temperatures can cause the battery life to decrease. Keep the iPad environment between 32ºF and 95ºF(0ºC and 35ºC).^[2]
   
   • Be careful of using an iPad case when charging the battery, as this can prevent adequate ventilation, increasing the temperature of the iPad and potentially damaging the battery (charging releases heat).
9. Keep your software up-to-date at all times. Apple recommends updating regularly because engineers look for new ways to optimize battery performance and when they find any ways of doing this, they pass these on via software updates.^[3]
   
10. Switch on the auto-lock feature. This means that your iPad's screen will turn off after a set period of time if left inactive. It doesn't power off the iPad, just the screen.
    
    • Go to "Settings", "General", and tap on "Auto Lock". Set the interval to a short space of time, such as one minute.^[4]

Video

Tips

• Don't overcharge your iPad. This will lower your battery life.
• Always charge your device before leaving home, especially on long trips. Bring the charger with you if you are going away overnight, or for an extended period of time. While the iPad battery is slated to last up to 10 hours, frequent use will shorten this time dramatically.
• Don't leave the plug in too long when charging your iPad; the plug may become hot.
• Apple states that normal battery life for surfing the Internet using WiFi, playing music or watching videos is up to ten hours, while surfing the Internet using a 3G network should be up to about nut hours.
• Charging batteries in a warm environment reduces the amount of charge accepted by the batteries and lowers the voltage that the batteries are charged to. So charge your iPad in a cool place to get the maximum charge to begin with.
• Contrary to popular belief, shutting off the iPad when not in use and turning it back on when you do will more often than not, especially in short periods of time, waste battery life because of the energy the iPad takes up trying to boot up/shut down.
• Repeatedly draining your battery completely (called a “deep discharge”) can shorten the life span of the battery. So, if you use your iPad until the battery fails, you will get more use of your iPad on this particular charge, but you will reduce the number of times you can recharge your iPad’s battery. (Most lithium batteries can be recharged about 500 times. If you are a heavy iPad user, that could be less than two years or so.)
• Perform a monthly battery calibration. Drain the battery completely, then charge it 100 percent.^[5]
• Understand the difference between battery life and battery lifespan. Battery life refers to the time before a battery requires recharging; battery lifespan refers to the time a battery lasts before it needs to be replaced.^[6]

Warnings

• These steps may not help you if your iPad belongs to your school. Don't risk getting into trouble with your school.

Things You'll Need

• iPad
• Apple charger
• 3G on iPad
• Space on your iPad for any updates

Related wikiHows

• How to Buy an iPad
• How to Use iBooks on Your New iPad
• How to Take a Screenshot With an iPad
• How to Put an eBook on an iPad
• How to Save Battery Life on an iPad
• How to Extend Android Trial Apps

Sources and Citations

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