Erase All Content and Settings then Setup as NEW vs. using iCloud backup

[jackedint]

My iPad Air 2 with almost 2 years of almost daily usage (& coming to the end of it's AppleCare+ coverage) is starting to have shorter battery life.

I mainly use this iPad Air 2 for Gmail, YouTube, some social media Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & sometimes CoC (Clash of Clans) but that is about it.

Called Apple Care support and they suggested some changes to
Settings > General > Background App Refresh
(I only had a few but I flipped the setting to off)
They also had me change my settings to send diagnostics to Apple (I shut the send to Apple off back off after the support call)

then after updating to 9.3.3 (& later I did the same for 9.3.4)
Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings
and use an iCloud backup

After a week of daily use, I still think my battery life still seems significantly worst and I only get about 3-4 hours of usage from a full 100% charge. (I keep it less than 1/2 brightness)

So I bought it into an Apple Store (without an appointment, big mistake but that is another story)

A tech checked it, ran some diagnostics & said my iPad Air 2 is in great condition (I saw a diagnostics screen where it said my battery was high & left in the green and it had over 600 cycles, for whatever that is worth) and would not let me pay the $49 fee to get it swapped.

He suggested
Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings
Setup as NEW
and
NOT use an iCloud Backup (pull all the data off manually or use iTunes, then manually set everything back up)

questions:
1) Does anyone else do this reset, "setup as NEW" & not use iCloud backups with their iOS devices? (While possible, I am trying to understand the value / reason)
2) Are there other settings that could be causing battery drain? What could I do?
3) With my AppleCare+ expiring soon, should I be concerned about my iPad Air 2 battery not getting replaced?

 

[gaanee]

I would suggest check under Battery Usage in Settings to find out which apps use battery the most. Most of the apps you mentioned can be deleted and reinstalled without losing any data - so that would be the first thing to try. It's a lot easier and faster to delete and reinstall individual apps than doing a system restore.

Advantage of doing a system restore is you can set-up your iPhone as anew without installing any problematic apps, changes to settings etc. It takes some time to set-up and adjust all settings to your liking.
If even after that battery life is not good then it's time to replace the battery or some other hardware issue.

Just wondering...why Apple did not replace the battery or the iPhone since you have AppleCare+? Does it cover accidental damage only and not degradation due to regular usage?

What if the iPhone was damaged with everything else being exactly the same - would Apple replace it under AppleCare+?

 

[jackedint]

I believe AppleCare+ really only covers accidental damage.... there is some warranty for degradation due to regular usage but that call is made by the tech not you.

With my iPad Air 2 AppleCare+ warranty coming near an end, not sure how I am going to get my battery replaced. I have checked what apps are using the battery and its pretty normal, I just can tell my battery is just starting to wear down after two years of usage.

 

[Mlrollin91]

I believe AppleCare+ really only covers accidental damage.... there is some warranty for degradation due to regular usage but that call is made by the tech not you.

With my iPad Air 2 AppleCare+ warranty coming near an end, not sure how I am going to get my battery replaced. I have checked what apps are using the battery and its pretty normal, I just can tell my battery is just starting to wear down after two years of usage.

AppleCare+ includes one free battery replacement. It's outlined in he terms and conditions. Try giving AppleCare+ a call, you might get better luck.