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jumpingjackflash

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Nov 13, 2016
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So, iPad Pro users can´t check their battery health like with iPhones. But iPad does not have the Optimized Charging feature either? Then how are we supposed to keep our battery at good health for the longest possible?
 

Digitalguy

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Apr 15, 2019
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You can check battery health with iMazing or Coconut. As for optimized charging you have to do it manually (I use shortcuts that warn me when 90% charge is reached)
 

Digitalguy

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Apr 15, 2019
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Apple does battery service, but for iPad it means replacing the whole device for $99 (as long as your device is very good physical condition, otherwise it's more expensive).
However, they only do it if the battery is severely degraded, so you cannot choose when, their software determines if the degradation justifies a battery service. Battery service generally stops once the device is vintage or obsolete (depending on the country), if your battery is not degraded enough before your device is vintage (not sold in Apple store for 5 years or more) you may no longer be eligible for battery service.

I did a battery service in January 2021 for a 2015 iPad pro. The replacement device started developing a bright spot in the screen earlier this year (they only give you 3 months warranty, the original iPad never had any issues), so in the end I sold it (before the issue got worse, as it happened in my 10.5 iPad pro) and got a new model.
 
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jumpingjackflash

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 13, 2016
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Scandinavia
Thanks for the more complete answer!
I did a battery service in January 2021 for a 2015 iPad pro. The replacement device started developing a bright spot in the screen earlier this year (they only give you 3 months warranty, the original iPad never had any issues), so in the end I sold it (before the issue got worse, as it happened in my 10.5 iPad pro) and got a new model.
Quite interesting, could it be so that on iPads the screen can easily be compromized on a battery service (or at any service which requires opening the device) due to it is a somewhat more difficult task? It would sound logical that doing damage to the screen is quite easy on iPads. Maby this is the reason why Apple does swap the whole unit and not just the battery? They simply cannot quarantee a possibility that excludes a physical damage on the original device?

Personally, this is one of the reasons why I want my batteries to last for as long as possible in the first place. It doesn´t make any sense to the enviroment that we produce Billions of Tons unnecessary battery waste, every single year. Instead of making the battery last longer with simple solutions. If companies like Apple does not have the answer to this, then who really does?
 

jumpingjackflash

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 13, 2016
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Plug it in when you want to charge it. Use it when you want to use it. Don't leave it plugged in all the times.

Apple replaces batteries; you can ask them via support chat.
Yea, I allready talket to the Apple support. They couldn´t answer any of these questions:

-Does optimized charging work on my iPad Pro M1?
-Which charger type to use on iPhone or iPad when looking for the longest battery life? 5W, 20W, Magsafe?

To be honest, it was a complete waste of time talking to them, so I didn´t even bother about asking the battery replacement, Magsafe pack or fast charging 😂
 
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darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
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Yea, I allready talket to the Apple support. They couldn´t answer any of these questions:

-Does optimized charging work on my iPad Pro M1?
-Which charger type to use on iPhone or iPad when looking for the longest battery life? 5W, 20W, Magsafe?
Relax about the battery.

Use it when you want to use it. Plug it in when you want to charge it, and don't leave it plugged in all the time. That's your optimized charging.

Use the 20W block unless you like waiting forever for your iPad to charge.

iPad doesn't have MagSafe.

It's going to be years before you need to have apple replace your battery.
 

dsusanj

macrumors regular
Oct 29, 2008
211
390
There is a way to check battery health on iPads using the shortcut which reads the battery health info from the log files.

See here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/shortcuts/comments/p2hlg2
You install the shortcut and then simply share log-aggregated to the shortcut.
 

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dsusanj

macrumors regular
Oct 29, 2008
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Interesting, thanks. Says I’m at 102% capacity after 47 cycles 👍
People have discussed this on the reddit thread and it's apparently possible as not all batteries are exactly the same out of the factory so it is quite possible to have a bit over the declared capacity.
 

jumpingjackflash

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 13, 2016
192
102
Scandinavia
There is a way to check battery health on iPads using the shortcut which reads the battery health info from the log files.

