Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPod Is replacing an iPod battery worth it?
- Thread starter redAPPLE
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Jessica Lares
macrumors G3
If you're using it, yeah, if not then no.
If it is an iPod with a disc drive, then it would be worth upgrading to microSD card storage while you have it open.
FreakinEurekan
macrumors G3
This. My iPod Touch battery was swelling when I grabbed it to test something on iOS 15… and I realized it’s the first time I’ve used it in 6 months 😬 so I printed a recycling label & sent it in.
Jack Neill
macrumors 68020
I wish I had put a new battery in my 7th generation when I put a 128 in it. It was a pain to open.
Scepticalscribe
macrumors Haswell
Yes, is the short answer.
Depends on who is doing it.
You?
Or, someone whom you are paying (such as in a store where they are experienced and qualified in such matters).
It really depends on whether you love/need/use your iPod.
Personally, I could not envisage a life without an iPod, a good quality portable music device.
yeah, i would be replacing it myself. someone, who takes a long time to repair something #yikes
That's a 4th gen iPod then, presumably with the monochrome display, sometimes with a color one. It is not the Classic, it's 2 generations before that. I would not replace the battery on it, instead I'd replace it -if you want to keep using an iPod- with a 6th gen iPod Classic.
The reason being that your iPod is an older model that has neither the good screen of the later ones, nor the best sound quality. Even if none of that bothered you, you cannot switch the HDD for a SD card. So battery life will never be great, it will always be rather heavy, and HDDs don't live forever. (SD cards don't either, but they aren't heavily used in iPods and should last much longer.)
The iPod is now so old and almost a relic at this point, this will likely be the last iPod you'll ever have. To me this would be a question of "what iPod do I want to use for the rest of my life" and I'd want that to be one of the latest models and not an older one.
If none of that bothers you, there is a guide on ifixit and it's not too hard to replace the battery, you can probably still find one on ebay. But this iPod model is pretty mediocre, the only stand-out feature it has from other players is the clickwheel of course.
I'd get the iPod Classic, officially that's the 6th gen. However, I recommend a specific version of the 6th gen that is inofficially called the 7th gen. It can easily be recognized for the black model, by having exactly 160GB, and on the black model the housing/front is not black, but a dark grey, and the clickwheel is much darker (actually black).
So the housing is dark but not black, and the clickwheel is black and darker than the housing. If you see that, and it's got 160GB, that is the very latest/last and best version of the iPod ever released. (On older black models the front housing is actually simply black, and the clickwheel is brighter than the housing. So with older models the colors are reversed.)
I have one such 7th gen with an SD card from this place: https://www.iflash.xyz/
When you open the back to replace the battery (and install that SD card if you want to) you have to bend the back plate open, and you might damage the back plate in the process. This is fine, because you can get a brand new replacement backplate cheap on Ebay.
The only big issue with the iPod Classic and opening it up is something else that cannot be replaced and has to be handled extremely carefully: The port on the mainboard where the battery is plugged in, it is very loosely attached to the mainboard, and you need to remove the battery plug very gently, otherwise you'll rip the entire socket (port) out and then there is no way to re-connect the battery without soldering.
And because of that, I recommend that you disconnect the battery as few times as possible, only once if you can. That means installing the SD card kit and replacing the battery all in one go.
Overall it's simple enough.
The reason being that your iPod is an older model that has neither the good screen of the later ones, nor the best sound quality. Even if none of that bothered you, you cannot switch the HDD for a SD card. So battery life will never be great, it will always be rather heavy, and HDDs don't live forever. (SD cards don't either, but they aren't heavily used in iPods and should last much longer.)
The iPod is now so old and almost a relic at this point, this will likely be the last iPod you'll ever have. To me this would be a question of "what iPod do I want to use for the rest of my life" and I'd want that to be one of the latest models and not an older one.
If none of that bothers you, there is a guide on ifixit and it's not too hard to replace the battery, you can probably still find one on ebay. But this iPod model is pretty mediocre, the only stand-out feature it has from other players is the clickwheel of course.
I'd get the iPod Classic, officially that's the 6th gen. However, I recommend a specific version of the 6th gen that is inofficially called the 7th gen. It can easily be recognized for the black model, by having exactly 160GB, and on the black model the housing/front is not black, but a dark grey, and the clickwheel is much darker (actually black).
So the housing is dark but not black, and the clickwheel is black and darker than the housing. If you see that, and it's got 160GB, that is the very latest/last and best version of the iPod ever released. (On older black models the front housing is actually simply black, and the clickwheel is brighter than the housing. So with older models the colors are reversed.)
I have one such 7th gen with an SD card from this place: https://www.iflash.xyz/
When you open the back to replace the battery (and install that SD card if you want to) you have to bend the back plate open, and you might damage the back plate in the process. This is fine, because you can get a brand new replacement backplate cheap on Ebay.
The only big issue with the iPod Classic and opening it up is something else that cannot be replaced and has to be handled extremely carefully: The port on the mainboard where the battery is plugged in, it is very loosely attached to the mainboard, and you need to remove the battery plug very gently, otherwise you'll rip the entire socket (port) out and then there is no way to re-connect the battery without soldering.
And because of that, I recommend that you disconnect the battery as few times as possible, only once if you can. That means installing the SD card kit and replacing the battery all in one go.
Overall it's simple enough.
Ah...then the question about whether it's worth it might include whether it's worth your personal time, given your skills.
If the iPod were mine and I use it regularly, I would not mind replacing the battery, but I would be paying Apple or someone else to do it -- and so long as the battery replacement fee and labour cost isn't outrageous. Like...for example, maybe paying $80 is worth it. I certainly don't have the skill or the patience to replace the battery myself.
(This does bring back some memories though. My first iPod I think was the first generation model, 5GB. I probably bought it around 2002. How time has flown!)
Look at some videos on YouTube. If you get the right tool to open the iPod it is not difficult, you just need to be very careful.
transmaster
Contributor
One bit of advice on the iPod Touch. If you do have the battery replaced while it is open and if a new part is available replace the "Home" button. Old iPod Touches have a issue with this button not working, they wearout. So even if it is OK do it as a preventative measure. My 4G has a non functional home button. it otherwise works but for this.
Last edited: