iPad Battery Not Charging? 5 Troubleshooting Tips to Try

Did you know Apple announced the first iPad way back in April 2010?

Apple developers wanted to create a cross between iPhones and Macbooks. In only 80 days, Apple was able to sell over three million iPads.

Since then, iPads have maintained a good reputation for being useful productivity tools. But while a great tool, the iPad also has its limits. A common problem is when a user’s iPad refuses to charge.

Is your iPad battery not charging? Read on to find out how to fix your iPad battery and when to look for iPad battery replacements.

iPad Charge Cycles Explained

The iPad’s lithium-ion batteries are durable and can grant you fast charging. It’s a low-maintenance battery and many brands use lithium-ion batteries for this reason.

Your battery can last up to 1000 charge cycles. But what does that mean? A charge cycle pertains to when you use the entire 100% of your iPad’s battery.

When your battery goes down to 10% and you charge it, you did not complete a charge cycle. Your iPad will instead use accumulated usage amounts until it reached 100%. You may complete a charge cycle over days at a time if you don’t run your iPad down to 0%.

If you have an older iPad, you may have fewer charge cycles. Older models have about 300 to 500 charge cycles. If you use have a newer model, your iPad batteries could last up to almost seven years as long as you complete a full charge cycle every two and a half days.

Is your iPad battery not charging? Don’t worry, we’re here to help! Here are five troubleshooting tips you can try.

1. Inspect Your iPad Components

The most common reason for an iPad battery not charging is a component failure. If your iPad isn’t charging, the problem may fall on your components. Here are a few you need to check.

Look Over Your iPad Charger

Your iPad will refuse to charge if it sees power fluctuations. It detects it as a safety risk, so it will stop charging your iPad altogether. Your adaptor may be what’s causing the problem if your iPad doesn’t charge through an electrical outlet.

Try plugging your adaptor into a different charging outlet. You may also try plugging it into your Macbook. If your problem is the adaptor, look into replacing it instead of trying to fix it.

Ensure that you’re using the right adaptor. As much as possible, use the adaptor that came with your iPad.

You can also check on how you plugged in your adaptor. Your cable might be loose or your adaptor may not be properly plugged in.

Examine Your iPad Charging Cable

If you’ve been using the same cable for a few years, it may have started to age. Check your cable for any discoloration or fraying. Try using a different charging cable if you start experiencing difficulties charging your iPad.

Borrow a cable from a friend to test it out. Sometimes, damage on a charging cable may not be immediately visible to the naked eye. Some damage may have occurred underneath the rubber sheathes.

A wire can break even while under the rubberized sheathe. If your cable gets exposed to regular bending, the wires underneath may have broken. If you use a cheap third-party charging cable, the power regulator chip inside may have failed.

Clean Your iPad’s Charging Port

If you have already tried changing cables and adaptors, you may need to look inside your charging port. Use a flashlight to look inside your iPad’s charging port. Sometimes, your port may accumulate dust or dirt over time.

The best tool to clean your iPad’s charging port is with an anti-static brush. These brushes don’t give off electrical charges. Electric charges can damage the interior of your iPad while you’re cleaning it.

If you don’t have an anti-static brush, you can always use a toothpick or new toothbrush. Be gentle while cleaning as to not damage the inside of your iPad.

2. Avoid Using Your iPad While Charging

You may start experiencing trouble charging your iPad if you use it while charging. You can interrupt charge cycles if you use an iPad while it is charging. Working your iPad’s processor and screen may make you lose any charge you gain.

Your iPad may not be able to handle processor-intensive apps. Playing games with high-end graphics can wear down your battery. Charging your iPad and using it at the same time can make it wear out more quickly.

Excessive heat can cause your iPad components to overheat. This can damage your battery permanently. When charging your iPad, try shutting it down or at least turn off the screen.

You should also avoid charging your iPad from your Mac. Charging from a Mac is less effective and makes your battery run out faster. Your Mac may not be able to provide the same wattage output as a power outlet.

If you must charge with a Mac, make sure you plug it into the Mac itself and not a USB hub.

3. Use MFi-Certified Cables

Using the lightning charging cable that comes with your iPad is always your best bet. If yours wore out and you’re looking for a replacement, only use MFi-certified cables. Non-MFi-certified cables are generally found in a local convenience store or gas station.

These charging cables don’t meet Apple’s high-quality standard of charging cables. Cheap cables also mean lower quality. These cables can overheat fast and may damage your iPad’s internal components.

On that note, avoid charging your iPad in extreme temperatures. If you charge it in places higher than 95 Fahrenheit or 35 Celsius, you could risk damaging your iPad. If you store your iPad in a hot place, you can help cool it down by giving it airflow.

Extreme cold temperatures can also affect your battery performance. Avoid storing your iPad in places that are under 32 Fahrenheit or 0 Celsius. This will cause permanent damage to your iPad.

Your iPad will alert you if a cable is not MFi-certified. You will get the message “This Accessory is Not Supported on this Device” when you plug it in.

Your iPad will also give you this alert if your cable suffers from damage. Avoid cutting costs when looking for a replacement for your charging cable.

4. DFU Restore Your iPad

If a simple reset doesn’t fix your iPad, here are a few things you can try. First, attempt to hard-reset your iPad. Press and hold your iPad’s home button and power button at the same time.

Do this until you see your iPad display the Apple logo on your screen. You may need to hold these buttons for 20 to 30 seconds. Your Apple software may have crashed, so a hard reset can do the trick.

If this doesn’t work, you can try to perform a DFU restore on your iPad. A DFU restore can help you fix an iPad that suffered from a deep software problem. Be aware that a DFU restore will completely erase your iPad and restore it to its factory defaults so make sure you back it up before you try this.

Follow these steps to perform a DFU restore on your iPad by yourself.

1. Connect your iPad to a Mac using a charging cable
2. Hold down your iPad’s Home and Lock button at the same time
3. Wait eight seconds
4. Continue to hold down the Home button while releasing your finger from the Lock button
5. You may have held down the Lock button for too long if your iPad displays the Apple logo
6. Your screen will remain blank in DFU mode
7. iTunes will alert you that your iPad entered recovery mode

If your iPad tells you to try reconnecting to iTunes, retry the process.

When you’re done with the DFU restore, exit recovery mode by holding down your Home and Lock buttons. Do this until your iPad reboots.

5. Contact a Professional

If all else fails, the best thing you can do is to contact a professional. If an adaptor or iPad cable replacement doesn’t work, you may be facing hardware issues. You may need to invest in an iPad battery replacement.

Contact Apple support if you continue to face issues while charging your iPad. If there is an Apple store near you, schedule an appointment. Apple’s staff is generally accommodating and can help you fix your iPad charging problems.

Avoid trying to replace your battery by yourself. DIY solutions are dangerous and you could risk getting burned. If you need to replace your iPad battery, contact a professional instead.

iPad Battery Not Charging? Try These 5 Troubleshooting Tips

Is your iPad battery not charging? We hope these five tips helped you solve your iPad charging problems.

Proper maintenance of your iPad and its external components can help you avoid charging problems in the future.

Of course, it doesn’t stop with keeping your iPad charged. If you want to read some more great tech and gadget tips, check out our other posts right here.