Even though I don’t use my iPad nearly as often as I did a few years ago, it still comes in handy on long trips or when I need to distract my kids for a short while. The longer the device lasts, the better for me. Apple has a specific period of time that every iPad model needs to last with regular use, but actually getting there is no easy task.
The reason for the shutdown is software. Despite the fact that Apple makes excellent hardware, their software is sorely lacking. In my opinion, iOS is getting worse and worse with each new version. It surprises me that my 64GB iPhone is constantly running out of space even though I use iCloud to store everything.
In addition, there are now many iPad models with different versions of iOS installed, which is problematic. My iPad Air 2 can be upgraded to iOS 10, but my iPad 2 can only be upgraded to iOS 9 and will probably get stuck there forever.
In this post, I will list as many ways as possible to increase your iPad’s battery life by changing the settings in iOS. I’ll try to point out if this feature is not available in an earlier version of iOS.
The first method – adjust the automatic brightness
Obviously, while you’re using an iPad, the screen itself will be the biggest drain on your battery. It makes no sense to keep it at full brightness all the time. I’ve seen many people do it, and I don’t know why!
First, it just hurts my eyes that the screen is so bright in a dimly lit place. By default, the screen adjusts automatically, but I found that in many cases it is brighter than I need. Just swipe up from the bottom of the screen and you’ll see a brightness slider at the top right.
The second method – disable bluetooth and cellular
If you are not using a Bluetooth connection on your iPad, you should leave it off to conserve battery power. Also, if you have a cellular iPad, make sure it’s turned off unless you’re using cellular only.
Even if you’re connected to Wi-Fi, it’s still a good idea to turn off your cellular connection because the iPad will constantly try to find the best cellular connection in the background, which will drain your battery.
Method 3 – Turn off background app refresh
Almost every app you install on your iPad will have the ability to update its content in the background. This can be very helpful for some of the apps you use frequently, but otherwise it’s just draining your battery.
I usually leave it enabled for a few apps where I need up-to-date information when I open the app, but disable it for the rest.
The more apps you can turn off in the background, the longer your battery will last before you have to charge it again. Personally, I tried turning it off completely and didn’t notice any flaws.
Fourth method – reduce the auto-lock time
I usually turn off the screen on my iPad when I’m done using it, but this is not the case for my kids. I saw the iPad lying around somewhere with the screen on and no one was there.
The lowest setting so far is two minutes, which still feels long to me. The iPad stays on if you are actively using it, for example, while watching a video, regardless of the auto-lock time. However, if you read a lot on your iPad, the lower auto-lock setting will probably annoy you because it will dim and then lock the iPad right in the middle of the article. In general, try to keep it as low as possible to avoid inconvenience.
Fifth method – disable location services
As with background app updates, there are many apps that use your location even when the app is not running. You can find the location settings for each app under Privacy – Location Services.
Here you can choose the appropriate setting for each application individually. I suggest doing this because some applications really cannot work if location services are not enabled. However, other apps don’t need to know your location at all. Try to set as many values ??as “Never” or “During use”. It’s always bad because the app will constantly search for your location in the background.
Some apps are annoying and only offer a “Never” and “Always” option. In such cases, it might be worth trying to find a replacement app that also has a third option.
Method 6 – Enable Do Not Disturb
My favorite power-saving tip is to use the Do Not Disturb feature. Since my iPad is a secondary device, I don’t care if FaceTime calls or notifications are hiding until I manually turn on the iPad.
I just set it to manual and then left it on do not disturb all the time, day or night. This keeps my iPad on standby for several weeks. Since all notifications are hidden, the screen does not light up with every notification, which saves battery power.
Method 7 – disable Push in Mail
If you have a lot of email accounts set up on your iPad, constantly sending email to iPad will drain your battery much faster. If you already have email set up on your phone or primary device and the iPad is just a secondary device, I suggest disabling Push for each account and manually retrieving mail at longer intervals.
I usually set downloads hourly as there is no real need to download mail on the iPad. If you really want to save battery power, set it manually. This way, it will only check for mail when the mail application is opened.
Eighth method – check battery usage
Finally, you can go to the Battery section under Settings and see which apps are consuming the most battery in 24 hours or seven days. If you notice anything unusual here, you should check the application settings or uninstall it completely.
Using all these tricks, my iPad usually only needs to be charged once or twice a month unless I use it a lot a day to watch movies or videos. It’s also a good idea to keep your iPad up to date, even if that doesn’t necessarily mean battery life will increase. If you have any other tips, please leave them in the comments. Enjoy!
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