How To Replace An iPod Battery

by Collin Hilder  |  June 21, 2008

As they say, the best way to do a thing is the well known way, in this case, the way to go to an Apple store. If your iPod's battery has passed into the world of the righteous ones, your grieving can cost you $59 plus $6,95 for shipping and you may get a new iPod instead, or usually just a used and refurbished one. Yes, practically it isn't the battery that Apple changes for you, it's the iPod. And all of your music and movies and whatever else you have stored on your iPod's hard drive will, of course, disappear.

Replacing an iPod battery on your own, at home, will definitely put your iPod out of warranty, if it's still under the warranty period which generally passes out after a year since your purchase, and it's not without risks. But with a little care, a soft touch and patience you may well avoid the Apple fee for replacing batteries and just pay up for a new one which you can buy online.

Note to reader: be sure to buy the battery suitable for your iPod model and generation.

1. First of all, we'll use an Apple standard 20GB third-generation iPod because the steps described further on apply both to older and newer versions, like the iPod 4G and iPod Photo.

You will need some kind of stiff plastic wedge, since this is the best tool to open up the iPod's case. The metal case on the back may be permanently bent and the plastic cover can scratch easily, so care and patience as mentioned above are in order. WARNING! Do not use a metal screwdriver or anything else made of metal, because the risk of inflicting permanent damage on the iPod is greater.

You will most likely notice that there is no obvious way to open the case. You will see no visible screws, tabs or anything of the like, just the smooth metal plate perfectly combined together with the back of the iPod. Basically, the two halves of the iPod are held together through a series of plastic tabs that run along both the inner sides of the case, holding the metal halves of the device securely tied together. Not very comforting to know, but this is done by Apple in order to ensure the iPod against unauthorized invasions, much of what you're doing right now. :) Need not worry, TuvaBox is here. And of course, no one is going to arrest you for invading your own defenseless iPod.

2. Getting back to business, you first need to work the plastic wedge along the seam on the side of the iPod until you are able to crack it open and you can insert it between the metal back and the case. Slide the wedge along the created gap and pop out the tabs holding the case together. You should push each of the tabs inward until they are released from the metal half of the case. After this, you should be able to separate the back of the iPod from the front half. WARNING! The metal half of the case is connected to the top of the unit by a thin ribbon cable. This cable is really important as breaking it will permanently damage the hard drive, so you should carefully place the two halves of the case close to each other on a flat surface.

3. With the iPod opened, you have to remove the hard drive, which you will see being on top of the other circuits of the iPod, buffered by a piece of blue rubber. There is a small ribbon cable that connects the hard drive directly to the motherboard, which has to be disconnected by slowly lifting up the hard drive. Set the hard drive aside and by now you will have easy access to the battery.

4. At this stage, you should carefully use a small screwdriver to pry the battery from its compartment. Keep in mind not to make contact with the circuit board below the battery, because you may permanently damage it. You will also need to disconnect the power cord, which is wrapped around part of the circuit board, by using the same small screwdriver to help get the wires out from underneath the board. Disconnect the battery from the motherboard by slowly pulling the connector straight up. By removing the old battery, plug in the new one and remember that the connector will fit only in one direction, do not force it into its place.

5. Before placing the new battery into its compartment, you have to wrap again the battery power cord around the tip of the circuit board. After this, place the battery into the compartment, reattach the hard drive connector and the hard drive and just snap the two halves of the iPod back together.

Don't rush ahead and use the iPod, be sure to charge the battery for a minimum of 3 hours before playing your freshly juiced iPod.

Related articles:

Where to buy a new iPod battery
How To Play Music & Video on Your iPod
How To Import CDs to iTunes and iPod
How To Use the Screen Lock
How To: Customize the iPod menu on iPhone
How To: Save storage space on iPhone using Smart Playlists
How To Fully Benefit from iTunes Preferences
How To safely Backup your iPod and iPhone

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