Accurately determine your iPod battery life

  • Last Modified: July 06, 2009
  • Article: HT1322
  • Old Article: 61475

Summary

If you feel you aren't getting the most out of your iPod battery, perform the simple test below before considering battery service or replacement. This test will help you determine how much life (playback time) you are truly getting from your battery. You may find that all you need to do to increase your battery’s performance is to follow the guidelines on the iPod battery website.

Note: The iPod battery indicator shows approximately how much charge is left in the battery. In some iPods, you may find that the battery indicator shows some charge left, but your iPod stops playing because the battery is, in fact, empty. In other cases, the battery indicator may show less than a full charge even though you've fully charged it.

Additionally, the battery meter may not update to show a full charge (after you've charged it) until after the iPod hard disk spins up. This does not necessarily mean something is wrong with your iPod battery.

Products Affected

iPod nano, iPod shuffle, iPod mini, iPod

iPod Battery Test Instructions

  1. Download the latest iTunes software, and update your iPod software.
  2. Open iTunes.
  3. Insert an audio CD that contains average length songs (3 to 8 minutes), and import the songs into your iTunes library using the MP3 Encoder set at 160 kbps, or the AAC Encoder set at 128 kbps. (See "iTunes: How to Choose Import Options" for instructions.)
  4. Fully charge your iPod by connecting it to the Apple iPod Power Adapter, or to your computer's FireWire or USB port using the cable that came with iPod.
  5. Once it's fully charged, connect your iPod to your computer (if it isn't already) and update it with the album you just imported into iTunes.
  6. Eject iPod.
  7. Disconnect the FireWire or USB cable from iPod.
  8. For iPod shuffle:
    1. Turn iPod shuffle on by selecting either playlist mode or shuffle mode.
    2. Press the Play button to play the album over and over until the battery is depleted.
    For all other iPod models:
    1. From the main menu, select Settings > Repeat and select the Repeat options until it says All.
    2. Select Settings > Backlight Timer, then select Off.
    3. Select Settings > EQ, then select Off.
    4. Select the album you imported in the step 3, select any song, then press the Play button. The album should play over and over until the battery is depleted.
  9. Make note of the time you first began playing a song on your iPod. When your battery depletes and iPod stops playing, jot down that time too.

iPod playback times by model

Using the start and end times you noted, calculate how long your iPod battery lasted. Then compare it with the playback times for your iPod model below. (If you're not sure which iPod model you have, this article will help you identify your iPod.)

Fifth Generation iPod (Late 2006) 80 GB
  • Music playback time: Up to 20 hours when fully charged1.
  • Photo slideshow with music viewing time: Up to 6 hours when fully charged.
  • Video playback time: Up to 6.5 hours when fully charged.
 
Fifth Generation iPod (Late 2006) 30 GB
  • Music playback time: Up to 14 hours when fully charged1.
  • Photo slideshow with music viewing time: Up to 4 hours when fully charged.
  • Video playback time: Up to 3.5 hours when fully charged.
 
Fifth Generation iPod (iPod with video) 60 GB
  • Music playback time: Up to 20 hours when fully charged1.
  • Photo slideshow with music viewing time: Up to 4 hours when fully charged.
  • Video playback time: Up to 3 hours when fully charged.
 
Fifth Generation iPod (iPod with video) 30 GB
  • Music playback time: Up to 14 hours when fully charged1.
  • Photo slideshow with music viewing time: Up to 3 hours when fully charged.
  • Video playback time: Up to 2 hours when fully charged.
 
iPod nano (Second Generation)
  • Up to 24 hours of music playtime when fully charged1.
  • Up to 5 hours of photo slideshow with music viewing time when fully charged1.
 
iPod nano
  • Up to 14 hours of music playtime when fully charged1.
  • Up to 4 hours of photo slideshow with music viewing time when fully charged1.
 
iPod shuffle
  • Up to 12 hours of continuous playback time1.
 
iPod with color display
  • Up to 15 hours of continuous playback time1.
 
iPod mini (Second Generation)
  • Up to 18 hours of continuous playback time1.
 
iPod (Click Wheel)
  • Up to 12 hours of continuous playback time1.
 
iPod mini
  • Up to 8 hours of continuous playback time1.
 
Older iPod models, including iPod (scroll wheel), iPod (touch wheel), and iPod (dock connector)
  • Up to 8 hours of continuous playback time1.

If your test indicates that your iPod battery's playback time is significantly less than the times stated above, try these tips and tricks to get the most out of your iPod battery. Then test again.

If you still feel that you are getting significantly less than the expected amount of play from the battery, you can arrange for service on the iPod Service Request site. When you request service, we will ask you for your results of this test.

If your iPod is no longer covered by the limited warranty or an AppleCare Protection Plan, we also offer a battery replacement program.

Additional Information

  1. Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings.
  2. The iPod uses a lithium-ion battery and does not need to be conditioned.
  3. Song capacity based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; actual capacity varies by use. Photo capacity based on iPod-viewable photos transferred from iTunes. Video capacity based on H.264 1.5 Mbps video at 640-by-480 resolution combined with 128-Kbps audio; actual capacity varies by use.
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