They said if they can’t get the part then they can’t do the repair/replacement at all, and they won’t provide a different model as replacement.
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All iPads Any successful $99 battery replacement service?
- Thread starter mlody
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56%, interesting. Just curious, what’s its cycle count?I took my iPad Air 2 to the Apple Store a few days ago to get a battery replacement. Coconut Battery said it was 56%, but Apple's test said 81%, so a wide discrepancy. However, the tech said 81% was close enough, so it qualified for the replacement...
...but, they said they can't do it, because they can't order the replacement as it is unavailable.
So, I went home and chatted with Apple directly, and they also said they can't do it via mail-in, because only the service shops can do it.
This device is now listed as vintage, but NOT as obsolete. In theory, vintage products still qualify for the battery replacement, but in reality, not so much.
BTW, the 81% Apple claims seems like bullcrap to me. And more importantly, the battery behaves very erratically. It will sometimes just randomly shut off when the power drops below 30%. And when you turn it back on, it says it's 10%... and then will shut back off at 7% or whatever.
Also, have you tried calibrating the battery meter?
Based on this response (well aware that it did not come from the OP) and what the OP is currently experiencing with a device that is just 3.5 years old, I would encourage both forum users to perform 1) soft resets and/or 2) factory resets on their iPads and see if things change in their favor.
Soft resets have had no benefit in my case. I have not done a factory reset.
Anyhow, my experience of an erratic battery is common with Apple devices (or any electronic devices for that matter) with worn out batteries.
A worn out battery often has dead cells (that is not all cells wear equally) and that's what causes erratic behavious like shutting down at 30% or dropping by uneven amounts during use.
There is no amount of calibration or resets that can fix that.
Vintage product are not guaranteed to be serviced, for instance the original iPad pro (2015-16) is already vintage so it's serviced only if parts are available.
There is no amount of calibration or resets that can fix that.
Vintage product are not guaranteed to be serviced, for instance the original iPad pro (2015-16) is already vintage so it's serviced only if parts are available.
I just had my 10.5 pro replaced with a like new refurb model for $99. I used an app called bast to test my battery health and it was showing 74% capacity which is pretty degraded. I scheduled an appointment at bestbuy and paid upfront there. They shipped my ipad to apple who did the diagnostics and approved a replacement. A week later I have a like new ipad pro.
Do you have any inclination in terms of screen-on time? I have already confirmed that battery replacements (in support of my long-standing point) are largely irrelevant on iPhones, because they help a little when compared to degraded batteries if the iPhone is updated, but they do nothing to restore battery life of the original iOS version.
That said, degraded batteries cannot sustain the load - on iPhones - that new iOS versions impose, which is why my 6s on iOS 10 with 63% health has excellent battery life, but users with similar batteries on iOS 15 have widely reported extremely short runtimes and shutdowns (sometimes south of 1 hour of screen-on time), and that’s why battery replacements help a little (improving it to 3 hours, perhaps 4 with very light use, at most, but I’m getting twice that with a 63% health battery on iOS 10).
However, iPads have far larger batteries. Battery degradation isn’t as marked as on iPhones, especially when iOS versions weren’t as heavy, which is another argument in support of my long-standing point: grab an iPad 2 on iOS 9 and battery life remains half-decent even after 11 years, which makes sense: iOS 9 is a lot lighter than, say, iPadOS (any version). Newer iPads (starting with those who support iPadOS, like the Air 2), fare infinitely worse, with wide reports of a mere 4 to 5 hours of SOT on 1st Gen iPad Pros on iPadOS 16.
I’m inclined to think that battery replacements are even less helpful on iPads, especially considering that, like I said, extremely old iPads retain good battery life even after close to a decade of use, which would make sense: iPad batteries are several times larger, which would make battery health even more irrelevant.
So, a lot of backstory to ask a question: how’s screen on time on the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro?
Battery would drop from 100 to 70% within an hour with light browsing and youtube @ 20% brightness. The screen had developed white spots so I felt it was worth $99 to replace the whole unit.
Bestbuy didn’t do the diagnosis, they shipped it back to Apple. No information was given on battery health. I would guess that most people who were turned away went to Apple genius bar for a diagnostic test. The discrepancies reported were far off from 3rd party app tests. You may have better odds of getting a replacement if shipped directly to apple or going to bestbuy.
