You pick up your iPad, wanting to get some much-needed work done, or just to check your email or watch Netflix but you notice that the charge isn’t where it should be, despite having been left on the charger long enough. While it should be at 100%, it’s only at 49%.
Your iPad is obviously charging slower than it should be. Not to worry, this is a common, though annoying, problem that affects several iPad users. While it’s true that iPads have a pretty decent battery life, there are certain problems that can cause it to slow down and require tablet repair.
In this article, we’re going to look over seven of the most common reasons why your iPad is charging slow and how to fix these irritating issues.
- Bad Adapter/Cable/Outlet
The number one cause of a slow-charging iPad is the parts that you charge your device with. You’ll need to check each component that charges your iPad to determine whether or not this is the cause of the slow-charging.
First, check the adapter. The adapter is the square unit that connects the charging cord to the outlet. Replace the adapter but keep the other parts the same. Does the new adapter charge your iPad faster? Great! If not, keep reading.
Next you should check the cable. You can switch the cable out and keep the adapter, outlet, and iPad the same. Is your iPad charging faster now? Still no? Let’s head on to step three.
The final step in this part is to check your outlet. Use another outlet in your home and see if your iPad is charging faster now. If it is, you’ll probably want to call an electrician for that faulty outlet. If it’s not, well, there are plenty of other reasons that your iPad may be charging slow.
- iPad Charging Port
So, we’ve determined the problem isn’t your charging equipment, it’s more than likely your iPad.
If your iPad is still charging at a slower rate than normal, it’s recommended to clean the charging port. Think about all of the dust, dirt, and debris that is around your home and potentially getting into your iPad’s charging port.
How do you clean the charging port? It’s easy. Just blow into it. Make sure you’re blowing hard. Alternatively, you can briefly blow compressed air into the port to clean out the debris.
Do not use tissues, paperclips, needles, or anything else, and definitely don’t spit or put any sort of chemicals inside the port. This can cause damage to your iPad.
Once you’ve cleaned the port out either by blowing in it or using compressed air, try charging it again.
- Update & Restart Your iPad
This one should be obvious. No matter what device you have, it will need to be updated at some point and probably more than once throughout its lifetime. Not updating your device can cause a number of problems with how it works and how it charges. Updates often are released to fix bugs and these bugs could have been affecting the way your iPad was running or charging. Head into Settings > General > Software Update. If there’s an update to be installed, it will prompt you to follow certain steps.
Additionally, your iPad can experience issues with its cache and other internal components, so restarting your iPad will give you a fresh start. Depending on the model you have, you will need to either press the Power Button and Home Button or the Power Button and Volume Up button simultaneously until you are prompted to power down your iPad.
Try charging your iPad again after both of these steps have been completed.
- iPad Battery
Finding out if your battery is bad is tedious and so is actually getting the battery replaced.
So, how do you determine whether or not your battery needs replaced? An iPad that is more than two years old and has never had a new battery installed in it is likely to have battery issues and this could very well be the reason why your iPad is charging slow.
There are no built-in settings that will tell you the health of your iPad’s battery, so you’ll have to bring it to an Apple Store and let the Apple employees assist you.
If it’s determined that the battery is the issue, a battery replacement will cost you $99. Alternatively, you could find a third-party repair shop but you will want to make sure that they know what they’re doing when it comes to Apple products.
- Accessory Not Supported
This issue comes in the form of a message that pops up whenever your device rejects the accessory that you have connected to it.
There are a few reasons that this might happen. The obvious one is that the accessory you’ve plugged into your iPad isn’t supported. You could be using a third-party cord or adapter that just doesn’t work with iPads. It’s recommended to use only Apple cables to charge your iPad.
This message may also pop up if your iPad isn’t up-to-date, so make sure to check out which version you are currently running and if your system needs updated.
Another reason may be that your port is dirty, so ensure that you have cleaned it out. Refer to step two to find out how best to clean your iPad’s port.
- Car Charging
Are you charging your iPad in the car? You should try charging it at home instead. Charging it in your vehicle can slow down the charging rate significantly.
The outlets of most vehicles will not surpass more than 5W of power and, as a result, there is almost no fast-charging equipment for vehicles.
Additionally, you should make sure to avoid using public charging stations as these can cause even more issues to pop up with your device.
- Apple Store
Still having issues with your iPad charging slow? It might be time to take your iPad to the Apple Store for the professionals to take a look at. While the above steps can all be done at home, other issues may need to be diagnosed and fixed by a professional.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, one of the easy fix steps above helped you with your slow-charging problem. If all else fails, you will probably have to adhere to the last step and take your device to an Apple professional as you don’t want to cause any damage to your iPad by trying to fix more serious problems yourself. An Apple professional will be able to diagnose and treat your iPad depending on the issue and is your best option if nothing else works to fix the charging problems.
