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digirati

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 9, 2024
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Anyone understand Apple's reason why an iPad will automatically turn on (from an off state) when plugged in for charging. I'm not sure why this behavior is a 'feature.'
 
Then why not the same behavior for iPhones & Macbooks? Not challenging you, just curious.
When you say an "off state" do you mean you physically powered it down completely, where you actually have to hold the on button down until it powers up, or do you mean just hitting the power button (which essentially just shuts the screen off and puts it to sleep)?
 
When you say an "off state" do you mean you physically powered it down completely, where you actually have to hold the on button down until it powers up, or do you mean just hitting the power button (which essentially just shuts the screen off and puts it to sleep)?
I mean completely powered off (using the two button combo). As soon as I plug the iPad with the power cable the iPad powers back on. I read up on Apple support that this is expected behavior which is weird to me.
 
You may want to test this, but I believe if you have the device plugged in already, then power it off, it stays off.

Obviously, this won’t work in situations where battery is fully exhausted. I assume the reason for this behavior in general is that a device which has its battery exhausted can power on and the user can get “back to work.”
 
It was always same on iPhone and MBP. I would hate to turn on my devices every time it runs out of battery and then baby sit to turn back on. Don’t charge it if you don’t need to use.
 
It’s intentional so the iPad can do things like check for updates / photos indexing while charging.

If you intentionally want it to charge while powered down you need to plug it in and start charging first, and then shut down.
I did not test, but I thought iPhone or iPad needs to be on for optimized charging. These devices have lot of algorithms to regulate charging, monitor temp etc. not sure if they will run in the background when device is off.
 
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If you have the phone off and then plug it in, it will by default turn on automatically.

To charge and keep the device off, first connect it to power and then turn it off.
 
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This is in place for a few reasons. For one, allows you to power on your device if the power button is not functioning. Also, should any volume buttons not be working, it allows you to place the device into recovery mode by holding the power button and plugging in the device while it has been powered off.
 
It's the same on the iPhones. It's sort of the same with macbooks, in an off state and if you open the lid it will power up whether you wanted it to or not. I chalk it down to design philosphy.
Weird, when I connect my turned off iPhone to my MagSafe charger (my preferred charging method) the iPhone doesn't turn on. But when I connect my turned off iPhone to a Lightning cable charger it does turn on the iPhone. Never noticed that before. 🤷
 
This is in place for a few reasons. For one, allows you to power on your device if the power button is not functioning. Also, should any volume buttons not be working, it allows you to place the device into recovery mode by holding the power button and plugging in the device while it has been powered off.
This explanation actually sounds plausible. Thanks.
 
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It’s intentional so the iPad can do things like check for updates / photos indexing while charging.
But the iPad would be in the BFU state (Before First Unlock). In this state, the user's data is still encrypted - meaning iPadOS wouldn't be able to index, nor would it able to connect to Wi-Fi to check for updates. The user would have to wait until it's booted up and enter in their passcode in order for it to do these things.
 
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Most iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch models will automatically power on if plugged in when turned off. You can turn them off after plugging into a charger and they will stay off.

An exception is devices sold in China, these will always stay off when plugged in due to local regulatory requirements.
 
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