Wow, rather surprising, I wouldn't have expected that. How's battery life after replacement?
Lower than I’d expect on iOS 10 (which makes sense), but significantly better than I’d expect on iPadOS 16. Do you have a screenshot of the last 24 hours screen on Settings-battery, by any chance?
I just took my 2017 10.5 in to Best Buy because the battery has been pretty bad the last year and getting worse.
Coconut Battery said 82% remaining but it feels much worse than that.
The Best Buy guy ran an Apple Diag and it said 91% remaining. He blamed the bad battery drain on background apps.
He wouldn’t send it to Apple if the diag gave him a green light. So there goes that.
I guess I’m stuck with it.
Coconut Battery said 82% remaining but it feels much worse than that.
The Best Buy guy ran an Apple Diag and it said 91% remaining. He blamed the bad battery drain on background apps.
He wouldn’t send it to Apple if the diag gave him a green light. So there goes that.
I guess I’m stuck with it.
I just took my 2017 10.5 in to Best Buy because the battery has been pretty bad the last year and getting worse.
Coconut Battery said 82% remaining but it feels much worse than that.
The Best Buy guy ran an Apple Diag and it said 91% remaining. He blamed the bad battery drain on background apps.
He wouldn’t send it to Apple if the diag gave him a green light. So there goes that.
I guess I’m stuck with it.
it is interesting how Best Buy personnel knows the health % but each time I request that info from Apple directly, they keep telling me that they dont see the % and only can say good or bad.
did you try this utlity/shortcut? https://www.itecheverything.com/powerutil
do you mind running it? I wonder if number you get from the utility would match the Best Buy number.
When I use the tool on my daughter's iPad Air 3 it shows that the battery health is at 80% while coconut is reporting between 76-78%. She has about 630 cycles on it. My plan is to wait till the shortcut utility reports the number under %80 or closer to 700 cycles and then inquire about battery replacement service from Apple.
The vintage part meaning that Apple won’t even service iPads anymore allows me to make an interesting conclusion. Excluding my original inclination (which I maintain) of battery replacements being largely irrelevant because many people still get decent battery life with old iPads, and assuming the user wants a replacement:
If Apple won’t service them battery-wise when they are vintage, it means that the user has 5 years after release date to replace the battery (once, of course). iPads are renowned for having good battery life unless you obliterate them, even heavily updated (the 1st-gen iPad Pros have been through 8 major versions - 9 through 16 - and people still report half-decent battery life, even degraded, unlike iPhones - a degraded battery on an iPhone 6s on iOS 15 is completely useless, a replaced battery on iOS 15 is... almost completely useless), which means that degrading a battery on Apple’s service lifecycle is... rather difficult.
I am a light user (in terms of apps and usage pattern), but I use my iPad quite a bit. Still, my cycle count isn’t high enough to degrade the device (6.5 years in, and I am at merely 650 cycles, with 85% health, according to Coconut), so it would be pretty much impossible for me to degrade a battery enough on Apple’s timeframe.
I’ve asked around about people’s cycle counts, and their experiences are similar: unlike iPhones, with which you have people putting north of 1000 cycles on a battery within three years, finding an iPad with a high cycle count is very difficult; hence, using a battery enough to degrade it on Apple’s lifecycle is very difficult; hence, iPad battery replacements are rare.
If Apple won’t service them battery-wise when they are vintage, it means that the user has 5 years after release date to replace the battery (once, of course). iPads are renowned for having good battery life unless you obliterate them, even heavily updated (the 1st-gen iPad Pros have been through 8 major versions - 9 through 16 - and people still report half-decent battery life, even degraded, unlike iPhones - a degraded battery on an iPhone 6s on iOS 15 is completely useless, a replaced battery on iOS 15 is... almost completely useless), which means that degrading a battery on Apple’s service lifecycle is... rather difficult.
I am a light user (in terms of apps and usage pattern), but I use my iPad quite a bit. Still, my cycle count isn’t high enough to degrade the device (6.5 years in, and I am at merely 650 cycles, with 85% health, according to Coconut), so it would be pretty much impossible for me to degrade a battery enough on Apple’s timeframe.
