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iPad Pro Apple won't replace my 2018 ipad pro battery
- Thread starter Born Again
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Let us know what they do in the end. Battery, new unit, discounted upgrade?
Yes, let us know. Mine was a 2017 iPad Pro 10.5 inch and they couldn’t do anything with it. They don’t swap the battery and they had no replacement. All they did was try to sell me a refurbished newer model and they did not discount it at all. The thing that upset me is that I discussed my situation with the support team on a chat and they told me a new battery was $119. When I got to the store, the story changed completely. You might want to call ahead and confirm what you’re getting into, especially if the store is a good distance to get to.
Wonder if chat would’ve let you ship it to Apple to keep that deal
I had the same problem with my iPad Air 2 a few years ago, here in Canada. Since they all get the same part from Apple, nobody could do it. Not via Apple mail-in, not at a physical Apple Store, and not at a third-party Apple Service Centre, even though at the time it was eligible under the battery replacement program. And yes, I called all three.
I eventually took it to a third party shop. It worked but the adhesive failed and the screen started to separate. Luckily the shop agreed to redo the adhesive and it’s been fine since.
Because Apple wouldn't do it for my iPad Pro 10.5” either more recently, I took it to a third party non-authorized shop and got the battery replaced there. The iPad Pro lasted a few months, and then died. The battery is non-functional, but worse, it killed the screen somehow, so it's not as if I can even replace the battery again.
Given my iffy results above with the iPad Air 2 and poor outcome with the iPad Pro 10.5”, I don’t recommend third party shops for this.
So nowadays, I suggest if you're considering getting the battery replaced with these devices, don't wait too long. If the battery is eligible for replacement before the 5 year mark, do it then. Cuz if it's between 5-7 years, Apple may not do it at all with these devices because they require replacing the entire machine, not just the battery unlike with the iPhone, and they may no longer have the replacements available.
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Glad I didn't try to get the battery replaced the third party route. I figure I'll just keep it plugged in more. It doesn't really bother me given how I use it. I did buy a power block that I could just plug in and stay uncorded if I wanted. This is what I got. It's just under $30 now.
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Like EugW, I called everyone and it just wasn't possible. There were no more iPads like mine for them to replace it with and they weren't giving any deals for upgrading.
Let us know what battery health % their diagnostics show for you... I also have a 2018 11" iPP, that I gave to my kid when I bought my current M4 iPP. The battery life is definitely diminished, but the Health % was like 87% so had no chance to get the battery replaced for the $119 fee. Hope you get it!
I should have called or something. When I brought it in, they asked if there was AppleCare on it, and seeing that it's a 7 year old iPad I said no (not eligible anyway), and brought up the link that lets me choose my iPad and quotes the $119 price, and she immediately said that's if there's AppleCare on the device... I was kind of short with them and left at that point :-/
There's a 3rd Party repair place nearby. I might take it there, I guess I'm just not in a hurry now.
There's a 3rd Party repair place nearby. I might take it there, I guess I'm just not in a hurry now.
I’m so glad i kept my AppleCare on my 2018 iPad Pro 11 inch (and will continue to do so). By next year I should be under 80% battery health and they should be replacing my iPad with a new model unit. Went through this in April with my series 4 watch that still had AppleCare but the battery was under 80%. Apple said my watch was vintage so they won’t do any kind of repairs on it but since I have AppleCare they legally have to solve the issue and the solution was sending me a brand new Apple Watch series 10 in the retail packaging once I shipped them my series 4.
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Which Apple Store was this? That rep was wrong (or explained it wrong). The key factor here isn’t whether you have AppleCare+ or not, it’s whether your Battery Health shows <80% using their Diagnostics.
If it is <80%, and you have AppleCare+, it’s free. They give you a new (refurbished) iPad.
If it is <80%, and you don’t have AppleCare+, it’s $119. They give you a new (refurbished) iPad.
If it is >80%, they won’t repair it under the Battery Replacement repair cost, whether you have AC+ or not. If you still want to do it, they charge some outrageous price (like $450-650 or something in that ballpark), so it makes no sense to do so, as it would make much more sense to just buy a new iPad.
Thanks, we didn't even get as far as them looking at my device. Was very busy, I'd say almost ½ the time they were talking to me, they were actually looking at me....
I'm going to wait a couple weeks and then try opening a case in the Support App again and be more specific, and then try going to a different Apple Store.
Yes this is true as well. But a separate and related issue… even if you are <80% battery health and “qualify” for a battery replacement price (with or without AC+), they need to have enough supply of these left to give it to you. Not just at that physical Apple Store, but presumably somewhere in warehouse inventory.
That being said, with iPads and batteries, they don’t actually “replace a part”, but just give you a new refurb device… so I don’t know if that’s better chance or worse chance they’ll keep vintage/wok inventory of these iPads (eg. 2017 10.5” iPP and 2018 11” iPP?).
