Like an iPhone or iPod Touch, your iPad's battery life will be shorter when used for extended periods of time. However, there are some steps you can take to keep your device on and active for hours of fun and this article will tell you what you can do to extend battery life.
Steps
Step 1. Turn off Wi-Fi and cellular data (in iPad + 3G)
Your iPad drains battery while it searches and tries to connect to the nearest Wi-Fi or cellular networks, so if you don't intend to use Safari or applications that require an internet connection, turn them off.
Go to "Settings", "Wi-Fi" or "Cellular Data" and turn them off
Step 2. Turn off or decrease the time to download new data
Data that is updated regularly includes email notifications and RSS feeds.
- Go to “Settings”, “Mail, contacts, calendars” and go to “Download new data.” Press “Manually”.
- Alternatively, press "Every hour" to increase the interval.
Step 3. Disable Push Notifications
The usefulness of this step depends on how many emails or instant messages you usually receive: if you receive a lot, this step will probably be useful as this can drain battery life.
Go to “Settings”, “Mail, contacts, calendars” and “Download new data”. Disable Push
Step 4. Decrease the brightness
It goes without saying that the brighter the screen, the more battery your iPad consumes. Adjust the brightness to a setting that seems appropriate to you.
- Go to "Setting" and then "Backgrounds and Brightness".
- Select "Automatic brightness", thus allowing the iPad to adjust the brightness based on the brightness of the environment in which you are.
- Alternatively, drag the slider to the left to lower the screen brightness. 25-30% brightness should be sufficient in daylight, and for many people, it should also work in night light.
Step 5. Disable Location Services
Continued use of maps and other location services will drain your battery life. If left on, Maps will continually update, something you don't need will drain your battery.
Step 6. Avoid frequent use of heavy applications or 3D graphics
Sure, BrickBreaker HD is great in high definition, but playing it for long periods of time will drain the battery.
Step 7. Switch to Airplane Mode when you don't need a wireless connection
It's a quick and convenient way to disable all iPad wireless features such as 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 choppy or weak.
Step 8. Keep the iPad away from extreme temperatures
Excessively high or low temperatures can affect battery life. Keep the iPad in environments with temperatures between 0 and 35 degrees.
Be careful when using an iPad case when you are charging the battery, as this can prevent proper ventilation, raise the temperature of the iPad and can damage the battery (charging the battery releases heat)
Step 9. Keep the operating system up to date at all times
Apple recommends updating its devices regularly as engineering teams are always on the lookout for battery life optimization systems and when they find some, they are released in the form of updates.
Step 10. Activate the automatic lock
This means that your iPad screen will turn off after a certain amount of time if not used. The iPad is not turned off but only the screen.
Go to "Settings", "General" and press "Auto Lock". Set the interval to a short period of time, such as one minute for example
Advice
- Charging the battery in a warm environment reduces the amount of charge accepted by the batteries and lowers the voltage at which the batteries are charged. So, charge your iPad in a cool place to get maximum charge.
- Contrary to popular belief, turning off the iPad when not in use and turning it back on when needed, many of the times and especially if for short periods of time, will damage battery life as the iPad's energy is consumed by turning it on and off.
- Always charge your device before leaving home, especially before long trips. Carry the charger with you if you are going to be away all night or for an extended period of time. While the iPad's battery is rated to last up to 10 hours, frequent use will dramatically reduce its life.
- Apple said a normal battery life, surfing the internet via WiFi, listening to music or watching videos, is 10 hours, while surfing using a 3G network should be around 9 hours.
- Consuming the entire battery repeatedly (a process called deep discharge) can shorten its life. So if you use your iPad until it shuts down, you will be able to use your iPad more on this particular occasion, but doing so will reduce the number of times you can charge your iPad's battery. (Many lithium batteries can be recharged about 500 times. If you use your iPad a lot, this could be less than two years or so.)
- Do not leave the plug inserted for too long. It might get hot.
- Don't overload your iPad. This will shorten its duration.
- Perform a battery calibration every month. Let the battery fully discharge and then charge it to 100%.
- Understand the difference between battery life and battery life: Battery life refers to the time that passes before a battery needs to be charged again; Battery life refers to the length of time before a battery needs to be replaced.