See here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/shortcuts/comments/p2hlg2
You install the shortcut and then simply share log-aggregated to the shortcut.
Thanks. It is truly a shame that Apple doesn´t want provide us their own solution. I really wish they could give us a similar charging as Tesla. When plugged in you can simply set the charge limit anywhere between 20-80%. That way you could basicly leave your device on charger for as long as you like. Because we all know charging to 100% and keeping it that way for a long kills the battery and wastes energy by creating heat. I think the charge limit option should be mandatory nowadays for enviromental reasons alone.

Even I think Apple makes the best devices, charging my stuff as enviromentally friendly way as possible has become my biggest issue with Apple devices. They simply keep ignorin their users completely. They keep ignoring the enviromental effect by letting their users create more battery waste than necessary. This is not acceptable anymore.

Apple should be the company thats leading the fight against the enviromental issues and shows others the way.
 
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jumpingjackflash

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 13, 2016
192
102
Scandinavia
Relax about the battery.

Use it when you want to use it. Plug it in when you want to charge it, and don't leave it plugged in all the time. That's your optimized charging.

Use the 20W block unless you like waiting forever for your iPad to charge.

iPad doesn't have MagSafe.

It's going to be years before you need to have apple replace your battery.
Theres the issue. Sometimes I want and also need to keep my stuff plugged in for a really long time. By doing so, the device creates a lot of heat. If you know about physics, in this case heat=wasted energy=wasted electricity. Also shorter battery life. Now we have to keep monitoring our devices instead of just setting a simple charging limit/smart charge and forgetting about it!
 
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darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,366
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Atlanta, GA
Theres the issue. Sometimes I want and also need to keep my stuff plugged in for a really long time. By doing so, the device creates a lot of heat. If you know about physics, in this case heat=wasted energy=wasted electricity. Also shorter battery life. Now we have to keep monitoring our devices instead of just setting a simple charging limit/smart charge and forgetting about it!
Not leaving your iPad plugged in all the time is hardly the burden you are making it out to be. Even if you do leave it plugged in all the time, it's going to be years until you need to have Apple replace the battery.
 

jumpingjackflash

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 13, 2016
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Not leaving your iPad plugged in all the time is hardly the burden you are making it out to be. Even if you do leave it plugged in all the time, it's going to be years until you need to have Apple replace the battery.
But how many years exactly vs best possible charging? Are you saying that inefficient charging doesn´t waste a lot of energy/resources and it doesn´t matter?

I think we need to be a bit more precise here if we want to point towards a meaningfull and usefull information. Also could you provide us a some sort of source to back up your answer? Thank you.
 

darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,366
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Atlanta, GA
Interesting, thanks. Says I’m at 102% capacity after 47 cycles 👍
It's impossible to have more than 100% capacity.

But you'll notice that using it like you are accustomed to using it has not impacted your battery health.
But how many years exactly vs best possible charging? Are you saying that inefficient charging doesn´t waste a lot of energy/resources and it doesn´t matter?

I think we need to be a bit more precise here if we want to point towards a meaningfull and usefull information. Also could you provide us a some sort of source to back up your answer? Thank you.
I'm saying just use it and have Apple replace the battery when it no longer holds enough charge for your needs. You don't have to be precise because you will never get a precise answer; you will never see case where you get X hours for Y years if you follow Z charging protocol because everyone uses their iPads differently.

Something else you can do is use the 5V charging block at your desk where you will be leaving it plugged in for long periods of time. But that makes sense that reduced charge means reduced heat.

Or drive yourself crazy by over analyzing it.
 
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jumpingjackflash

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 13, 2016
192
102
Scandinavia
It's impossible to have more than 100% capacity.

But you'll notice that using it like you are accustomed to using it has not impacted your battery health.
Thats not my quote, its xradocˋs #13:
Interesting, thanks. Says I’m at 102% capacity after 47 cycles 👍
I havent even checked the battery healt on my M1 Pro, yet.

