An iPad that will not charge, or that runs flat in no time, usually has one of three causes. They need very different fixes, and two of them cost nothing to rule out.
First: an iPad charges slowly, and that is normal
The battery in an iPad is several times larger than in an iPhone. Plug it into a phone charger or a USB port on a computer and it can take many hours, and sometimes it charges no faster than it uses power if the screen is on at the same time.
Use the power adapter that came with it, or one that is equally powerful. That alone solves a large share of the cases we get called about.
Is it the charging port?
Same story as on phones: the port collects pocket lint and dust until the plug cannot go all the way in.
- Turn your iPad off.
- Use a wooden or plastic toothpick, never anything made of metal.
- Scrape gently along the bottom of the port and outwards.
- Try again with a cable you know works.
If it charges briefly when you wiggle the cable, it is the port or lint at the bottom. Do not use compressed air: it just pushes the lint further in.
Or is it the battery?
It points to the battery if:
- It charges fine, but is empty again after a short time.
- It shuts down suddenly, even though it shows charge remaining.
- It is several years old and has been used daily.
- The screen or the back is bulging. Stop using it, and have it checked straight away.
Most iPads do not show a battery health percentage the way iPhone does, so you often cannot read the condition directly. Apple states that an iPad battery is designed to retain up to 80 percent of its original capacity at 1000 complete charge cycles. With daily use that typically means several years of life, but not unlimited.
What the two repairs cost
You see the price for both battery replacement and charging port in our price calculator. Both include VAT, travel and the part. If you are unsure which of the two it is, describe the symptoms when you book, and we will look at that first.