It’s possible too, if you are respectful, strike up a good rapport with the rep, etc. even if they don’t have supply of replacement refurb devices (eg. of 2018 11” iPPs), they may push through a replacement device of a newer refurb model (eg. 2020 11” iPP). Have heard of those situations happening before - need the stars to align but I could see a rep/mgr pushing that through if they want to be helpful.
That being said, with iPads and batteries, they don’t actually “replace a part”, but just give you a new refurb device… so I don’t know if that’s better chance or worse chance they’ll keep vintage/wok inventory of these iPads (eg. 2017 10.5” iPP and 2018 11” iPP?).
It’s possible too, if you are respectful, strike up a good rapport with the rep, etc. even if they don’t have supply of replacement refurb devices (eg. of 2018 11” iPPs), they may push through a replacement device of a newer refurb model (eg. 2020 11” iPP). Have heard of those situations happening before - need the stars to align but I could see a rep/mgr pushing that through if they want to be helpful.
You are very optimistic, but I and a friend have tried this three times now during the vintage stage with three different iPads, and all three times Apple has steadfastly refused to honour their ipad battery replacement offer, despite the iPads in question qualifying.
Yep, I know it's unlikely... just for our info, which iPads were you and your friend trying to get replaced via battery price?
Mine were an iPad Pro 10.5", an iPad Air 2. His was I believe the 13" A12X iPad Pro.
In the vintage stage, repairs depend on parts availability:
Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty
Learn about your options for getting service and parts for Apple devices that are past their warranty period.Owners of iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple Vision Pro, and Beats products may obtain service and parts from Apple service providers for a minimum of 5 years1 from when Apple last distributed the product for sale.
Service and parts may be obtained for longer, as required by law or for up to 7 years1, subject to parts availability. Additionally, Mac laptops may be eligible for an extended battery-only repair period for up to 10 years from when the product was last distributed for sale, subject to parts availability.
It's interesting that after warranty Apple does not say they will service the device.
Yes, we are well aware of this. The point is that for these types of devices that require full replacements, the battery replacement program more often than not is useless during the vintage period. It appears Apple tries hard to time it so that there will be no replacement units available at Apple left by the time the devices are into their vintage period. For our last three attempts at making use of the program for iPads during the vintage period, all three were unsuccessful for this reason, despite the fact the iPads qualified under the program (as confirmed by Apple itself).
This is different for iPhones though, since they don't require replacement units, just replacement batteries, and usually they keep the batteries around for longer.
It makes sense for Apple to limit the number of units available for replacement in the vintage status as the demand for them is likely to be low as most people will probably just replace rather than repair the device.
Keeping the large stock needed to handle all the repairs would cost them a lot of money, so they probably just keep whatever was left over from stock for warranty repairs with maybe a few early refurbishments when it hits the four year mark.
That way, they don’t get stuck with a bunch of refurbished units for which there is no demand and have to be destroyed.
Oddly enough, the new AppleCare plus subscription service could actually result in more refurbished units being made available is Apple may need to increase the stock. They keep for warranty repairs since they can now be getting warranty repair repairs for four year-old devices. So if enough people take advantage of the AppleCare plus subscription, it may actually help those who don’t have it, but want repairs early on in the vintage.
Apple tries to minimize as much as they can the number of battery services for iPads. It's not profitable for them. Their 80% threashold is a total farce. I have brought many iPads for battery service and when Apple says battery is under 80% it's generlaly 2-3 hours at best. Which means that for most people that level is reached after so many years of use that the device is already vintage. And you described what happens when we get to that point...
I have a maxed out M1 12.9 that is at around 82% battery life, which for Apple will be around 90%. It's a device that with it's 16GB can last and be useful years past the last OS update, except for battery life. But by the time it's eligible a few years from now it will be vintage (October 2027)
I have a maxed out M1 12.9 that is at around 82% battery life, which for Apple will be around 90%. It's a device that with it's 16GB can last and be useful years past the last OS update, except for battery life. But by the time it's eligible a few years from now it will be vintage (October 2027)
The unprofitability is probably the reason, as you said.
Now… I wonder what will happen with 2024 iPads. Now, they include the same battery health number in settings that iPhones do… so is Apple going to swallow the loss?
I’ve seen many M4 iPad Pro screenshots with very poor numbers, like 200 cycles with 90%, even some already at 80-something percent with 200 cycles or so.
What’s Apple going to do? With these drops, I reckon it won’t take vintage status for them to drop below 80%, presumably with not that many cycles. Perhaps Apple even regrets adding health to iPads…
Apple can claim diagnostics all they like with 2023 iPads and older. They can’t with these newer models which have health baked in inside the Settings app.