Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

When to recharge the battery?

  • Only recharge at 0%

    Votes: 14 12.7%
  • Recharge at 40%-50%

    Votes: 22 20.0%
  • Recharge everyday regardless of how much battery is left

    Votes: 74 67.3%

  • Total voters
    110

mark28

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jan 29, 2010
1,632
2
I looked all over the internet, but everybody seems to have a different opinion on what's best. So what's best practice for charging the iPad 3.

  1. Complete drain
  2. Drain to 50%
  3. Recharging everyday ( so about 80% )
 
For me, it is once every 2 nights. My schedule isn't that flexible as to allow me the luxury of allowing it to first drain all the way to zero (which can be in the middle of a school lesson). Typically, 2 days of regular usage drains the battery to ~20-30%. I then have it charge overnight as I sleep, as I know it definitely cannot last through another day. :)
 
As often as possible.

Your battery has a limited number of full discharge / full charge cycles. However this number is reduced when you let the battery go flat, as this shocks the battery.

Topping it up whenever you are comfortably near a charger will prolong its life.

You cannot overcharge the device, and there is no harm in using it while plugged in.
 
I'll let you draw your own conclusions:

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

7511624906_b2829f9c0d_z.jpg


From Here:
http://www.cerdec.army.mil/directorates/docs/cpi/Cycled_Aged_LiIon_Cells.pdf

A light timer can be used to control your charging habits without much effort.
 
I want my iPad to be ready for all-day usage every time I pick it up. What is the point of 10-hour battery if you find yourself with 50% battery iPad most of the time?
Besides, the battery in iPad count each fraction of charge as a fraction, not full charge. You can charge as many time as you want. But completely drain your iPad will permanently shorten its life.
 
Last edited:
I usually charge mine a little bit after I get my 5% warning. If I was taking it out and knew that I needed it all day, I would probably plug it in every night but since it is at home all the time, if the battery gets low I just plug it in and leave it that way overnight...unless it is fully charged before I go to bed.
 
Just charge the bloody thing!

If you're that concerned try educating yourself at Apple.com

You'd be surprised at all the great info they provide for those who bother to look. They also have videos for those too lazy to read.

Isn't Apple Brilliant...ha...ha...ha :D
 
Here is some information on Apple's website about iPad batteries.

http://www.apple.com/batteries/ipad.html

Personally, I let my iPad drain to about 10% and charge it when I use it regularly. I let it completely drain till it powers off about every other month and then fully charge it. Here is a quote taken straight from Apple's website:

"Exercise Your Machine
Lithium-ion polymer batteries need to be used for maximum performance. If you don’t use your device often, be sure to complete a charge cycle at least once a month."
 
Here is some information on Apple's website about iPad batteries.

http://www.apple.com/batteries/ipad.html

Personally, I let my iPad drain to about 10% and charge it when I use it regularly. I let it completely drain till it powers off about every other month and then fully charge it. Here is a quote taken straight from Apple's website:

"Exercise Your Machine
Lithium-ion polymer batteries need to be used for maximum performance. If you don’t use your device often, be sure to complete a charge cycle at least once a month."

Cycling doesn't mean a complete discharge.

When Apple says complete one charge cycle per month, they are not telling you to discharge the battery completely. If you deplete your battery to 50% and recharge you have half a cycle. Do the same again and you'll have a complete cycle.

A charge cycle means using all of the battery’s power, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a single charge. For instance, you could use your notebook for an hour or more one day, using half its power, and then recharge it fully. If you did the same thing the next day, it would count as one charge cycle, not two, so it may take several days to complete a cycle.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1519
 
Last edited:
Charge it at about 20%. Even with that little juice left, it can last you for at least one hour and more.
 
I looked all over the internet, but everybody seems to have a different opinion on what's best. So what's best practice for charging the iPad 3.

  1. Complete drain
  2. Drain to 50%
  3. Recharging everyday ( so about 80% )

I put mine on the charger every night when I go to sleep. Sometimes it's low on power other times it not.
 
As often as possible.

Your battery has a limited number of full discharge / full charge cycles. However this number is reduced when you let the battery go flat, as this shocks the battery.

Topping it up whenever you are comfortably near a charger will prolong its life.

You cannot overcharge the device, and there is no harm in using it while plugged in.
I don't think it ever "goes flat" even at 0%. If it is like the circuitry in most cell phones when it says "0" and shuts down it's really at 15-20% for exactly the reason you stated. I think the batteries specs are intentionally underrated.
 
Seriously? You missed the most relevant: somewhere around 15-40%. I.e. whenever it needs a charge. That's a week or two for me, while my iPhone usually ends up getting a booster charge in the car or at my desk midday, and always gets a charge every night.
 
I don't think it ever "goes flat" even at 0%.
Lithium Ion battery doesn't go flat, but as the voltage falls below 3.0V, iPad's onboard circuit will cut itself off. This is to prevent the Lithium Ion battery go into the Over-discharging state.

If you let the discharge continues to about 2.70V/cell or lower, the battery’s protection circuit will kick in, and put the battery into the sleep mode (yep, 0V output from the battery terminals). This will render the battery unserviceable.

The correct way to charge your Lithium Ion battery is to charge it as soon as possible and as often as possible. Only do a full discharge/recharge when the battery indicator is no longer accurate (self calibrating)
 
Usually nightly, sometimes every second night. I don't ever bother myself with things like this. What's the realistic difference between best practice and worst practice? In all honesty, I might get rid of this in 1-2yrs time for the next best iPad down the road, so selfishly speaking it won't really be my problem to deal with.
 
i charge it every 2nd night or so because it's taking forever to recharge and i dont want to run out in the middle of the day
 
I'll let you draw your own conclusions:

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

Image

From Here:
http://www.cerdec.army.mil/directorates/docs/cpi/Cycled_Aged_LiIon_Cells.pdf

A light timer can be used to control your charging habits without much effort.

To summarize:
- lower voltage charging increases life span but decreases max capacity per charge
- heat is an enemy of longevity that is largely unavoidable, especially in devices that get warm during operation and those devices where the battery is not removable
- ultra fast chargers should be avoided
- wireless chargers add heat to the charging process
- the shorter the discharge the longer the battery will last, frequent charging is better than waiting for the battery to get low.
 
I only have an iPad2 and thus did not vote. But, I generally charge mine when the battery is below 30% and I know I will not need it for many hours to let it get a full charge.
 
Cycling doesn't mean a complete discharge.

When Apple says complete one charge cycle per month, they are not telling you to discharge the battery completely. If you deplete your battery to 50% and recharge you have half a cycle. Do the same again and you'll have a complete cycle.



http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1519

As per APPLE: http://www.apple.com/batteries/ipad.html

"For proper reporting of the battery’s state of charge, be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down)."
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.