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[Weaver]

I keep getting a battery-level droop problem with my iPad 5, latest iOS (9.x). While powered by USB sometimes the battery level just starts to go down for no apparent reason. One or sometimes two reboots cures it. After a reboot the reported battery level suddenly drops by a few percent, then starts to climb rapidly. It gets back to 100% fairly soon, and then all is well for a day or so, before the problem starts again.

I don't understand how this is even electrically possible. Assuming that the reported battery level is not bogus, that is. Why doesn't the device simply draw all required power directly from the external source? How is it even possible for it to droop? When I worked for Psion PLC many years ago, all our devices, such as the Organiser II and the SIBO family of devices such as the Series 3 worked like this, they didn't use the battery at all when plugged into external power.

I'm assuming that it's some kind of bizarre software bug. Don't know when it was introduced. Does anyone know of a fix?

My wife has recently bought an iPad 6, and got rid of her iPad 3 which suffered from the same problem. Her new iPad 6 is problem-free so far. I suspect the iPad 3 which has been sold to a friend is now ok because I haven't heard any complaints and I'm assuming the complete wipe and reset cured it. I dare to wipe my machine, I have far too much valuable stuff on it, and I can't prove it's safely backed up. Nor can I afford another iPad just now, I'm all spent up.

If anyone knows of a less drastic cure, then I would be grateful.

The problem only started about a month ago. I've no idea what triggered it.

[Weaver]

I've read a lot of web pages that seem to be full of mumbo-jumbo, and don't help at all.

[Chrysalis]

I only read information up on this a couple of weeks ago apparently when reading some android stuff.

Apparently the batteries used now days in smart devices, will regress quicker when fully charged so manufacturers are now designing the hardware to not keep the battery charged fully when plugged in, they not all doing this but some are.  They also slow down charging after it hits 80% or so to try and avoid fully charged devices.

After that you get inaccuracies in the algorithms which can cause jumps in battery life to occur that is reported.i

[Weaver]

The battery droop often starts when the reading is 100%. Just now I had to do several reboots before the battery reading started climbing again - it's gone from 67% to 92% and still climbing.

[Ronski]

I have a Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition,  it's battery level has become rather erratic over the last few months, so I changed the battery,  whilst it's better it's still not how it used to be. I might have to look at installing a more recent OS on it and see if that makes any difference.

[Weaver]

1. So perhaps the battery level _readings_ are bogus?

2. Or is it possible that the battery level is intentionally managed so as to allow it to droop _by design_?

[Dray]

I had a similar problem but fixed it by turning off mobile data on my ipad

[Weaver]

@Dray Was that a permanent fix? That is, if you keep mobile data off does the problem never reoccur?

I don't have 3G/4G on my iPad 5. It's just the 128GB flash, wifi-only model. So that is really weird. A complete mystery.

And I've had this device for ages before the bug suddenly started a few weeks ago.

[Weaver]

If I knew how to back it up _and_ be certain I've done so fully and safely, and if I then wiped it and reset the settings, then I suspect I might cure it. Changing my wife's new iPad 6's setting so they are no longer at factory defaults but are like the settings she had in her drooping, draining iPad 3 has not introduced the bug, so changing settings is not the answer to why you get into the bugged state.

I don't have a suitable box to use to back it up via the lightning cable and iTunes btw. If I were to back it up it would have to be over the network. I told it to back up to the iCloud, but I dOnt know if that means it has truly backed up everything. That iCloud backup procedure worked for transferring my wife's life from her old iPad to her new one, so perhaps I shouldn't be such a chicken.

[Dray]

Can't you see what's using the battery? http://www.imore.com/how-see-whats-using-battery-life-your-iphone-or-ipad

[Weaver]

Yes, I can. But that still doesn't explain why it's going down sometimes and not others. Why doesn't it just draw all required current from the external supply which is _always connected_?

The apps that are listed as using the most "battery" are simply the expected ones - the ones that have been using most CPU time. For example, the Netflix app or the Amazon video player, or Safari if that's the app I've been using most.

To clarify, the machine is on external power 100% of the time, we're not talking about battery _life_, there is no reason to be even using the battery at all as ample external power should be available (unless there's something wrong with the power source). I've tried two different lightning cables, and if the power source were defective, then why wouldn't it always be happening as opposed to sometimes and not others.

[Ronski]

I'm certainly sharing your  problem on my tablet, it dropped from 50% to 15% a short while ago, if I looked at the battery usage it totals 21% yet I'm showing 7% remaining now, I also find my tablet charges better when turned off. Just plain weird!

[sevenlayermuddle]

Are you using genuine Apple lightning cables?

[NEXUS2345]

Backing the iPad up to iTunes on a PC backs up all data and can restore it perfectly. I did this when transferring from my iPad 3 to my iPad Air 2 (5).

[HPsauce]

I've been having terrible problems with battery life on two iPhones 5s's. They get warm too.
Both have had multiple battery replacements with different companies (warranty mainly) to no effect whatsoever.
I'm convinced, as they've both been fully reset to "factory" (and still behave the same), that there is an internal problem with battery management and/or CPU.

As a result I've got very good at backups/restores with iTunes, and yes they really do work. If you use the encrypted option it saves (and restores) all the logons/passwords too.

One of the iPhones, before it starting misbehaving, would last up to 100 hours of, admittedly very light, use on one charge.
Afterwards it would discharge totally in 7 or 8 hours!
The other one was not quite so extreme but it would run down at typically 7% or 8% per hour so wouldn't last a day.
Just to be totally clear, these would be with new batteries, fully charged with a  genuine Apple charger/cable and factory reset with no iCloud account, no SIM (removed after setup), and no wifi! So doing nothing at all. With a SIM in and set up normally the battery ran down at almost exactly the same rate. 

I've read all sorts of stuff online about background processes, iCloud, etc. etc. but every single one has been eliminated, I'm convinced it's hardware/firmware. 

Currently I don't have an iPhone as BOTH are away being "repaired" again!   

Backing the iPad up to iTunes on a PC backs up all data and can restore it perfectly. I did this when transferring from my iPad 3 to my iPad Air 2 (5).

Very true but I think it was noted above that the OP doesn't have access to a suitable PC.