Switching Out an iPod Battery

One of the iPod's flaws is that the battery's not exactly user-serviceable if you don't know what you're doing. If your iPod's in warranty and the battery life starts draining down to nothing within an hour or two, by all means get Apple to take care of it-they're going to be able to switch out the battery quickly, safely, and easily.

If your iPod isn't in warranty, though, Apple's going to charge you quite a bit to switch out the battery, and you really don't need to be paying that much. You're left with a few options; you can either send your iPod to a repair company such as iPod Res Q or Modpods (which also offers some cool iPod modifications to pimp your 'pod out) and, for the price of the battery and a small service fee, let them deal with it. They even offer some batteries that will get your iPod better life than ever. I've used iPod Res Q's services on an occasion or two, and they're very fast and affordably priced, and their batteries are of very high quality. If you're not technically inclined, this might be your best option.

If you're more of the adventurous sort, though, you might want to try switching out your iPod's battery.

First of all, I'd like to stress that this is going to void your warranty, and you might cause some damage to your iPod if you're not careful.

You're going need a new battery, so do a Google search; make sure that you're ordering an iPod battery that works with your generation of iPod. Most sites will have a guide to help you figure out exactly what generation of iPod you've got. Don't buy secondhand batteries; after all, a new one's only $50-75. Once your new battery arrives, you're ready to get started.

First, you're going to need to open up your iPod. To do this, get a hard edged tool like a box cutter.

Assuming you've got a third or fourth generation iPod, you want to start working the box cutter in under the fast forward button where the white plastic and metal meet. With the fifth generation iPod, you might want to start under the Play button.

There are a series of clips holding the iPod together; if you can wedge your tool between the plastic and metal, you should be able to press in and up on the clips and slowly work your way around the iPod. Go slowly to avoid damaging the iPod's plastic shell.

Okay, now, real quick, make sure you're grounded; there are a lot of sensitive electronics in an iPod. Touching the metal back of a computer is a quick way to discharge static electricity and make it safe to keep on going.

Once you pop all the clips, you should be able to pull the iPod apart. You'll be able to see the battery pretty easily; you might want to take a picture just to make sure that you know how everything looked before you started tinkering.

From here, it's pretty straightforward; hook them wires that were going to your old battery into your new one! Make sure everything's secured before you close your iPod again, and resist the urge to look around; you might screw something up.

Well, you've switched it out; now, charge it up. Make sure it's fully charged before you unplug your iPod; this will help the battery keep its maximum charge for as long as possible.

Look at you, you tech-head, you; you've just switched out your iPod's battery. Have a glass of champagne and put on your earbuds; you deserve it.