iPad Apple refuses to replace iPad battery

[ouimetnick]

You cannot replace the battery it is soldered on to the main board. So Apple cannot even replace it even if they wanted to replace it.

Also opening up the iPad will damage the iPad.

The iPad is not built like a desktop computer or some laptops with chips attached to board that can be swapped out.

That is false. The battery is glued in place and then the logic board is glued in over it. It’s a press fit connection With a screw securing the logic board battery terminals to the battery’s terminals. No soldering. Opening up the iPad is risky business, and you can easily damage them if you go too fast.

 

[rui no onna]

It is very bad for the environment to replace something that doesnt need replacing. It is a bit irresponsible to even ask IMHO.

if this is a big issue for you, consider selling your current iPad and buying a new model with a new battery. This way your perfectly usable iPad and battery will find a new owner.

iPhone battery-gate. There were cases where Apple was refusing battery replacements and saying the iPhone batteries pass diagnostics even when iOS was deciding the battery is degraded enough that it has to throttle the CPU.

These iPads would probably have similar issues if the battery hadn't been large enough to still deliver enough juice to the chipsets so they don't have to slow down.

Apple denying battery service doesn't really mean much. If not for the media stink on iPhone battery-gate, I doubt they would've done anything.

 

[ouimetnick]

I prefer internal batteries as that allows the device to be simpler in construction - often more robust and thinner. At the same time I dislike that many folks don’t realize what they’re buying into when the battery in not user-serviceable. Apple’s not going to put that on the box.

If you buy an Apple device, and regardless with your familiarity with the pros/cons, Apple should be filling the gap with customer service. “Yes we know our devices are super hard to repair yourself, so we’ll make it easy.” Not just tell you to go pound sand.

Every iPhone since the iPhone 4 has an easy to access battery and relatively simple replacement procedure. They can make the iPhone robust and thinner and still design it to be repairable. Why can’t they do the same for the iPad? (Or even the iPod touch)

 

[BigMcGuire]

Every iPhone since the iPhone 4 has an easy to access battery and relatively simple replacement procedure. They can make the iPhone robust and thinner and still design it to be repairable. Why can’t they do the same for the iPad? (Or even the iPod touch)

False. The battery on all iPad models are not soldered in place. Since the 3rd or 4th gen iPad, they started securing The logic board to the case with strong double stick tape adhesive. I’ve opened numerous iPads with out causing damage. Same thing with their phones. I’m guilty of damaging an iPad 2 when taking it apart, so I’ve learned to take my time and go slower. Not recommended for those just starting out.

I stopped replacing batteries in the days of the 4s, iPod (with spinning drives), etc. I respect those that have the patience and skill to do the battery replacements today. Lol.


Having had one of those 6s+ phones (2 of them (1 bad 1 good)) where it would randomly shut off and last 1/5th the time of our other 6s+... we also experienced this - going to an Apple store and they saying it was “good” then refusing to replace the battery even though I was waving $ in front of their face. (To their credit, they eventually replaced it and Apple refunded me $ later for it because of battery gate).

Point of above - when they replaced the battery on the 6s+? They broke it - half the screen wouldn’t light up and it restarted constantly. So they ended up having to replace it.

My guess is for most people replacing these things isn’t easy - not even Apple Geniuses. I’m not skillful but I gave up after the 4s days.

Yes it does frustrate me that Apple won’t just take $ to replace a battery but I don’t really blame them. I’d hope by now a machine could do it in <1 minute...

 

[Bubble99]

That is false. The battery is glued in place and then the logic board is glued in over it. It’s a press fit connection With a screw securing the logic board battery terminals to the battery’s terminals. No soldering. Opening up the iPad is risky business, and you can easily damage them if you go too fast.

Well most computer tech probably does not have the training on what do or does Apple tech support. It not like taking typical 90s desktop computer apart and swapping parts.

What that guy does on YouTube base in New York fixing Apple motherboard is not how it works in the US. People swap parts in the US not fix parts.

