Battey life- how to charge?

[nealp]

I've got a simple question - but I can't seem to find a simple answer.

There must be well over a billion devices out there that use lithium-ion batteries. IPads, iPods, blue tooth accessories,smart phones and even old plain candy bar cell phones, and dozens of other gizmos that can be recharged.

But try to find the best way to charge the device so that the battery will last the longest and you'll find dozens of different, often contradictory,'expert' responses.

In an Apple store I was told three totally different 'bests' by three different geniuses, all in the same hour. Some manuals say to charge it every day. Others say wait until it's down to 20 or 30 percent. Some say never let a lithium battery go down to near zero, others say to do that every few months.

Is there a scientifically proven set of instructions for maximum battery life for lithium batteries - especially for an iPad?

 

[giradman]

Hello Nealp - welcome to the forum! This is an oft asked question here and a search might provide you w/ a wealth of information (some posts of mine) - lithium-ion battery technology is mature and little needs to be done in regards to 'scientifically proven' needs. You can charge the battery @ your pleasure, however, Apple does recommend that the battery be taken through one 'charge cycle' monthly (quote below from HERE), which I do (i.e. let the battery drain to under 10% and then recharge fully - the reason why is given in the link, so please read).

NOW, the 'life span' of a Li-Ion battery relates to the number of charge cycles (i.e. a complete discharge & recharge; partial recharges are additive) - below is a screen shot from my MBPro laptop w/ a battery app that shows its current status - now just over a year old & 97% healthy - has gone through nearly 200 cycles (I've actually kept it charged fully between my monthly discharges); the battery should last through hundreds of complete recycles (info HERE; take a look at the attached chart indicating that keeping your battery fully charge will likely prolong its life), so I'd should be happy w/ my laptop's battery for the next few years.

Unfortunately, there is no iPad app that I've been able to find that gives me the same information for the iPad's battery but I'm assuming that the technology is similar - SO, keep the iPad charged up and do a complete discharge once a month - you should be fine! Dave

Use Your iPad Regularly

For proper reporting of the battery’s state of charge, be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down)

.

 

[shadow4845]

Thanks again. Absolutely a great tip and info. Incorporated into my monthly tasks. Now, all I have to do is pry it away from my wife.

Shadow4845 (@@)

 

[Gtatler]

I leave mine on charge over night, every night. I can easily get 10-12 hours usage per day using this method which I have used for over two years. One point, take great care when plugging in the charger that you don't damage the pins. Sent from my iPad 2 using iPF