You don't have to be precise because you will never get a precise answer; you will never see case where you get X hours for Y years if you follow Z charging protocol because everyone uses their iPads differently.
Yes you do and should. It is actually a fairly simple calculation because in the end there are not that many variables included. Predicting your battery life in years, after collecting the data only 1-3 months, will allready get you a really precise answer. Itˋs not a difficult calculation at all.

I'm saying just use it and have Apple replace the battery when it no longer holds enough charge for your needs.
Like I said, itˋs also about the enviroment. Big time. And not trying to sound rude, but I think we should shift away from this kind of low-resolution thinking allready.
 

dsusanj

macrumors regular
Oct 29, 2008
211
390
It's impossible to have more than 100% capacity.
It’s actually possible and has been discussed on /r/ipad. On brand new batteries it is possible for the capacity to be slightly above the expected/declared maximum value, as not all batteries are made exactly the same, resulting in a percent or two of extra battery health.
 

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
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Interesting, thanks. Says I’m at 102% capacity after 47 cycles 👍
That's absolutely normal, Apple sets the Battery effective max charger higher than the Battery design max charge, usually between 104% and 106% for new batteries
 
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darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,366
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Atlanta, GA
It’s actually possible and has been discussed on /r/ipad. On brand new batteries it is possible for the capacity to be slightly above the expected/declared maximum value, as not all batteries are made exactly the same, resulting in a percent or two of extra battery health.
That's still never more than 100% because 100% is the maximum capacity.
 

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,643
4,469
Thanks. It is truly a shame that Apple doesn´t want provide us their own solution. I really wish they could give us a similar charging as Tesla. When plugged in you can simply set the charge limit anywhere between 20-80%. That way you could basicly leave your device on charger for as long as you like. Because we all know charging to 100% and keeping it that way for a long kills the battery and wastes energy by creating heat. I think the charge limit option should be mandatory nowadays for enviromental reasons alone.

Even I think Apple makes the best devices, charging my stuff as enviromentally friendly way as possible has become my biggest issue with Apple devices. They simply keep ignorin their users completely. They keep ignoring the enviromental effect by letting their users create more battery waste than necessary. This is not acceptable anymore.

Apple should be the company thats leading the fight against the enviromental issues and shows others the way.
Optimized charging is now offered by most laptop manufactures and also by some phone and tablet ones, like Samsung. Of course this will allow to leave them plugged in when non in use and always have them charged when needed, with little impact battery health compared to leaving an iPad plugged in all the time.
I have around 10 iPads and I constantly monitor their battery health and cycles for all of them (at least once a month).
So let me give some real examples instead of the speculations you'll get from some people here.
I left an iPad mini 5 plugged in all the time for about 6 months, original effective capacity was 106%. After 6 months and 18 cycles it was down to about 92%.
Instead I babied the battery of an iPad pro 11 2018 for about 1.5 years. Original effective capacity was also 106%. After 18 months and 258 cycles (generally kept between 50% and 90%) it was 101.7%
I know it's not the same device, but this can give an idea of the difference between babying the battery and leaving it plugged it all the time, and as you can see it's pretty big... (of course normal use will be somewhere in between)
Even worse than leaving plugged in all the time is leaving the iPad dead for prolonged periods, as this can kill some cells. Typical symptoms of some dead cells? The iPad does not go to, say, 40% to 0 linearly, but suddenly turns off depending on what you are doing.
 
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jumpingjackflash

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 13, 2016
192
102
Scandinavia
I left an iPad mini 5 plugged in all the time for about 6 months, original effective capacity was 106%. After 6 months and 18 cycles it was down to about 92%.
Yikes! That is exactly my initial worry😂

Instead I babied the battery of an iPad pro 11 2018 for about 1.5 years. Original effective capacity was also 106%. After 18 months and 258 cycles (generally kept between 50% and 90%) it was 101.7%
I know it's not the same device, but this can give an idea of the difference between babying the battery and leaving it plugged it all the time, and as you can see it's pretty big...
Thatˋs more like it! Wonder how much better it could have been with even slightly sophisticated charging algorithms? 105%?

I mean, it is allmost ridiculous how easily it could be done.
 
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