In the US now if your TV or car stop working you don’t fix the broken part but swap parts.

Well sure any engineer or anyone taking electronics in school could probably repair your TV, stereo, DVD player or iPad and could unsolder it and solder new part back in place is well way beyond the scopes of most repair shops in the US.

And it would cost Apple too much money having millions of electronic techs fixing iPads and iPhones. It cost more money getting electronic techs than computer techs.

 

[ouimetnick]

Well most computer tech probably does not have the training on what do or does Apple tech support. It not like taking typical 90s desktop computer apart and swapping parts.

What that guy does on YouTube base in New York fixing Apple motherboard is not how it works in the US. People swap parts in the US not fix parts.

In the US now if your TV or car stop working you don’t fix the broken part but swap parts.

Well sure any engineer or anyone taking electronics in school could probably repair your TV, stereo, DVD player or iPad and could unsolder it and solder new part back in place is well way beyond the scopes of most repair shops in the US.

And it would cost Apple too much money having millions of electronic techs fixing iPads and iPhones. It cost more money getting electronic techs than computer techs.

I realize that. I’m not suggesting that regular consumers start with board level soldering and trying to remove and replace super small SMD components either. I’m simply saying that they could make the iPad more serviceable like they’ve done with their iPhones. I remember working on the original iPhone from 2007. Once you remove the bottom plastic portion, the aluminum back cover was difficult to remove with out damage. The battery was held into place with mild adhesive tape and soldered (3 wires, black, red, white) to the logic board. The iPhone 3G brought an easy to replace display and a non soldered battery. iPhone 4 had an easy to replace battery (display replacement required removal of the logic board)

Point is, Apple made the iPhone smaller/thinner and more repairable. I recently took apart 2 damaged iPhone 11 Pro Max phones to make one functional unit (not my own personal iPhone 11 Pro Max) The logic board was held in place with just 3 stand off screws. Cameras are easy to remove, battery was as well. I moved everything from one with a shattered back and put it in one with liquid damage. Easiest iPhone to work on. Much simpler than the XS Max.

They could design an iPad to be serviced at an Apple Store if they wanted. They probably figure that MOST batteries would last longer than the useful life of the iPad and decided to just use industrial strength adhesive tape to secure everything.

That being said, if you advertise a $99 battery service program, you should make it known it has to meet certain goal posts, and reveal those goal posts to the customer on the website.

 

[Astonish_IT]

Hello everyone,

What I mean, if my iPad Pro (not my case right now, just making an hypothesis) was working 6-7 hours on Procreate and today if it works only 1-2 hours, unless there is a bug in a previous update of Procreate, then this means that there is definitely a big drop in the battery life, thus, if Apple is listing battery replacement as one of their services, then I expect them to replace it instead of telling me that it is good.

I dont understand why I have to sell my iPad and then buy a new one, and make this cost me much more than 99 euros/dollars when the price of the service is listed as 99. I don’t understand how people defend Apple, for not replacing a battery that has degraded for one reason or an other.

If Apple listed on their website saying that the battery can be replaced ONLY if our test results 80% or below, then I would understand. But then again, if my iPad is lasting half of the time it used to last and if Apple tells me that the battery capacity is 90%, there is something that just does not quite feel right.

Also, when i buy an iPad, I know that the battery is not user replaceable, I understand it and I am trying to replace it on my own, I am going to Apple to replace it and in those devices, so I find it irrevelant weather it is user replaceable or not. And if Apple produces iPad in a way where even them they can not replace the battery, it is their problem. If they write on their web site or on the box, that the battery is NOT REPLACEABLE, then ok, in this case it would be my problem or choice to buy it, but it is not the actual case.

 

[ouimetnick]

Hello everyone,

What I mean is not, if my iPad Pro (not my case right now, just making an hypothesis) was working 6-7 hours on Procreate and today if it works only 1-2 hours, unless there is a bug in a previous update of Procreate, then this means that there is definitely a big drop in the battery life, thus, if Apple is listing battery replacement as one their services, then I expect them to replace it instead of telling me that it is good.

