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derekwatson
Community Expert
derekwatsonCommunity Expert
Community Expert
May 18, 2024
Question

iPad Battery Life using Fresco

  • May 18, 2024
  • 4 replies
  • 1703 views

Anyone else seeing much greater batter drain using Fresco compared to almost any other app? I get around 10 hours reading, watching videos, browsing or using Notability etc.

Use Fresco and it drops to 4-5 hours!

    4 replies

    N
    Community Expert
    Nick GioiaCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    September 2, 2025

    That's weird. I usually can get about 8-10 hours drawing on a 4000x4000 canvas on an iPad Pro M4.  Maybe 6-8 hours if I add animation, and that at a high resolution. Do a test for me. Do a drawing session, time it but make sure you are not running any other apps. Then let me know your times. 

    derekwatson
    Community Expert
    derekwatsonCommunity ExpertAuthor
    Community Expert
    September 2, 2025

    Fresco is the only app for me which drains the battery.

    If I work on low power mode this solves it (with no other apps open) but it is a pain as screen dims if I am not drawing for a minute or so at any point.

    I have reverted to using a power bank powerful enough when I get to a dangerously low power level.

    Derek Watson
    Jimmy Flame
    Community Expert
    Jimmy FlameCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 26, 2025

    Couple things to try. Definitely check the battery health in Settings. A battery health of 80% and under means you need a new battery, and some apps (especially use intensive ones) may not work properly. The closer to that 80% mark, the more problems you'll face. Another thing to check: make sure other apps aren't running in the background (I know, most people check this already but I'd be remiss not to mention). You have to "flick" them closed all the way and not just to the background. I know Apple (and other people) say that it doesn't have much impact to leave stuff on the background, but shutting them all down has worked wonders for me. The last thing I can think of without seeing your iPad's performance... do a soft reset. The soft reset fixes almost all of my iPad power issues. Let me know if any of this is helpful. 

    - Jimmy Flame
    N
    nicholas_anthony_payn3107
    Participant
    August 27, 2025

    This is happening on a brand new M4 iPad Pro with all apps closed, even after a full restart.

    Jimmy Flame
    Community Expert
    Jimmy FlameCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 27, 2025

    Oh wow. Interesting. Do the Apple forums say anything about this? Also, a restart won't do it. It has to be a soft reset. A few more things to try is 1) offload the app and reinstall (clears cache); 2) check battery use while the app is on and test for 'spikes' by gliding your Apple pen across the screen. 

    To do a reset: quickly click volume up, click volume down, then hold the top button until the Apple logo appears. You might have to hold the top button for 30 seconds or more. 

    I've also read in Apple forums that the new M4s are heating up. I'm fairly certain, like in my own past experience, that an update will probably fix this, with some people reporting they had to take their iPad to an Apple store. Let me know if any of the suggestions helped.

    - Jimmy Flame
    N
    NICHOLAS ANTH330034497heu
    Participant
    January 30, 2025

    i just wanted to add that i also have this issue on an M4 ipad Pro 1Tb... gets very hot in the middle and battery drains super fast. I hope they find a fix for this soon.

     

      S
      shaunaparmesan
      Participating Frequently
      February 2, 2025

      I'm suddenly having this happen, too. 

      ---Shauna LynnLettering & Illustration
      S
      SelectSoundsLLC
      Participating Frequently
      June 1, 2024

      I have the same problem, but in my case it's probably a combination of using Fresco with an older iPad (iPad Pro 10.5", from 20.17). For Mr, it's probably time to upgrade. 

      derekwatson
      Community Expert
      derekwatsonCommunity ExpertAuthor
      Community Expert
      June 1, 2024

      I have a last gen iPad Pro and it's been a regulator issue since a particular update I flagged at the time. Looking enviously at M4 iPads so might be upgrade time!

      Derek Watson
        Anubhav M
        Community Manager
        Anubhav MCommunity Manager
        Community Manager
        June 3, 2024

        Hello @derekwatson,

        Sorry to hear about your experience. Would you mind sharing more details like the exact version of the OS/Fresco, your device model, and your workflow when working in Fresco, and if this started happening after a recent update, so I can check this with the team?


        Looking forward to hearing from you.

         

        Thanks,
        Anubhav 

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