Extending New iPad Battery Life Ultimate Tips and Tricks

Apple really did a bang-up job with battery life on the iPad. Apple claims 10+ hours of battery life and we here at iPad Accessories have been getting close to that with some choice tips garnered from experience and the web. There is also battery lifespan to manage so that your iPad will still hold a charge even when it isn’t the latest and greatest gadget on the block. Read on for some tips and tricks to keep your battery lasting longer through the day and staying strong for years to come.

While the battery is considered hardware the operating system has a lot to do with power management. In order to get the best out of the battery, Apple engineers are constantly tweeking and adjusting the iPad’s software.To take advantage of all the smarts at Cupertino you need to make sure that you have the latest version of the iPad’s OS installed and that means syncing to iTunes with regularity. To do this simply connect your iPad to iTunes version 9.1 or later and select your iPad from the source list. On the summary pane you can check for new iPad OS versions and install them if needed.

One thing people don’t realize is that Lithium-Polymer batteries like those found in the iPad and MacBooks are pretty sensitive to heat. This means being careful about leaving the iPad in hot cars or trunks during the summer or in freezing weather during the winter. Either case can degrade both Acer aspire one zg5 battery life, and battery lifespan. Another issue with heat is that some cases and covers may allow the iPad to get hot during it’s charging cycles. If you find that the iPad is hot to the touch during charging then remove the iPad from the case to help keep it cool.

The iPad is known for it’s big and beautiful screen, but that same screen is what eats up the most batteries during the course of a day. To help combat battery drain you can adjust the brightness of the screen manually. This is available through Settings then Brightness and Wallpaper. The slider adjusts the brightness level and by turning off Auto-Brightness and manually keeping the brightness down you can greatly extend the life of you iPad’s battery.

Batteries are a bit like a muscle in that they work best if exercised now and again. Apple recommends going through one complete charge and drain cycle once per month to keep the battery in tip top shape. If you’re finding that your iPad’s battery isn’t going the distance like it used to, it could be that the battery is worn out. Talking to Apple Customer Support can get you started on the right track for battery replacement.

The iPad has lots of features and each one that is turned on will drain the battery faster. Knowing what you need on and off is a solid strategy to conserve battery life. The following is a list of options that can be turned on and off depending on what you’re currently using your iPad for:

• Wi-Fi – Turning off Wi-Fi in areas where there is no networks available or while using applications that do not access the internet helps to conserve battery life. If you have a 3G model do note that Wi-Fi is preferable to using 3G in terms of battery life. To turn Wi-Fi off go to Settings, then to Wi-Fi and turn it off.

• 3G – If you’re not using the cellular network (say at home or a bookstore) then you can conserve battery life by switching off 3G. This also helps in areas of limited connectivity as the iPad will waste battery life trying to maintain a connection. To turn off 3G go to Settings, then to Cellular Data and turn it off.

• Airplane Mode – The iPad attempts to stay connected to a network at all times, either Wi-Fi or 3G. If you’re in an area that happens to have limited coverage then it’s possible that the iPad will use more power trying to stay connected. To turn this mode off go to Settings and toggle Airplane Mode off.

• Location Services – Turn Location Services on when you’re actively using apps that use it, otherwise leave it off. This option is found in Settings, then General and toggle Location Services off.

• Push Notifications – Push Notifications can eat up battery life. Applications such as instant messaging rely on Push Notifications to allow real-time communication. If you’re not using such apps and want to conserve battery life then it’s possible to turn off the feature. This feature is also found in Settings in the Notification section.

• Slow Down The Data Fetching – It’s possible to turn the rate at which Mail, and other applications like Mail, fetch data. This will reduce the amount of times that the iPad goes out to search for new messages. To control the rate at which the iPad does so go to Settings (seeing a pattern here?), choose Mail, Contact, and Calendars, then select Fetch New Data and choose the rate. Hourly is a good trade off between frequency and battery life.

• Turn Off Push Mail – Push Mail is great for getting timely emails, but timely emails are not always necessary and can drain the battery. If you don’t need the feature then turn it off! Go into Settings, then Mail, Contact, and Calendars, then into Fetch New Data, and turn Push off. Your mail will now use the fetch rate set above to get new messages.

If all of this seems like too much trouble we have an external iPad battery and charger round-up that gives a nice slice of the options available to enable your iPad to last through the day.

With these tips and tricks it should be possible to get through even a marathon session of games or internet surfing with the iPad. By staying smart about battery life and iPad features you too can reap the benefits of Apple’s superb power engineering.

See Also

Cool Tools for Recharging Your Gadgets

Windows 8 Tablets Could Seriously Challenge the New iPad

Apple New iPad Battery Nearly Double the iPad 2′s Battery Capacity