I dont understand why I have to sell my iPad and then buy a new one, and make this cost me much more than 99 euros/dollars when the price of the service is listed as 99. I don’t understand how people defend Apple, for not replacing a battery that has degraded for one reason or an other.

If Apple listed on their website saying that the battery can be replaced ONLY if our test results 80% or below, then I would understand. But then again, if my iPad is lasting half of the time it used to last and if Apple tells me that the battery capacity is 90%, there is something that just does not quite feel right.

Also, when i buy an iPad, I know that it is not user replaceable, I understand it and I am trying to replace it on my own, I am going to Apple to replace it and in those devices, so I find it irrevelant weather it is user replaceable or not. And if Apple produces iPad in a way where even them they can not replace the battery, it is their problem. If they write on their web site or on the box, that the battery is NOT REPLACEABLE, then ok, in this case it would be my problem or choice to buy it, but it is not the actual case.

Well said. I really can't figure out why some folks here are making excuses for a multi billion dollar corporation like it's their family member or a small locally owned family business.

I'm well aware that the iPad battery isn't user replaceable. I expect them to replace it for me for $99 just like they replaced my iPhone 6s Plus battery for $29 in 2018. If the $99 fee means they replace the device because they intentionally designed it in a way that the Apple Store can't replace the battery themselves, that's on Apple, not me. No need to defend Apple's design decisions like it was your father who built it.

Heck it would be nice if Apple also sold replacement parts to the customer. Why would I buy an unknown unmarked battery from China to put in my iPad if Apple would sell me a genuine part for a reasonable price? I know they wouldn't want to be responsible for someone that doesn't know what they're doing, but that's what waivers are for.

 

[Astonish_IT]

Exactly! For example when we are designing a yacht, we are also thinking "if this needs to be replaced, how do they remove it?" , it is not like you can make a boat and then when the engine needs to be replaced, you answer the client "nah sorry, the engine still ha 80% of health, so we can not replace it!".

It is the same for iPad, battery is one of the most important thing for someone who uses it on the go. If we have to say that it is not good for the environment to give back a "perfectly" working device just for the battery, then we should blame Apple for designing the iPad in a way the battery can not be replaced without replacing the iPad, not the client who needs and expects a new battery because on the go it does not last as long as before.

 

[MacCheetah3]

I'll chime in one last time.

1. Apple should honor their service offering, or at the very least provide succinct requirements.*
2. Batteries degrade, however, you can't judge battery performance strictly on the battery itself. For example, software problems can cause constant processing, additional/unknown background tasks, and usage e.g. you may think Web browsing is low taxing, but in many cases it's very much not, including but not limited to media, page styling, advertising display/trackers and other scripts.
3. Don't obsess over the battery "health" percentage -- this should go for Apple support personal as well.

I have very strong doubt this battery is at nearly 86% of its original capacity. Even if somehow so, the full charge cycle count and age far more accurately imply the "real" performance: frequent OS UI and app crashes and much slower performance than this device had originally i.e. CPU/GPU throttling. I haven't replaced the battery, nor do I intend, therefore, any conclusion to these issues being related solely/primarily to the battery degradation is indeed still speculation, not a fact i.e. verifiable.

Ultimately, don't get caught up in the placebo effect i.e. exaggeration, and when a problem does arise, go through proper diagnosis/troubleshooting.

* Too bad an Apple Genius Bar employee can't chime in on the specific guidelines and perhaps why they're in place -- assuming they might be privy to that knowledge.

 

[rui no onna]

I'll chime in one last time.

