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How to Use a Charging Block to Fast-Charge Your iPad

Apple's fast charge power adapter lets you quick charge your iPad

By Susan J. Owens Susan J. Owens Writer Ohio State University Former Lifewire writer Susan J. Owens is a tech writer focused on AI, blockchain, and virtual machines. Her work appears in InformationWeek, Entrepreneur, and Fast Company. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on April 16, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

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Expand Jump to a Section About Quick-Charging Your iPad Using the iPad Rapid Charger Tips for Faster iPad Charging Get a Faster Charge While Using the iPad The iPad has a bigger battery than an iPhone, giving you more time to work and play between charges. However, this advantage comes with a price. Charging the iPad takes longer than charging the smaller iPhone, but the iPad charging block lets you charge your iPad faster. Here's what you need to know.

Quick Charge Your iPad Using a Higher-Wattage iPad Charging Block

The iPad comes with its own USB power adapter, also called a charging block, which connects to your device with a lightning cable. This charging block is larger than the cube that comes with the iPhone, and this larger size translates into more watts and a faster charge. Turn your charging block over to see the number of watts on your brick. Depending on your iPad model, your charging block is either a 5W, 10W, 12W, or 18W power adapter. The higher the number, the faster the charge. You will not damage your iPad by using a higher-wattage adapter. Apple uses lithium-ion batteries for its products, which only pulls as much current as the device can handle. You can keep your iPad plugged in after it is fully charged without damaging your battery. You can purchase a higher wattage charging block from Apple to cut the time it takes to charge your iPad.

How to Use the iPad Rapid Charger

Fast charging is a method Apple developed to give users a quick way to recharge their iPad or iPhone. A fast charge brings your battery level back up to 50 percent in 30 minutes. This quick charging method works on the original iPad Pro 12.9-inch model, iPad Pro 10.5-inch models and later, and iPhone 8 and later. Here's what you need to get a quick iPad charge: An Apple USB-C to Lightning cable Any of these Apple charging blocks: 18W, 29W, 30W, 61W, or 87W Plug the USB-C lightning cable into your iPad and the charging block, and wait. Depending on the device you're using, you should have 50 percent of the battery life back in half an hour.

How to Charge Your iPad Faster

In addition to using the largest wattage charging block, there are other ways you can charge your iPad faster. The key is to give the battery a chance to rest so that it can focus on one thing—charging—instead of simultaneously draining the battery using other applications. Turn off your iPad for a quicker charge. While it's fine to use your iPad while it's charging, any energy the iPad uses to light the screen takes away from some of the power you're trying to build. Turn off your iPad, walk away, and let it charge. Put your iPad in Airplane mode to charge faster. If you must use your iPad while charging, put your iPad into airplane mode if you don't need internet connectivity. Airplane mode saves battery power by cutting off your iPad's connection to Wi-Fi and cellular networks. You will not have access to Bluetooth, location services, or any other activity that requires an internet connection. You can access airplane mode on the home screen by swiping up or down to see the Control Center. Tap the airplane icon. The iPad goes into Airplane mode and an airplane icon then appears on the screen status bar.

Getting a Faster Charge While Using Your iPad

If you must use your iPad with internet access while charging, there are a few things you can adjust, temporarily, to conserve battery power, so that your iPad can get to full power quicker: Turn down the screen brightness. Screen brightness is probably the biggest battery drain. Shift it down to the minimum brightness so that you can read the screen, but low enough to conserve battery. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness to dim the brightness. Close any apps you aren't using. Swipe any apps that are running in the background to close them. Disable Background App Refresh. You may not need your apps to continually refresh their content while you're not using them, which can drain your battery life. To turn background refresh off, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and select which apps to stop refreshing in the background. Disable Location Services on apps. Find out which apps are using location services by going to Settings > Privacy > Location Services. Turn off any apps that are requesting location. Turn off notifications. Notifications come intermittently from other apps that are not even open, which consumes battery power. Go to Settings > Notifications and select the apps that you would like to disable notifications. Turn off Bluetooth & Handoff. In addition to turning off Bluetooth, disable Handoff by going to Settings > General > Handoff and toggle off the feature. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Why USB-C iPhones Could Help Make Your Life Easier How to Use iPhone Low Power Mode The 18 Best Tips to Get More iPad Battery Life (Updated for iPadOS 15.5) How to Fix It When Facebook Messenger Isn’t Sending Messages How to Enter Low Power Mode on the iPad How to Fix It When Facebook Messenger Won’t Load Messages How to Know If Your iPhone Is Fast Charging How to Make Your Cellphone Battery Last Longer How to Use the iPad Control Panel How to Fix It When a Tablet Won’t Connect to a Mobile Hotspot How to Fix an iPad That Won't Charge or Charges Slowly How to Turn iPad On and Off (Every Model) How to Turn On/Off Location Services on the iPad How to Use Airplane Mode on iPhone and Apple Watch How to Charge an Apple Pencil (Any Generation) Is It Bad to Charge an iPhone With an iPad Charger? Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies