How to Reset an iPod Battery

The iPod’s battery is built-in. This means, when the battery starts to die, you can’t simply swap out the battery for a fresh, fully charged one. If your iPod’s battery is dead, you must send the device to Apple who will replace the battery, for a fee (if you are out of warranty). This is obviously a last resort and Apple provides a few tips to reset your battery and device to get the most of its battery life.

Update the iPod’s firmware. Open iTunes and connect your iPod to your computer with the supplied cable. Update your iPod to the latest firmware by highlighting the device within iTunes, selecting the “Summary” tab and clicking “Update.” This will check for any available updates, download them and apply them to the device.

Turn on “Hold” when the iPod is not in use. The “Hold” button is a physical button on the outside of the iPod that locks the controls so that you don’t accidentally control the iPod while it sits in your pocket, purse, etc. Using the “Hold” button preserves the battery life as it shuts the iPod down when not in use and ensures that the device doesn’t accidentally turn back on.

Limit fast-forwarding and compress the audio. Fast-forwarding through songs means the iPod must refill the cache of songs at a much more rapid pace than normal, which means the iPod is constantly accessing the hard drive and therefore running down the battery. Compressing the audio means that more songs can fit in the cache of songs and therefore access the hard drive less often. To compress the audio, highlight the song within iTunes and select “Create AAC or MP3 Version.”

Allow the iPod to cycle through an entire charge at least once a month. This means fully charging the iPod and using it until the battery is nearly drained. This revives your iPod and breathes life into the battery by “keeping the electrons moving,” according to Apple. Be sure to charge the iPod via a high-powered USB port or the USB AC adapter.

Send your iPod to Apple if the previous steps did little to reset the life of your battery. It may be beyond saving and need replaced. Contact Apple Support to set up a replacement (see References and Resources).