iPad Pro (2019 12.9") power drain

Hardware
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1

My 12.9" iPad Pro is now over four years old, and I’ve noticed significant battery drainage whenever it’s not turned fully off, no matter what. I’ve tweaked some things when not in use to try to help, based on advice and reported usage in the Battery setting:

  • Turned off Wi-Fi
  • Removed SIM and turned off cellular
  • Engaged Low Power Mode

Even so, there’s still a 20-30% drain overnight. Since I don’t use this iPad as much anymore, I’ve taken to just…turning it off…and that’s been by far the most effective measure (drops of around 1%). As Captain America once said, I can do this all day, but I wonder what I should expect at this stage of my iPad’s life, whether it’s worth it to spring for a battery replacement, and all that jazz.

Lots of that would be informed by a peek at the Battery health…if said peek were easily accessible. Any tips or experiences from which I can learn? Thanks!

2

Not a solution but I too have the same problem with my M1 iPad Pro.

3

There is a work-around to get battery health that works very well, very fast once you download the Shortcut at the end of this article. Once that’s installed the process is simply to Open settings> Privatcy&Security>Analytics&Improvements> Analytics Data> tap top, most recent analytics file. Then share>run the shortcut from share sheet.

The full article link below for reference. The shortcut they provide is here: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/919f0727987843098761b7a506eefbf2

And for what it’s worth my M1 iPad is, after 2.6 years of use, going to need a new battery at some point in the next few months.

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4

I have the exact problem which in my case is because my iPad pro is now 5 years old. I tried to get the battery replaced but was denied.

I am a bit surprised that the M1 iPads are also having such drastic battery drains. My battery drain started this year so maybe it’s software related.

2 Likes
5

Apple denied me a (paid) battery upgrade twice for my iPad Pro 10,5” (from 2017?).

Its battery now lasts less than one hour, so maybe I should try a third time in 2024?

(Or buy an Apple Silicon iPad? However, except for the battery this iPad is still fine)

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If it’s only lasting that long, might be worth a shot. I believe it has to be less than 80% battery life for them to replace it (even for paid). You can get use something like iMazing on a Mac to check this percentage on the iPad.

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I used coconutBattery the previous two times. It listed numbers way below 80% back then, but of course Apple only uses their own tool and that one insisted that the battery was still good…

I’m going to try the procedure shared by Denny this time.

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Maybe if they deny again, ask for a discount on a new one. :grinning:

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Thanks for sharing this article! #socool 2017 iPad Pro still at 80.25% capacity.

1 Like
10

Same boat here and actively search the refurbished site for something newer. Such a shame as the screen and case are in perfect shape. #sigh

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Cool shortcut—thanks! Looks like I’ve got about 85% of the original battery life, which should…still be in the lower end of the “good” range? Wonder if I’ve got something else cooking here. And kinda odd to be in the same range as @MereCivilian’s report…

It’s weird: the usage by app lines up with how I’m using the iPad, but even when I kill all apps, the drain happens overnight. :man_shrugging:t2:

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Had to wait for an Analytics file to appear, but I find it very hard to trust these numbers:

Your iPad battery’s real stats:
MaximumFCC (original maximum capacity): 8223 mAh
NominalChargeCapacity (current maximum capacity): 7117 mAh
CycleCount (number of complete charge cycles): 978 cycles
Relative to when it was new, your battery capacity is 86,55%.

(Will crosscheck with coconutBattery later this year)

13

Thank you, just put it to use. Happy New Year!

1 Like
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coconutBattery only agrees on the cycle count:

Design capacity: 8134 mAh
Full Charge Capacity: 6177 mAh
Cycle Count: 978
75.9%

But as long as Apple tooling reports more than 80% I can’t get the battery/device fixed/swapped :cry:

15

I have a 2018 iPad that I don’t even use that heavily, and its battery life is pathetic. I’ll have to run the test, but I’ve also wondered if it has anything to do with other factors, such as apps allowed to run on the scheduled background process, et.