I’ve asked around about people’s cycle counts, and their experiences are similar: unlike iPhones, with which you have people putting north of 1000 cycles on a battery within three years, finding an iPad with a high cycle count is very difficult; hence, using a battery enough to degrade it on Apple’s lifecycle is very difficult; hence, iPad battery replacements are rare.
Which iPad is it?It’s apparently possible to read your battery health from the analytics page in settings. I hope there’s no sensitive information I am leaking this way.
Mine’s at 83%, though it sometimes feels worse than that. Oh well.
2018 iPad Pro. So I have had it for a little over 4 years already.
Ipads are notoriously difficult to open and repair centres thoroughly dislike them, although don't dislike taking your money for the extended labour charges required!
Most iPads in recent years have been given an official repairability score of 2 out of 10 by tear-down specialists.
Ten = excellent (easy), and anything below 3 is shocking, 2 = disgusting (must try better Apple)! Obviously it's done for a purpose with Apple having heaped on very solid barriers of strong adhesive making repairs an unpleasant task and battery replacement particularly challenging.
From memory the alternative tablets from Acer, Elite, LG, HP score from between 8/10 and 9/10. So yes it can be done and these latter companies respect their customers and especially the repair centres. I've advised several family members who wanted to purchase new iPads to take out extended Apple Care, and then prior to the expiry date - to sell asap. Of course one can get lucky; a friend has had an iPad for over 5 years without problems, although I do know it's on mains power for many of his worktasks - which many say is bad for prolonged battery life. Go figure.........
Most iPads in recent years have been given an official repairability score of 2 out of 10 by tear-down specialists.
Ten = excellent (easy), and anything below 3 is shocking, 2 = disgusting (must try better Apple)! Obviously it's done for a purpose with Apple having heaped on very solid barriers of strong adhesive making repairs an unpleasant task and battery replacement particularly challenging.
From memory the alternative tablets from Acer, Elite, LG, HP score from between 8/10 and 9/10. So yes it can be done and these latter companies respect their customers and especially the repair centres. I've advised several family members who wanted to purchase new iPads to take out extended Apple Care, and then prior to the expiry date - to sell asap. Of course one can get lucky; a friend has had an iPad for over 5 years without problems, although I do know it's on mains power for many of his worktasks - which many say is bad for prolonged battery life. Go figure.........
Sensitive information......? Wow, I've just decoded your family history and astonishing s*xual appetite.It’s apparently possible to read your battery health from the analytics page in settings. I hope there’s no sensitive information I am leaking this way.
Mine’s at 83%, though it sometimes feels worse than that. Oh well.
😜 (Only kidding).
Agreed, the notion of "if iPad battery degrades I'll just replace it" is wrong.
You need to degrade to a point where it's bad enough that Apple will accept to replace it.
That threashold is often lower that what many people can stand (based on my experience with battery replacements it's at a point where your device barely holds a charge for 1-2 hours).
Also you might simply not be able to degrade it that much before it's too late and Apple will not service the battery anymore.
Having said that, the 5 years timeframe is not form release date but from the last time it was sold by Apple.
For instance the 2015 iPad pro and the mini 4 were announced at the same time, but while the pro is already vintage (including its 2016 smaller brother) the mini 4 was sold till early 2019 so has more time to go....
Thanks, I didn’t know that the timer started when the device was last sold. That will give iPads that have been sold for a while (like you said, the Mini 4), a lot longer.
Agreed, with updated devices the threshold is quite low, but is battery life that bad on updated, degraded iPads? I know that it is on iPhones, but are iPads impacted like that as well? Degraded to uselessness? I’ve read many people who use 11-year-old iPads 2 and the battery holds up well.
People here with 1st-gen iPad Pros have reported half-decent battery life, and my 9.7-inch iPad Pro only saw a negligible battery life impact on iOS 9 at the end of its stay, when it had about 85% health. Current health figures are similar (why, I do not know), but it saw a substantial, 25% decrease right after being forced out of iOS 9 into iOS 12 back in 2019. 3.5 years later and the battery life remains exactly the same as it was right after being forced out, 10-11 hours of light use. The only substantial battery life drop was brought about by Apple forcing it into iOS 12, and not due to battery health. It will remain on iOS 12, so whether it ever sees a battery life decrease remains to be seen. I plan to keep it because it is my favourite iPad ever, so we’ll see. Going by my iPhone experience, I doubt it’ll drop too much, though.