Repair guide · iPod Mini 1st/2nd Gen
iPod Mini 1st/2nd Gen battery replacement
Also searched as: ipod mini new battery
This guide covers the iPod Mini 1st Gen (2004, 4GB) and 2nd Gen (2005, 4GB or 6GB), model A1051. To get at the battery you take a white cap off each end of the aluminum tube and slide the insides out. The battery lies on the back of the logic board and connects with a small white plug, so there is nothing to solder, and one new battery fits both generations. Allow 25 to 45 minutes. A new battery is the usual fix for a Mini that empties fast; a 1st Gen will still run well short of a 2nd Gen, which Apple rated at up to 18 hours against the 1st Gen's 8.
Before you start
- Make sure it's the batteryAn iPod that runs only on the charger, empties fast or dies as soon as you unplug it usually has a worn battery. Try another cable and charger first. A clicking drive, a sad iPod face or a failed restore points at the drive as well, although a worn battery can be too weak to spin the drive up and make it click: charge it and listen again.
- Look for a swollen battery firstA Mini's tube almost never bulges, so a flat case doesn't prove the battery is fine. Dark or pressure spots on the screen, or a click wheel that scrolls by itself or stops working, can mean it is swelling; so can insides that drag as they slide out. If it is swelling, unplug the charger and stop charging it. You can still replace it, but never press on it, bend it or pierce it. If the iPod is very hot or smells, don't open it: unplug it, put it on a non-flammable surface away from anything that can burn, keep a container of dry sand nearby, wait until it is cool, and contact us.
- Run the battery downIf there's no sign of swelling, play it until the battery is nearly flat. A cell that a tool nicks is far less likely to catch fire when it is almost empty.
- Set up a safe benchWork on a non-flammable surface with a container of dry sand within reach. If the battery smokes, sparks, hisses, pops or suddenly swells, pour all of the sand over it in one go, then get out of the room and let fresh air in. If it keeps burning or anything else catches fire, call the fire service. Don't go back for half an hour, and don't touch the iPod until then.
- Ground yourselfStatic can kill the logic board. Wear an anti-static strap or work on an anti-static mat, or at least touch bare metal first, and leave the new battery in its bag until you fit it.
Tools
- Phillips #00 screwdriverFor the two screws under the top cap.
- Thin plastic pry toolLifts the caps. Our battery comes with one.
- SpudgerA plastic one with a fine tip, for the click wheel plug.
- Small snap-ring pliers or a small flat toolSqueezes the corner arms of the metal bracket at the bottom.
- Hair dryerOn low, a few seconds on the top cap's glue only.
- TweezersGuide the insides back into the tube. Keep metal tips off the battery plug and its pins.
- Anti-static wrist strap or matThe logic board is bare once it is out of the tube.
- ChargerFor the test and the first full charge. Use a wall charger on a 1st Gen.
- Adhesive for the caps (optional)Thin double-sided tape or a light glue; see the last step.
Step by step
New to opening this iPod? How to open the iPod Mini 1st/2nd Gen (13 steps)
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Step 1: Lock it
Unplug any cable, then slide Hold on and wait for the screen to go blank. Note which side the switch is on, for the top cap later.
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Step 2: Top cap and two screws off
Give the glued top cap a brief burst of warm air (hair dryer, low setting), aimed at the cap only, then lift it a little at a time at several points round the seam. Take out the two Phillips #00 screws underneath. Our opening guide shows each move.
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Step 3: Bottom cap, bracket and wheel plug off
Pry the bottom cap off at points where there are no clips. Squeeze the corner arms of the metal bracket behind it and lift the bracket out. Then lift the orange click wheel plug straight off its socket: it has no latch, so keep the tool right at the plug.
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Step 4: Slide the insides out
From the bottom opening, push evenly on the board near the lower edge of the click wheel. Once it is partway out of the top, hold the board by its two long edges, either side of the screen, and slide it the rest of the way. Never pull on the little headphone jack board up at the top end: its plug into the logic board breaks easily. The click wheel stays in the tube.
If it binds, don't force it: a swollen battery is a common reason, and forcing can scrape tiny parts off the board. Ease off and push again evenly with a slight wiggle. If it still won't come, stop and contact us.
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Step 5: Find the battery
Turn the assembly over. The battery lies on the back of the logic board, on top of the microdrive, and its wires end in a small white plug in a socket on the board. If it looks puffy, hold it by its edges only and replace it as below; never press on it.
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Step 6: Unplug the old battery
Steady the socket with a fingertip so it stays on the board, then lift the plug straight up by its body. Never pull on the wires.
Keep metal tweezers away from the plug's pins: they can short them.
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Step 7: Lift it off
It may be held by a small sticky pad. Peel it up gently with your fingers or a plastic tool rather than prying hard underneath.
Nothing metal under the battery, and don't bend it: a punctured cell can catch fire. If it smokes, sparks, hisses, pops or suddenly swells, pour all of the sand over it in one go, then leave the room and let fresh air in. If it keeps burning or anything else catches fire, call the fire service; don't go back or touch the iPod for half an hour.
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Step 8: Plug in the new battery
Turn the new plug so its wires point the way the old ones did and its holes meet the pins in the socket, then press it in. Lined up, it goes in with light pressure.
