“What causes my iPod or iPhone’s battery to die?” 

-- Richard H.

One of the most common types of iPod/iPhone repair involves the replacement of their batteries. While some batteries may fail with a year or less of use, more typically batteries last anywhere from one to three years. iPods use a type of battery technology called Lithium ion or Lithium Polymer. Lithium batteries have a limited lifespan of between 300 and 500 charge cycles. 

A complete cycle is using your iPod/iPhone from a full charge, all the way to when the iPod/iPhone shuts off when the battery is completely drained. Assuming you are someone who uses your iPod/iPhone everyday, or nearly everyday, 300-500 cycles will get you anywhere from one to three years of usage. Super heavy users may wear out the batteries in a year or less, and your grandmother who listens to Elvis once a week might take 5 years to reach 300 cycles. What we usually tell customers is that your iPods battery should last at LEAST one year. If not, we would consider it defective. The same goes for our replacement batteries. In addition Lithium batteries should be conditioned regularly. What do I mean by conditioning? Lithium batteries can suffer from a strange affliction whereby crystals can develop in the unused portion of the battery shortening their lifespan. Lets say for example that you fully charge your iPod everyday and then use its battery halfway the following day and repeat charging it. The 50% that is always charged will begin to develop crystals, which will limit that portion of the batteries ability to properly and reliably provide power. To prevent this, regularly fully discharge your iPod/iPhone and completely charge it up. This is not necessary every time you use your device, however this should be done at least once a month. Even simple maintenance such as this can help you to see a noticeable increase in both battery life and battery longevity. By the way, these principles are not limited only to iDevices, the same goes for PC/Mac laptops, and all cell phones. Please continue to check back regularly for more articles on keeping your devices in tip top shape, preventing problems, and fixing issues when they do occur.