...One of the common worries for you as an iPod user is that the battery does not last well and are expensive to replace.

I guess, with thousands of iPods being sold everyday, there will bound to be a small percentage that ends up with defective batteries.

… But paying attention to a few common sense pointers will pay off with a longer battery life for your iPod.

Still, battery problems are a major concern so I have compiled these short iPod battery tips that will hopefully, be of some help to you as an iPod user.

Note: These iPod battery tips works for all models of the iPod.

Update to the latest software

Always make sure your iPod has the latest software from Apple, as engineers may find new ways to optimize your iPod battery's performance -- http://www.apple.com/itunes/download -- opens in new window. This is the first and most important tip... of all iPod battery tips.
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Regular iPod use

For proper maintenance of your iPod's battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. In other words, use your iPod regularly.

Use the 'Hold' switch

Set the 'Hold' switch on your iPod to the 'Hold' position whenever you are not using it. This will keep your iPod from accidentally waking from sleep and playing songs if its buttons are pressed while in your pocket or bag.

Wi-Fi

The latest iPod with Wi-Fi consumes power even if you are not using it to connect to a network to access the internet. Turn your Wi-Fi off to save battery power. To do this… from your iPod's main menu... go to 'Settings > General > Network > Wi-Fi'.

Backlighting

Backlighting can use a lot of battery power. Only use the backlight when necessary. If you don't need to use backlighting, turn it off. Choose 'Settings > Backlight Timer > Off' from your iPod's main menu.

Equalizer

Adding EQs to playback uses more of your iPod processor, since they aren’t encoded in the song. Turn EQ off if you don’t use it.

If, however, you’ve added EQ to tracks in iTunes, you’ll need to set EQ to "flat" in order to have the effect of "off", because your iPod keeps your iTunes settings intact. To turn off the Equalizer, choose 'Settings > EQ > Off' from your iPod's main menu.

Use compressed songs

Your iPod's cache works best with songs of average file sizes (less than 9 MB). If your audio files are large or uncompressed (including AIFF format), you may want to compress them, or use a different compression method, such as MP3 or AAC, when importing them into iTunes.

Also, consider breaking very long songs or tracks into shorter tracks that have smaller file sizes.

Avoid Fast forwarding through playlists

If you fast forward through your playlists frequently your iPod will be using more power thus decreasing overall battery life. By creating playlists in iTunes, you can decrease your need to fast forward.

Also using the shuffle feature may also help minimise your need to use the fast forward feature. I’ve always used an iPod battery backup when my iPod video couldn’t hold its charge and it has been very helpful.

Avoid changing tracks

Avoid changing tracks by pressing the Previous/Rewind or Next/Fast-forward buttons. If you frequently change tracks by pressing the Previous or Next buttons, your iPod has to turn on the hard drive to open the songs. This uses a lot of battery power.

Pause iPod when unattended

If you leave your iPod unattended, press Play/Pause to pause the song. If left playing, it will continue to play songs until the battery is drained -- particularly if the repeat setting is set to 'One' or 'All'. Put your iPod to sleep to save battery life. Press the 'Play' button for about 2 seconds until it goes to the sleep mode.

Keep your iPod at room temperature

Your iPod's battery works best when it’s at room temperature, generally near 20° C, but you can use it anywhere between 0° to 35° C (about 32° to 95° F).

If you have left your iPod in the cold, let it warm up to room temperature before waking it from sleep. Otherwise, a low-battery icon may appear and it will be difficult to get it back from sleep.

If after warming up, your iPod does not wake from sleep, connect it to the power adapter, and press the ‘Menu’ and ‘Select’ buttons until the Apple logo appears.

• Do not leave iPod in a vehicle's interior when parked in the sun. Temperatures may reach up to 150° F (65 °C).
• Do not leave iPod exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods of time.

Charging

iPod fast-charges the battery to 80 percent of capacity in an hour. However, it can take 4 hours to fully recharge the battery.

Even in sleep mode, your iPod uses a small amount of current, and the battery slowly empties. Stored at optimal storage temperature, the battery will drain in 14 to 28 days.

• Do not charge iPod while it is in a carrying case or cover.
• You should charge iPod when it has fully discharged even if it won't be used right away.