iPad Charging for 0% to 100%

[Bromio]

Hi:

I've charged my iPad Air 2 from 0% to 100% twice since I bought it. The reason has been simply that I've been using it until it switched off itself, as I was out and couldn't connect it to the Mac.

Is it bad for the battery? The iPad needed a while to switch on when I started charging it again and a red battery appeared for some minutes.

Thank you.

 

[Rodster]

Apple doesn't recommend letting the battery go to zero. In the future as the battery gets more charge cycles the iPad may have trouble coming on from a zero state battery. On occasion if I run the battery low, I run it to around 5% then charge it from there.

 

[Bromio]

Apple doesn't recommend letting the battery go to zero. In the future as the battery gets more charge cycles the iPad may have trouble coming on from a zero state battery. On occasion if I run the battery low, I run it to around 5% then charge it from there.

Can you give me the source?

I've been looking for some information in the Apple website and the only thing I've found is some recommendations about how to keep the battery if the iPad is going to be off for a long time.

https://www.apple.com/batteries/maximizing-performance/
(in the section "Store it half-charged when you store it long term.")

 

[Gav2k]

Can you give me the source?

I've been looking for some information in the Apple website and the only thing I've found is some recommendations about how to keep the battery if the iPad is going to be off for a long time.

https://www.apple.com/batteries/maximizing-performance/
(in the section "Store it half-charged when you store it long term.")

It won't kill the battery but it's not particularly good for it. The reason the device takes a while to boot is there has to be a minimum charge state detected before iOS will boot to protect against corruption.

As for storing for long periods 40-60% charge is recommended for long period storage.

 

[Bromio]

It won't kill the battery but it's not particularly good for it. The reason the device takes a while to boot is there has to be a minimum charge state detected before iOS will boot to protect against corruption.

How is it bad? I mean, would its life be shortened? Or maybe the problem is that the battery might enter that no-more-charges state? What I want to know is if my iPad battery has suffered any kind of damage.

By the way, I think I've read that it is good to charge from 0% to 100% once a month.

 

[Mr. Buzzcut]

The iPad will not let you drain the battery to zero charge as this is bad for Li-Ion. You can see this by the fact the screen lights with the red battery when you try to power on with too little charge. So your iPad is forcing you to recharge before battery drains too far. There is nothing to worry about except how long it takes to fully charge!

 

[GGJstudios]

I've charged my iPad Air 2 from 0% to 100% twice since I bought it. The reason has been simply that I've been using it until it switched off itself, as I was out and couldn't connect it to the Mac.

Is it bad for the battery? The iPad needed a while to switch on when I started charging it again and a red battery appeared for some minutes.

It is not good for your battery to be fully drained, but your battery wasn't at 0%. Your iPad will shut off before it gets to zero. You shouldn't let it get that low on a regular basis, but it won't hurt anything if you occasionally need to use it till it shuts off.

By the way, I think I've read that it is good to charge from 0% to 100% once a month.

Apple's site used to have a recommendation to run an iOS device on battery until it shuts down at least once a month or so, but I can't find any reference to that article anymore. If your iPad shuts off due to low power, don't try to turn it back on and run on battery. Instead, plug it in and let it recharge. When the battery is drained fairly low, it may take a minute on AC power before you see it charging. That is normal. Of course, you can continue to use it while it's charging.

 

[Simacca]

It is not good for your battery to be fully drained, but your battery wasn't at 0%. Your iPad will shut off before it gets to zero. You shouldn't let it get that low on a regular basis, but it won't hurt anything if you occasionally need to use it till it shuts off.



Apple's site used to have a recommendation to run an iOS device on battery until it shuts down at least once a month or so, but I can't find any reference to that article anymore. If your iPad shuts off due to low power, don't try to turn it back on and run on battery. Instead, plug it in and let it recharge. When the battery is drained fairly low, it may take a minute on AC power before you see it charging. That is normal. Of course, you can continue to use it while it's charging.

I have also read on the Apple site about letting your battery run down completely 1 per month.

 

[Newtons Apple]

How is it bad? I mean, would its life be shortened? Or maybe the problem is that the battery might enter that no-more-charges state? What I want to know is if my iPad battery has suffered any kind of damage.

By the way, I think I've read that it is good to charge from 0% to 100% once a month.

Once a month is not that bad, but if you are doing it all the time, I would say it could shorten your battery life over time compared to topping off when you find it convenient.

Do as you wish as it is you device.

