iPad and iPad Pro For Dummies
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You've heard about the awesome 10-hour battery life on your iPad. But all batteries run down eventually (the little battery icon in the iPad Status bar will tell you when you're running low), so one of your first priorities is to know how to recharge your battery. This is a pretty obvious procedure, but just in case you need help, you can follow these steps to get that battery meter up to 100%:

  1. Gather your iPad, connector cord, and power adapter.

  2. Gently plug the USB connector on the end of the connector cord into the power adapter.

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  3. Plug the other end of the cord into the cord connector slot on the iPad.

  4. Unfold the two metal prongs on the power adapter so they extend from it at a 90-degree angle, and plug the adapter into a wall outlet.

If you buy the iPad Dock or the iPad Keyboard Dock accessory, you can charge your iPad while it's resting in the dock. Just plug the larger end of the connector cord into the back of the dock instead of the bottom of the iPad.

There are things you can do to extend that battery life even further. You can judge how much battery life you have left by looking at the Battery icon in the far-right corner of the Status bar at the top of your screen. Here are a few tips to help that little icon stay full up:

  • Use a wall outlet to charge. The fastest way to charge your iPad is with the included cord. Using your computer to charge it can take twice as long. When connected to a Mac computer, an iPad charges slowly; however, some PC connections slowly drain the battery. Even so, the most effective way to charge your iPad is to plug it into the wall outlet using the Dock Connector to USB Cable and the 10W USB Power Adapter that came with your iPad.

  • Turn the iPad off. The fastest way to charge the iPad is to turn it off while charging it.

  • Avoid USB ports on keyboards. Your battery may lose some power if you leave it connected to the USB port on a keyboard.

  • Use a dock device. You can use a dock device available from Apple to charge the iPad while it rests in the dock through the connector on the dock itself.

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  • Limit the screen's impact on the battery: Turn the screen off when not in use; the display eats up power. Also, reduce the screen brightness in Settings to save power.

  • Turn off Wi-Fi: If you're not using Wi-Fi, turn it off under Settings. Constantly maintaining a Wi-Fi connection or searching for a signal can use up a bit of power.

Your iPad battery is sealed in the unit, so you can't replace it as you can with a laptop or cellphone battery. If it's out of warranty, you'll have to fork over the money, possibly more than $100, to get a new battery.

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