Contents show
If you find your iPad dying at the most inconvenient times or you catch yourself constantly reaching for the charging cable, it’s a good indication that your iPad battery is on its way out. Does this mean you have to throw away your perfectly good tablet? Or is there a way to get your iPad battery replacement done? You’ll be pleased to know that Apple does sell batteries for the iPad, so there’s no need to buy a new iPad yet. You can also look at some third-party batteries if you’re comfortable working on electronics. Read on to learn more.
iPad Battery Replacement
Once you’ve decided you need an iPad battery replacement (and here’s a piece we wrote on checking your iPad’s battery health), you have three options — have it replaced under warranty (where Apple covers your costs), have it replaced by Apple, but you pay for the new battery and labor charges, or you find a battery online and replace the battery yourself. Let’s start with option 1 first.
Under Apple warranty
Alright! So the first thing to do before you reach out to Apple would be to check if your warranty is still valid. Apple provides a 1-year standard warranty which can be extended to two years with some added benefits if you purchase an Apple Care+ plan.
Is my iPad battery under warranty?
You can check your warranty status on your iPad, but you can also do it online. Here are the steps to check if you’re still under an Apple warranty on your iPad.
- On your iPad, open your Settings app.
- Here, scroll down to General and tap it, and then tap About.
- You can see various device details here but look for warranty information. If you’re still covered, you should be able to see your Apple Care plan listed here.
- If your device is out of the warranty period, it will say ‘Coverage Expired.’
To check your warranty status online, simply go to mysupport.apple.com. The website will ask you to log in with your Apple ID, and once you do, you can see all your devices listed here. Simply click on your iPad, and you will be able to see warranty information.
Similarly, on checkcoverage.apple.com, you can simply enter your serial number, and your coverage details will pop up. To find your iPad’s serial number, simply go to General > About inside your Settings app and look for Serial Number.
Cost
If your iPad is still under warranty, this is great news because you won’t have to pay anything to get your battery replaced, as Apple will cover the expenses. All you have to do is set up an appointment with Apple via the website or the Apple Support app, and you can either mail in your iPad or take it to the service center and submit it.
How to replace iPad battery under warranty
The first thing to do would be to reach out to Apple to set up the repair. If you visit getsupport.apple.com, you can log in, choose your device, and then enter details about the issue you’re facing with your iPad. Once you submit your information, you will then be provided with a repair center location where you can take it for repair. You can also request a box and mail your iPad to an Apple service center.
Another method of contacting Apple would be through the Apple Support app, which shows all your devices. Once you select your iPad, you will see options to connect with Apple via chat, call, or in-store appointment.
Before submitting your iPad for repair, make sure you backup your iPad data. You can go to Settings > Your Apple ID > Manage Storage. Here, you will be able to customize which data you wish to back up and which data you don’t want to save.
If Apple Care+ covers you, you also get access to the Express Replacement Service from Apple. With this service, you get a replacement iPad that Apple pays for. Once your new iPad reaches you, you can then ship your old iPad to them after backing up your data.
Without Apple warranty
Under warranty, battery replacement seems easy enough; how difficult does it get if your device has crossed the warranty dates? Thanks to Apple’s excellent after-sales procedures, you can rest easy because the process is similar to being under warranty. The only difference is that you will be asked to pay for replacement parts, and like all things Apple, the parts are a bit expensive. Still cheaper than a new iPad!
Is it worth it?
In our opinion, it’s definitely worth it. We wrote a detailed article about how long iPads last, and we want to double down on what we said there — your iPad can easily last between 4 to 6 years if you take care of it. The article we mentioned has a detailed list of symptoms to watch out for and should give you an idea of how many more years you can expect out of your tablet.
Cost
Apple has a standard price for swapping out the battery on all iPad models, and that amount is $99. And if you need to mail it to Apple for the repairs, an additional $6.95 shipping fee will be added to the total cost.
Via Apple
If you decide to get your iPad replaced by Apple, you will have to mail in your iPad. Details will be provided by their customer support team when you contact them for the repair work.
Via authorized center
You can expect the battery replacement job to get done much faster with an authorized center, as a local Apple repair shop will not see as much demand as Apple’s own service center. And you can rest assured about the parts that will go into your iPad, as Apple enforces strict quality control. Also, note that most repairs are executed by authorized stores and not Apple themselves, so chances are pretty high that you will be directed towards an authorized repair center when you contact Apple.