1. Apple should honor their service offering, or at the very least provide succinct requirements.*
2. Batteries degrade, however, you can't judge battery performance strictly on the battery itself. For example, software problems can cause constant processing, additional/unknown background tasks, and usage e.g. you may think Web browsing is low taxing, but in many cases it's very much not, including but not limited to media, page styling, advertising display/trackers and other scripts.
3. Don't obsess over the battery "health" percentage -- this should go for Apple support personal as well.
View attachment 1701488
I have very strong doubt this battery is at nearly 86% of its original capacity. Even if somehow so, the full charge cycle count and age far more accurately imply the "real" performance: frequent OS UI and app crashes and much slower performance than this device had originally i.e. CPU/GPU throttling. I haven't replaced the battery, nor do I intend, therefore, any conclusion to these issues being related solely/primarily to the battery degradation is indeed still speculation, not a fact i.e. verifiable.

Ultimately, don't get caught up in the placebo effect i.e. exaggeration, and when a problem does arise, go through proper diagnosis/troubleshooting.

* Too bad an Apple Genius Bar employee can't chime in on the specific guidelines and perhaps why they're in place -- assuming they might be privy to that knowledge.

For an iPad 2 with Apple A5 chipset and 512MB RAM, it's really just super slow on iOS 9. No throttling required. Iirc, Apple A5 only had 1/8th the CPU performance of the Apple A9 which was what iOS 9 was released with. Note, A9-based devices also had minimum 2GB RAM.

For tolerable performance, they really should've stopped updating A5-based devices after iOS 7.

 

[MacCheetah3]

@rui no onna Yes and no. 90%+ of the apps on it are from that era, not updated in years. And my comment of "much slower performance than this device had originally i.e. CPU/GPU throttling" is based on those apps originally functioning without frustrating lag. I put up with it because I understand the situation. As a reminder, the iPad 2 could do full HD gaming, e.g. Real Racing 2 HD, via HDMI -- the integrated display is only 1024x768. That is, by today's standards, extremely crippled, nonetheless, not poor.

 

[rui no onna]

@rui no onna Yes and no. 90%+ of the apps on it are from that era, not updated in years. And my comment of "much slower performance than this device had originally i.e. CPU/GPU throttling" is based on those apps originally functioning without frustrating lag. I put up with it because I understand the situation. As a reminder, the iPad 2 could do full HD gaming, e.g. Real Racing 2 HD, via HDMI -- the integrated display is only 1024x768. That is, by today's standards, extremely crippled, nonetheless, not poor.

Are you running iOS 4/5 on it and were you running circa 2011-12 app versions, though? If you've updated the firmware and/or the apps, different rules apply.

I remember before I got rid of the iPad 2/3 (updated to iOS 9), I was getting severe keyboard lag. Like I could type a short paragraph before any of the text will show onscreen. Just browsing Netflix videos was frustratingly slow.

I've run PassMark and Geekbench on those (I jumped directly from iOS 6 to 9 on some of them) and the benchmark scores were the same before and after update. They just couldn't keep up with the heavier, updated versions of iOS and apps.

 

[MacCheetah3]

@rui no onna Perhaps I'm not recalling the experience details accurately and I don't have proof, or a means to generate any, either for or against my recollection. So, I'll simply digress on the point/subject.

 

[FreeWoRLD83]

You’re not alone.

This iPad is showing 75% on CoconutBattery and the battery level jumps between percentages each time it boots up. After chatting with support, they charged me around $100 to get the battery replaced.

I just received an email and guess what.. they are refusing to get the battery replaced !

This is what CoconutBattery shows; (low cycle count is perhaps the excuse?)

 

[ouimetnick]

Perhaps people should file a complaint with the BBB and contact Tim Cook tcook@apple.com

I still can’t find anything on their website at stating that your iPad must meet certain (unpublished criteria) in order to be eligible for battery service. How is this NOT false advertising?

They have no problem taking $49 or $69 to replace the iPhone battery (a product they designed with serviceability in mind) Yet they won’t take $99 to replace an iPad battery (a product intentionally designed to be throw away)

I will be waiting until after the holidays and hopefuly till things start to get back to normal and then I’ll give it another try and raise hell if necessary.