Never force a plug that isn't lined up: that can ruin the socket for good.
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Step 9: Seat it and tuck the wires
Lay the battery where the old one sat. Tuck its thin wires down so they can't catch on the tube on the way back in; they are fragile and easy to cut.
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Step 10: Slide it back and refit the bottom end
Feed the insides back in from the top, gently, guiding the board with tweezers from the bottom. Hold the board by its long edges, either side of the screen, and never push or pull on the little jack board at the top end. A new battery can be a touch thicker than the old one, so expect a snug fit, but never force it. Refit the two screws, press the wheel plug fully onto its socket and clip the bracket back in.
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Step 11: Test on the charger, then on the battery
Slide Hold off first: with the top cap off, move the switch itself. Connect the iPod to a charger, a wall charger for a 1st Gen, and turn it on: center button on a 1st Gen, any button on a 2nd Gen. It should show that it is charging. Try the wheel and all five buttons, since the wheel plug was off, and sound through headphones.
Then unplug the charger: it must keep running on the new battery. If it dies the moment you unplug it, the battery plug is the first suspect: with the charger unplugged, take out the two top screws, unclip the bracket and unplug the wheel, slide the insides out again, press the plug home and test again. If that changes nothing, the new battery may be faulty, because new ones can be too. If it won't start at all, reset it: move the Hold switch on, then off again, and press and keep holding Menu plus the center button until the Apple logo shows, about 6 to 8 seconds. Apple does the 1st Gen reset with its power adapter connected.
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Step 12: Caps back on
Fit the bottom cap with its pins lined up, so they can't cut the click wheel ribbon, then the top cap with its Hold slider on the same side as the switch. Our battery comes without cap adhesive; the opening guide gives three ways to make the caps stay.
Close it up and test
- Charge it fullyAbout 3 to 4 hours on a 1st Gen and about 4 on a 2nd Gen. Then unplug it and use it. If it still empties fast or dies when unplugged, check that the battery plug is fully in, then suspect the new battery (a new one can be faulty), then the logic board.
- The spots fadeDark pressure spots left by a swollen battery usually fade once the new one is in.
- Everything worksWheel, buttons, Hold, sound and charging.
- Recycle the old batteryTape over its contacts or seal it in a bag, then take it to a battery drop-off or a hazardous-waste point. Household trash and curbside recycling bins are not the place for it. Until you can drop it off, keep it on a non-flammable surface, away from anything that can burn.
If it doesn't work afterwards
- It won't turn on
- Check Hold is off, charge it (from a wall charger on a 1st Gen) and try a reset. Still nothing? Unplug the charger and open it again: both caps off, then the top screws, the bracket and the wheel plug, and slide the insides out. Check that the battery plug is fully in its socket and that no wire got pinched on the way in. iPod won't turn on
- The wheel or buttons stopped working
- It's the most common fault to appear after a battery swap. Either the click wheel plug isn't fully on, or the metal bracket didn't go back. Unplug any charger and slide Hold on, then check both before you order a wheel. Click wheel not working
- It dies when unplugged, or empties fast
- First the battery plug: unplug the charger, open it (both caps, top screws, bracket and wheel plug, insides out) and check that the plug is fully in. Next the new battery itself; a new one can be faulty. If a good battery with a good charger and cable still doesn't hold, the logic board is the likely fault. iPod won't hold a charge
- It won't charge
- Try another cable and charger. If a new battery and a working charger don't help, the charging circuit on the logic board is the likely fault; a battery that charges in another Mini but not in yours points the same way. iPod won't charge
- It gets hot
- The bottom of a Mini normally gets warm while it plays or charges. If it gets very hot or smells, unplug it, leave it closed on a non-flammable surface and contact us. Right after a battery swap the new battery itself is a likely cause, because a failing battery can make the iPod hot while it charges or plays: if the battery is hot or puffy, stop charging it, never press on it, and contact us. If it only runs a little warmer than before, let it cool and check for a pinched wire or a part pressing on the board. If it still runs hot with a good battery, the logic board is the likely fault. Free repair quote
Questions
How do I change an iPod Mini battery?
Take off both white caps and the two top screws, unplug the click wheel and push the insides out through the top. The battery is on the back of the board: unplug it, lift it off, plug the new one in and reassemble in reverse.
Which battery fits an iPod A1051?
The same one for both generations, so there is no 1st Gen or 2nd Gen battery to pick between. Our 1st Gen and 2nd Gen battery pages sell the same part.
Do I need to solder anything?
No. The battery's wires end in a plug that pushes into a socket on the logic board.
Can I fit a bigger battery?
Not really. Apple never published the original's capacity, and replacement packs carry labels of roughly 400 to 650 mAh; a much bigger number on a pack this size is a relabel, not more runtime. A new battery won't turn a 1st Gen into a 2nd Gen either: Apple rated the 1st Gen at up to 8 hours and the 2nd Gen at up to 18, and the gain came from the 2nd Gen's board, not its battery.
Will I lose my music?
It shouldn't. Your songs are on the drive, and a battery swap leaves the drive connected. Copy them off first anyway if you can.
Can you do it for me?
Yes. Choose We Fix It on the battery page and mail your iPod in; we fit the battery and send it back, typically in 3 to 5 business days, with a 1-year limited warranty.