DIY battery replacement
Replacing your iPad battery yourself is a high-risk move, as you will need specialized tools and knowledge of how to work on sensitive electronics, plus you will have to trust that a third-party battery is as good as Apple’s own. Know that bricking your iPad is a very real possibility, so you were warned!
If you’re still feeling cheeky and want to go for it, we recommend trying a site like iFixit. The company sends out not just a battery but a kit filled with tools to make your job easier. And just a heads up, you need these tools because your home tools will not be able to pry open an iPad. You can expect to spend anywhere between $40-$50 on a third-party site like this. We found a cheaper solution on Amazon, but we suggest you check the reviews before buying!
Here’s a video showing you how you can replace your battery with an iFixit kit:
How to Extend the Life of Your iPad Battery
Some of these hacks may work if you’re struggling to squeeze some more battery life out of your iPad.
Turning off WiFi
If you’re not currently using your WiFi connection, we suggest you switch off your iPad’s WiFi connection. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your iPad to open up the Control Center. Tap the WiFi icon, and it should turn off. Toggling the WiFi button cuts off data access to apps that may be requesting information and content from the internet, using up your battery life in the process. It also clamps down on Apple’s own processes that may be running on your iPad and burning through your battery.
Turning off Location Services
The Location Services feature is known to be a power-hungry process on Apple devices, so switching it off could boost your battery life. If any app constantly requests location data from your WiFi or the GPS chip, this could quickly erode your charge throughout the day. To switch off Location Services, navigate to Privacy in your iPad Settings. You will see that Location Services are turned on, so tap it and then hit the toggle switch to power it off. You will also see all the apps that have permission to access your location data on this page.
Turning off cellular
Cellular capabilities are pretty useful if you’re traveling with your iPad, but if you’re chilling at home or working at your office, there is no need to leave it on, as this can cause your battery to drain faster. Note that this setting only applies to WiFi+Cellular iPads. To switch cellular data off, go to Settings > Cellular. Here, you will see Cellular Data with a switch next to it, which you can turn off when it’s not required.
Low Power mode
Low Power Mode is a great way of extending your iPad’s battery if you won’t be able to access a charging socket any time soon. Low Power Mode on your iPad is a feature that we wrote an in-depth article about, so you should definitely read through it. If you’d like the short version, it reduces the number of processes running on your iPad, dims the brightness a bit, freezes apps running in the background, cuts back on animation and effects, etc., to extend the life of your iPad until you can charge it again.
Go to Settings > Battery and tap the toggle switch next to ‘Low Power Mode’ to turn it on.
Remove unused apps
If you have many apps installed on your iPad that you barely use, it might be a good idea to uninstall most of them. This is because they tend to run in the background, looking for updates, using your internet connection multiple times a day, and using a percentage of your battery in the process. They also use up a lot of storage space, which can cause your battery to suffer. So go ahead and uninstall any games or apps you don’t use much!
Also Read: iPad Air Battery Life: How to optimize for all Air models
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth replacing the battery in an iPad?
It’s worth replacing the battery on your iPad if you expect to run it for a year more, at the very least. If it has no significant issues besides a poor battery, you can swap it out and use the iPad until it dies out.
What is the cost of replacing an iPad battery?
If you’re covered under warranty, you will have to pay nothing to get your iPad battery replaced. If you’re not under warranty, the price can be north of $99. Different Apple authorized service centers can charge a bit more, depending on location. You can get exact pricing details by visiting mysupport.apple.com.
What is the lifespan of an iPad battery?
Your iPad should not give you battery troubles for at least 3 years, but experiences differ from user to user. If you’re seeing issues crop up within the first year, make sure you reach out to Apple so that you can get the battery replaced while under warranty.
How do I know if my battery needs replacing on my iPad?
If you have noticed a decline in battery life over the years, or if you have to constantly charge your iPad to get a few hours of screen time out of it, it might be time to swap out the battery inside your iPad.
Conclusion
As you can see, getting an iPad battery replacement is an excellent alternative to living with an iPad that constantly needs charging. And Apple has made it easy to get the replacement done, even if the price is steep. If you think $99 would be better invested in buying a new iPad, we agree with that line of thought, too! Either way, we’d love to hear if our article helped you decide, so leave us a comment below!