 

[AutomaticApple]

This iPad is showing 75% on CoconutBattery and the battery level jumps between percentages each time it boots up. After chatting with support, they charged me around $100 to get the battery replaced.

CoconutBattery isn't accurate. Thats why the percentages are all over the place.

 

[FreeWoRLD83]

CoconutBattery isn't accurate. Thats why the percentages are all over the place.

I hope that is the case however what I meant was the percentage (in iPadOS) changes each time iPad is restarted. I'd see 60 percent and next reboot shows 40 percent, another reboot shows 70 percent. I explained this to Apple support but they still refused to service it.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I hope that is the case however what I meant was the percentage (in iPadOS) changes each time iPad is restarted. I'd see 60 percent and next reboot shows 40 percent, another reboot shows 70 percent. I explained this to Apple support but they still refused to service it.

Yeah that’s indicative of a failing battery. That is frustrating.

 

[FreeWoRLD83]

Yeah that’s indicative of a failing battery. That is frustrating.

I'm definitely taking it to an Apple store to show and ask how that's considered normal.

 

[FreeWoRLD83]

I still can’t find anything on their website at stating that your iPad must meet certain (unpublished criteria) in order to be eligible for battery service. How is this NOT false advertising?

I am guessing they'd get behind this. Didn't they intentionally removed battery health indicator in iPadOS so that there would be no official tool to determine if it is worn already but only their internal tool which we have no access. Such a game played here...

 

[FreeWoRLD83]

I'm definitely taking it to an Apple store to show and ask how that's considered normal.

Update; they refuse to change it telling me hardware and software passes all tests. (It shuts down at 10% and percentage jumps!!)

Well, I was going to be paying $100 for battery replacement anyways but I just figured that if I trade in this iPad Pro 9.7 inch, I am able to get the new 2020 iPad for just $123.

I just placed the order and I am sending this iPad I have that “passes all checks” ! I’ll let them deal with it..

here’s the iPad that “passes all checks with green and it came back from repair center telling me all good!” ;

UPDATE: Apple accepted this iPad as trade in

 

[BigMcGuire]

Update; they refuse to change it telling me hardware and software passes all tests. (It shuts down at 10% and percentage jumps!!)

Well, I was going to be paying $100 for battery replacement anyways but I just figured that if I trade in this iPad Pro 9.7 inch, I am able to get the new 2020 iPad for just $123.

I just placed the order and I am sending this iPad I have that “passes all checks” ! I’ll let them deal with it..

here’s the iPad that “passes all checks with green and it came back from repair center telling me all good!” ;

View attachment 1704280

Yep, stuff like this angers me. We had an iPhone that did this and had to REALLY TWIST their arm to get them to replace the battery (They refused over and over saying it was OK despite showing them this). My wife’s 6s+ would shut off at 40%, come back on with 10% then you’d plug it in and it would say 60% Or something like that.

One nice thing is being able to trade in - agreed.

 

[kevink2]

I've "replaced" the battery on a Mini 4 that would shutdown at around 30%. No problem for me. I've had to have an 10.5" Pro replaced due to cracked screen. Only services on iPads.

14 months, I had a "service battery" on a 1 year old iPhone X. Genius bar couldn't replace it since they said the screw was stripped. (implications that it was my fault. Maybe 3rd party attempt? No one had touched since made, so was either from factory that way, or Genius bar stripped it). Given an offer for refurbished unit for $525. Told it would qualify for trade-in, so bought 11.

More recently, a backup 7+ was down to 87% battery life. I was considering giving it to my BiL to replace an iPhone 6, so wanted to replace the battery. No official local location, so tried to do it online. Apparently Apple wasn't doing the online battery replacement route then (send it in, let them fix and send back). BiL decided on my older 6+ since it was form factor he was used to. So no battery replacement.

 

[irvdou]

If Apple says its still good, I'd trade it in to Apple and put the $99 towards a new iPad w/ AppleCare+ on it. Guarantee they will put in a new battery when they recycle it as refurbished...