iPad Pro Battery Replacement 2nd Gen 12.9" iPad Pro (2017)

[fperkins]

I love my 2nd gen iPad Pro but the battery life has been quite poor at < 4 hours. I looked on Apple's website and they have an estimate utility which says $99 to replace an iPad battery. Great. I make a genius bar appt. Later that day I go to the Apple Store and the tech says they can't repair my iPad Pro because (and I quote) it doesn't have screws (lol). I said nothing you make can be repaired because it's glued down (like screws matter). The tech said my only option was to replace the device for $599. They didnt even look at the device and quickly tried to go down the replace with new device option. The tech even said they can't repair it on site, which of course I wouldn't expect them to, but I would *assume* they have access to a repair facility?

I go home, obviously a little pissed to have wasted my time. I chat with and "Advisor" on the Apple support tool. The chat person says they can NOT provide me an estimate to replace the battery and my only option is to go back to the store or mail in the device. I said, how much to mail in and they said it would be $112.68. I said does this mean you can repair it for that price and they said yes. What!? They first tell me they can't provide an estimate and then a few minutes later commit to fixing it for $99+shipping.

tl;dr; Don't trust Apple's online estimate for iPad battery repair. Seems like contacting chat support might be a better path. Il update once I get the device back and fingers crossed they dont say it's actually $599 to fix. I do find it interesting they make you turn off Find my IPad before they send it in. As if they dont want you knowing where it goes?

 

[Digitalguy]

I love my 2nd gen iPad Pro but the battery life has been quite poor at < 4 hours. I looked on Apple's website and they have an estimate utility which says $99 to replace an iPad battery. Great. I make a genius bar appt. Later that day I go to the Apple Store and the tech says they can't repair my iPad Pro because (and I quote) it doesn't have screws (lol). I said nothing you make can be repaired because it's glued down (like screws matter). The tech said my only option was to replace the device for $599. They didnt even look at the device and quickly tried to go down the replace with new device option. The tech even said they can't repair it on site, which of course I wouldn't expect them to, but I would *assume* they have access to a repair facility?

I go home, obviously a little pissed to have wasted my time. I chat with and "Advisor" on the Apple support tool. The chat person says they can NOT provide me an estimate to replace the battery and my only option is to go back to the store or mail in the device. I said, how much to mail in and they said it would be $112.68. I said does this mean you can repair it for that price and they said yes. What!? They first tell me they can't provide an estimate and then a few minutes later commit to fixing it for $99+shipping.

tl;dr; Don't trust Apple's online estimate for iPad battery repair. Seems like contacting chat support might be a better path. Il update once I get the device back and fingers crossed they dont say it's actually $599 to fix. I do find it interesting they make you turn off Find my IPad before they send it in. As if they dont want you knowing where it goes?

Turning off Find my iPad is necessary in order to reset it. Anyway, curious to know how it goes. I'll try to have my 10.5 serviced next year (at the moment battery is still above 80% so they won't service it).

 

[fperkins]

Update:
They sent me the mailer box which I used to send my iPad back. A few days later I received my iPad back via fedex. I honestly can't tell if they fixed my old one or sent me a replacement. I *think* it's another one because it was wiped clean and I had to set it up again (same exactly model though). After a few days of using the "new" iPad, the battery life is back to what I would expect.

All in all, very happy to have a "new" battery for $100 and pretty painless drop off/mail in process. I would stay away from the Apple store for this type of repair.

 

[JDnLex]

It’s likely a different unit. If you have the serial numbers of your previous unit (possibly in the documentation from the battery service) you could compare. Apple’s battery service offering is pretty good, and I consider it to be reasonably priced and cheaper than you’ll find direct from other OEMs… if they even offer it.

My issue has always been getting Apple to agree to perform the service when attempting to do it through an in store appointment. And I’m not talking about them running diagnostics and saying my device isn’t eligible. After the check warranty status and without doing anything else, I either get quoted the full out of warranty service, or I’m told they can recycle it for me for free. Like you, I’ve had better success through online support.

 

[mlody]

Update:
They sent me the mailer box which I used to send my iPad back. A few days later I received my iPad back via fedex. I honestly can't tell if they fixed my old one or sent me a replacement. I *think* it's another one because it was wiped clean and I had to set it up again (same exactly model though). After a few days of using the "new" iPad, the battery life is back to what I would expect.

All in all, very happy to have a "new" battery for $100 and pretty painless drop off/mail in process. I would stay away from the Apple store for this type of repair.

Good to see that they performed the work for $99 which essentially means that they got you a refurb model.

Do you recall what was the coconut battery readout before you sent it?

The reasons I am asking is that I tried to do a battery service on my daughter's iPad Air 3 which, according to Coconut Battery, is at 540 cycles and %76 battery health, but Apple test showed good battery health - good figure. We will probably push it for another 3 months, get 100 more cycles and hope that coconut reports low %70. I hope that at that point their tool will accept it for $99 battery replacement service.