I'm fairly new to Apple devices, and this is my first time repeatedly dealing with a device problem. For about a month, my relatively new iPad has been using much more battery than usual during idle or very light use. It used to lose roughly 2–3% over an entire day, but now it often loses around 14–15%. Battery Health still reports 100%, and Apple's diagnostics say everything is normal.
I first took it to an Apple-authorized service center, where the iPad was erased and restored. The problem returned afterward. I submitted it again and provided the active-use information they requested. The same behavior apparently occurred while the iPad was at the service center, but they concluded it was normal after measuring about 10 hours of YouTube playback.
That test doesn't seem to address my actual concern, since the issue happens mostly during idle or light use. The battery history from the time the iPad was at the center showed significant usage despite very little screen-on time—for example, about 16% used by 5 PM with only 11 minutes of screen use.
The service center has now told me to contact Apple Support if the problem continues. Should I use phone or chat support, and should I ask for a senior advisor or case manager if the first-level representative can't help? Should I specifically request an investigation into software or background activity, since the hardware diagnostics and video playback test were normal? I'm not claiming the battery is defective; I'd just like the unusual drain investigated because it persisted after a restore and was also visible while the device was being serviced.
3 Answers
One possible explanation is temporary background indexing. Recent system updates may spend a while building search or assistant indexes in the background, which can increase battery use even when the screen is mostly off. Check whether the drain began after an update and give it some time after the next update, but still document the behavior and contact Support if it continues.
Contact Apple Support directly and explain the complete timeline: the drain before and after the restore, the battery history showing high usage with almost no screen time, and the fact that it was also observed while the iPad was at the service center. If the first representative only repeats the 10-hour playback result, politely ask for the case to be escalated. A playback test can show that the battery performs normally under sustained use, but it doesn’t rule out an idle or background-power problem.
There isn’t usually a special email route that is more effective than phone or chat support. Start with whichever is convenient, provide screenshots and service records, and get a case number. If the initial troubleshooting doesn’t address the problem, ask clearly for escalation to a senior advisor rather than relying only on the service center’s playback test.
That makes sense. I’ll focus on the idle-drain evidence and the fact that the restore didn’t resolve it, rather than arguing that the battery itself is defective.