 

[Andydigital]

It's fine to run the battery down to the stage where it shuts off the device, AS LONG AS YOU DONT LEAVE IT OFF FOR WEEKS ON END. You could even do that every day if you want and it will not hurt the battery anymore than any other form of use. You will run out of cycles quicker though, the Apple procured batteries are generally designed for 80% capacity when reaching 1000 cumulative charge cycles, so you should still get a few years of use out of them before they start to lose charge quickly.

My MacBook is on mains power all the time but I empty the battery to 5% every month (have a reminder set) so that the battery stays in good health. I've got 24 cycles on the battery since I bought it in Feb 2013, so there are many many years of use left in the battery, other components are likely to fail before the battery needs changing.

 

[Bromio]

It's fine to run the battery down to the stage where it shuts off the device, AS LONG AS YOU DONT LEAVE IT OFF FOR WEEKS ON END. You could even do that every day if you want and it will not hurt the battery anymore than any other form of use. You will run out of cycles quicker though, the Apple procured batteries are generally designed for 80% capacity when reaching 1000 cumulative charge cycles, so you should still get a few years of use out of them before they start to lose charge quickly.

My MacBook is on mains power all the time but I empty the battery to 5% every month (have a reminder set) so that the battery stays in good health. I've got 24 cycles on the battery since I bought it in Feb 2013, so there are many many years of use left in the battery, other components are likely to fail before the battery needs changing.

Well, if I have understood correctly, I can let the iPad switch off itself unless I'm going to keep it off for a lot of time. If not, there'll be some energy stock which will avoid any damage... for a while. In general, it seems reasonable not to reach that extreme state.

Just for curiosity: does using the iPad when it's fully charged hurt the battery if it is connected to the voltage supply? Does it consume battery cycles if it is at 100%?

 

[Andydigital]

When fully charged and on mains it's the power supply that is powering the device not the battery. And no it won't do any harm, just cycle the battery once a month to keep the cells in good health.

 

[Abarth1200]

Only thing to watch if using the iPad plugged in is excessive heat. Heat and lithium batteries is a sure way to shorten there lifespan. I wouldn't play graphic intensive games while that 10amp charger is connected, maybe a little browsing or emails on charge in a pinch.

And to above, I wasn't aware of this, I thought the power connections in the charging port went straight to the battery. Can you expand on this?

 

[GGJstudios]

Only thing to watch if using the iPad plugged in is excessive heat. Heat and lithium batteries is a sure way to shorten there lifespan. I wouldn't play graphic intensive games while that 10amp charger is connected, maybe a little browsing or emails on charge in a pinch.

And to above, I wasn't aware of this, I thought the power connections in the charging port went straight to the battery. Can you expand on this?

It is unlikely you could harm the iPad by playing games, with or without being plugged in. It doesn't matter if you run with it plugged in or unplugged. When you plug it in, it will charge until the battery is full. It will then stop charging automatically and run on AC power until you unplug it. It cannot overcharge.

 

[Rodster]

Only thing to watch if using the iPad plugged in is excessive heat. Heat and lithium batteries is a sure way to shorten there lifespan. I wouldn't play graphic intensive games while that 10amp charger is connected, maybe a little browsing or emails on charge in a pinch.

And to above, I wasn't aware of this, I thought the power connections in the charging port went straight to the battery. Can you expand on this?

It was explained to me in another MR thread a couple of years ago that it's not a good idea to leave an iPad constantly plugged in. One reason is that will it's not charging the battery will drain somewhat and then the charging resumes. So in essence the charge cycle count could increase quicker. Things may have changed since then.

 

[GGJstudios]

It was explained to me in another MR thread a couple of years ago that it's not a good idea to leave an iPad constantly plugged in. One reason is that will it's not charging the battery will drain somewhat and then the charging resumes. So in essence the charge cycle count could increase quicker. Things may have changed since then.

No, Apple battery technology is designed specifically to avoid such short discharges/recharges. While it's plugged in it will not discharge the battery, unless you left it plugged in for weeks at a time, in which case it might lose some of the charge. iPhones and iPads use similar battery technology as Mac portables. If you plug a Mac in when it's already 93-99% charged, it will not charge the battery further, for that reason, until the battery is drained below around 93%. There's a lot of misinformation about batteries posted in forums, so you have to be careful where you get your information.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Just for curiosity: does using the iPad when it's fully charged hurt the battery if it is connected to the voltage supply? Does it consume battery cycles if it is at 100%?

No, it doesn't hurt to leave it connected to power when fully charged. The system is designed to allow for that. It doesn't consume battery cycles, as the battery is not discharging.

This is the up-to-date word from Apple on batteries. Their advice does change over time, so it's best to see the current wisdom: http://www.apple.com/batteries/