Hello!
Today I got a forced update of the Zwift app on my iPad. Right after that I took a training session for one hour.
After that the battery had gone from 100% to 46%. Before the update the same training session would make the battery go from 100% to maybe 80 or 70%.
What is going on?
I’ve noticed the same thing. For me it started maybe 2 or 3 updates ago. A 50 min workout used to use approx 1/3 battery but the same workout now drains my battery completely from a full charge (ie 3* the power usage as previous). I have to have additional wires around my setup to plug the iPad into the mains while using zwift now because of this.
I’ve noticed this in the most recent version of Zwift (1.61) as well.
I have used an iPad (Gen 7) since first joining Zwift in the fall of 2019, and I always ride with the iPad plugged in. Battery drain has been very consistent for these 4+ years at 10% an hour (start at 100%, 2 hour ride, battery would show 80%). But ever since the 1.61 version of Zwift was released, battery drain has increased to 20% an hour (start at 100%, 1.5 hour ride, battery showed 70%).
The first ride I experienced this on was 23 March 2024, shortly after updating to 1.61 (started at 100%, 4 1/2 hour ride, battery died / iPad shut down {I noticed it at about the 2 1/2 hour mark, with the battery at 50%, so I knew I wasn’t going to be able to finish the Uber Pretzel that I was finally doing}).
At that time, I was running iOS version 17.3.1.
I have since updated to iOS 17.4.1, and have seen the same results, where the battery is draining at 20% for each hour.
No other changes have been made to the iPad, and I am not running any other applications on the iPad while I am Zwifting. All other items related to Zwift have been consistent (trainer, HRM) since seeing a 10% / hour reduction. As far as I can tell, the only variable that has changed is the version of Zwift (1.61) that I am running on the iPad.
Your battery could just be getting old, so that it’s “100% charge” is roughly already 70% of what it used to be. There should be a battery health gauge somewhere in the settings you might want to look at.
That’s a good callout, as my iPad is 4+ years old, and something I will look at.
However, I was able to do the PRL Full (6+ hours) in January of this year with no issues at all. And all rides that I’ve done this year (until 23 March) continued the 10% per hour historical trend. I wouldn’t expect the age of the battery to only start to become an issue in the last few weeks (coinciding with the 1.61 update).
@Andrew_of_Uptown This same thing happened to me, about two years ago. The iPad I’d been using for Zwift and had never had battery issues with (always plugged in to the wall, and always showed 100% while riding, even during super long rides) all of the sudden started getting drained by Zwift. I can’t remember specifics, but after just a few hours I’d be down to ~50% battery. I have no idea if the issue was tied to a specific Zwift version update or if my battery suddenly got too old to handle the game (or perhaps a combination of the two), but it definitely came without warning. I ended up replacing it with a new iPad.
Hi @Andrew_of_Uptown, in addition to the good suggestions already received. Zwift’s graphics use a lot of power due to new features that are usually included in new releases, and you may see your battery drain more quickly than you’d normally expect. Following these quick tips will reduce your power consumption and, in many cases, you’ll even see your device’s battery life stay at 100% the entire time you are Zwifting if you leave it plugged in.