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Author Topic: Dreaded iPad battery drain problem  (Read 27807 times)

sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Dreaded iPad battery drain problem
« Reply #15 on: August 18, 2016, 08:54:55 AM »

It was a few years ago, but I did figure out how to get better half's iPhone 3G to last a good week or more in standby.   She just wanted to use it as a phone, not a smartphone.

The trick, as you'd expect, was to disable data access.  But just disabling data didn't make any difference - the magic bullet was to leave data enabled, but to trash the APN settings (username /password) so that data access failed.   

I didn't figure that out for myself, I found it 'out there' on forums.   it must have been a bug and you'd think they'd have fixed it by now, but maybe worth checking?
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kitz

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Re: Dreaded iPad battery drain problem
« Reply #16 on: August 18, 2016, 09:02:22 PM »

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!

Had a very similar problem myself about a month or so ago.  Usage would drop dramatically and if I got to 20% plugged the charger in and continued to use it would still drain.    Im using genuine samsung chargers and leads.   I double checked to make sure I was using the correct charger for my tab (and not phone).  Yep that was ok.   Then I swapped the leads and suddenly all was ok again.    To make sure I wasnt going mad swapped them back again and the problem is replicated.   

Dunno why the lead should cause this problem but it does.   Both leads look identical.  The lead that is duff for my galaxy tab is fine with my phone.   
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Weaver

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Re: Dreaded iPad battery drain problem
« Reply #17 on: August 18, 2016, 09:38:26 PM »

I might well have an actual Apple cable around somewhere, but no the two cables I've tried are third party "certified" (or some such) ones. I have no idea what makes this suddenly start. Apple must have literally millions of users with this problem!
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Dreaded iPad battery drain problem
« Reply #18 on: August 18, 2016, 10:35:40 PM »

May be wrong, but I don't think there is any such thing as an Apple 'certified' cable.  They might be branded 'made for iPhone', but the manufacturer is simply self-certifying that he has joined the program and read all the documents.

Per Apple charging leads, there are I think two problems... First, some cables are 'chipped' and so bootleg clones simply won't work at all.  Secondly, iPads will draw a hefty current (over 2A) from a charger that provides it.   The voltage drop in the cable when such a high current flows can be significant and, just maybe, the terminal voltage at the device becomes insufficient?

I have tried various non Apple cables, not one of them worked reliably for iPad.   Some refused to charge at all, others looked like they were charging, but weren't, or were charging so slowly that any actual use of the device during charging translated to net discharge..   That said, I've a couple of car IPhone chargers that seem to work ok with phones, but not tried them with iPads.
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Weaver

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Re: Dreaded iPad battery drain problem
« Reply #19 on: August 19, 2016, 03:07:42 AM »

Sorry, the small white plastic box that goes into the mains socket is an actual Apple piece of kit, came with the iPad. It's just the lightning cable between it and the iPad that is third-party, and I've tried several. The cable I'm using has no problems powering my wife's iPad 6, btw.
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Ronski

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Re: Dreaded iPad battery drain problem
« Reply #20 on: August 19, 2016, 07:52:31 AM »

I think I've tried swapping cables/chargers, perhaps I'll have to try a new cable.
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Dreaded iPad battery drain problem
« Reply #21 on: August 19, 2016, 08:24:28 AM »

It is the cable itself that I have found to be critical, not the power bricks.  Admittedly though, all my power bricks are originals.

The cable also acts as the debugging interface when testing Apps on the device and interestingly, I have some third party cables that work perfectly for debugging, they just won't charge.

Worth pointing out though that Apple do ship different power bricks with different devices.  They often look identical but, if you can read the tiny grey on white print (you'll need good light and good eyesight) you'll find  some are 5W, usually supplied with iPhones and some are 12W, supplied with iPads.   This may further cause further misleading symptoms when tacking down issues with dodgy cables.
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Dreaded iPad battery drain problem
« Reply #22 on: August 19, 2016, 10:46:01 AM »

I have found quite a well argued, quantified, explanation of the voltage drop issue, and why some 3rd party cables might charge some devices but not others, or only charge slowly, or only sometimes.   I haven't checked every detail the chap's maths or assumptions but nor have I, at first glance, spotted anything with which I disagree.

http://goughlui.com/2014/10/01/usb-cable-resistance-why-your-phonetablet-might-be-charging-slow/

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kitz

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Re: Dreaded iPad battery drain problem
« Reply #23 on: August 19, 2016, 02:46:53 PM »

Good article.  ^

I just tried comparing my 2 cables.  Unfortunately I cant see any markings which indicate wire gauge.   They both look very similar, yet I just noticed the one which works ok is about 20cm shorter than the one which doesnt.

Thinking about it now..  I may have swapped the cables over at some point thinking they were both the same, but one gave me a bit more length if I was using the tablet to read in bed. 
Both the phone and tablet were new within 2 weeks of each other and both came with leads and power bricks.   The power bricks make it clear which I should use for the phone and which for the tablet.  Never thought that the lead would make any difference. 
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Weaver

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Re: Dreaded iPad battery drain problem
« Reply #24 on: August 20, 2016, 03:36:07 AM »

> you'll find some are 5W, usually supplied with iPhones and some are 12W, supplied with iPads.

I'm bound to have mixed up the small power bricks and I didn't know the cables were that critical. My wife has an iPhone 5c and that could be the source of a kit swap-over mix-up.
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Dreaded iPad battery drain problem
« Reply #25 on: August 20, 2016, 10:10:34 AM »

If you and your wife 'share' a charging point, as we do, just make sure it is an iPad power brick.  IPhones that shipped with 5W charters will charge fine from a 10W or 12W iPad charger, but iPads may be suboptimal when used with the less beefy iPhone charger.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT202105

I'm pretty sure both our iPads actually do charge from the 5W chargers and reliably so, just more slowly.  But I've also seen it said that they won't or shouldn't charge at all, maybe I'm just lucky.
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Weaver

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Re: Dreaded iPad battery drain problem
« Reply #26 on: August 20, 2016, 10:26:34 AM »

I simply can't read the text on the power adapt or, my eyesight is nowhere near good enough, so I'll get a magnifying glass and report back. For now, I've also tried plugging the lightning cable straight into a mains distribution block  that has a USB charging socket in it, and the iPad shows the lightning symbol/ status icon and seems to be maintain levels at 100% for the moment.

Very valuable tips btw. I might also get some more kit straight from the Apple shop - wherever that is, memory fails?
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Dray

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Re: Dreaded iPad battery drain problem
« Reply #27 on: August 20, 2016, 10:52:25 AM »

Can't you take a photo of it and zoom in?
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Dreaded iPad battery drain problem
« Reply #28 on: August 20, 2016, 11:13:19 AM »

I simply can't read the text on the power adapt or, my eyesight is nowhere near good enough

He he, you and me too.  I've just been around the house checking and find it pretty much unreadable.   This is new, we know (me and my optician) that my extreme close up vision is getting worse, but I'm sure a year ago I could make it out. :(

I did eventually ascertain that, of the samples at my immediate disposal, I have three 5W and two 10W.  In fact they look physically very different, the 5Ws are much more compact, looking at a glance just like a normal 240v plug.  The 10W adapters are both quite bulky by comparison, a very different design which, maybe wrongly, I had thought just meant they were older.   I may therefore have been mistaken when I said the different chargers may look identical, although I still have a feeling it is sometimes true.
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Weaver

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Re: Dreaded iPad battery drain problem
« Reply #29 on: August 20, 2016, 05:42:57 PM »

photo tip is a good one. Yes my wife could photo it. I've no idea how to use the camera and my hands aren't good enough at the moment.
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