The iPad A16 is the 11-inch base iPad from 2025. It has a 28.93 watt-hour battery that Apple rates for up to 10 hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi or video, and up to 9 hours browsing on cellular. If yours is falling way short of that, here's how to figure out if the battery is the problem.
What Apple charges
| Repair | Apple price | With AppleCare+ |
|---|---|---|
| Battery service (Wi-Fi or Cellular) | $119 | $0 below 80% health |
| Cracked screen or other damage | $379 / $429 | $29 screen, $99 other |
Step one: check battery health
Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health. Apple lists the iPad A16 as one of the models that shows this screen, with a health status, cycle count and the battery's manufacture and first-use dates.
- Normal: the battery is fine. Your drain is coming from something else.
- Anything else: the battery is worn and worth replacing.
- Cycle count: Apple says iPad batteries are designed to keep up to 80% of their original capacity at 1,000 complete charge cycles. One cycle means using 100% of capacity in total, even across several days.
Easy things to try before paying
- Look at Settings > Battery. The app list shows what's eating power. Kids' games and video apps are the usual suspects.
- Turn down brightness and turn off Background App Refresh for apps that don't need it.
- Restart it. A stuck process after an update can drain a battery overnight.
- Try a different charger and cable. If it charges slowly or not at all, the problem might be the charger or the USB-C port, not the battery. Apple lists the USB-C connector as its own replaceable part on this iPad.
- Keep it cool. Don't leave it in a hot car or charging under a blanket.
What the repair actually involves
Apple publishes the iPad A16 battery repair manual, and it's eye-opening. Before you start, the cover glass and display have to come off. Then you remove one screw from the battery connector and pull out four adhesive strips, one at a time, by twisting them around tweezers. The tool list includes a torque driver, an adhesive activation roller, safety glasses, heat-resistant gloves, and sand in a sand container. You don't keep a bucket of sand on the bench unless a battery fire is a real possibility.
Apple's manual is blunt: "If the battery is dented, punctured, or otherwise damaged, stop the repair. Don't remove the battery from the device." It also says a battery "should be replaced only by individual technicians with the knowledge and experience to repair electronic devices."
Signs it's really time
- Battery health isn't Normal.
- The iPad dies at 20% or 30%, or jumps around in percentage.
- It won't make it through a school day with the same apps it used to.
- The screen is lifting or the case is bulging. That's a swollen battery. Stop charging it and take it to Apple. Don't press on it.
What to ask before you pay
- Is it a genuine Apple battery, and will battery health read correctly afterward?
- If a shop is doing it, who pays if the glass or display breaks while opening it?
- Will you replace the display adhesive and dust gasket when you close it up?
Is it worth replacing?
For a 2025 iPad, yes. $119 buys a lot more years on a tablet that's otherwise fine. If the glass is cracked too, read our iPad A16 cracked screen guide first, since a shop may be able to do both while it's open.
All prices are on the iPad (A16) page. Apple prices checked October 14, 2026.
