I have been using the Ipad mini to run Skydemon for some years but just recently the battery will last only about 2 hours or slightly less. Can anyone offer any tips to extend the battery life or replace if this is possible?
Thanks
well, not sure it helps, but my pretty recent mini holds quite a few hours. And of course, using location reduces that time. So make sure the feature is only used for SD as you fly along…
Now not sure how the aircraft you’re flying is equipped, but my dual output USB goes 1/to the lightning power supply port 2/to the Xnaut cooling case…
Besides, haven’t observed any increased consumption due to any SD updates lately.
A cheapie way to extend your mileage might be the use of a power bank… Those are becoming cheaper, smaller and better by the day 
Battery capacity goes down over time. You say you have used your iPad for ‘some years’. Perhaps it’s simply the battery aging out. There are third-party repair places that do replace the battery, but usually it’s better to use the Apple trade-in route and get a newer model.
Foreflight on my Ipad Mini 5 lasts only 2-3 hours. I bought it used so not sure how old the battery is. But recently I got a new battery for my ~ 7 year old T705 tablet and it transformed it, going from 1hr to about 7 hours.
I advice to get https://www.coconut-flavour.com/coconutbattery/ and check the remaining health of the battery.
What does ‘some years’ convert to in numbers and what generation is it? Hard to give advice without that information. I suspect it is one of the older iPad Mini without ApplePencil support, which may make advice easier as it is really a nice tool in cockpit. Long shot, if Generation 4 or higher it is still in support and I would seek for battery replacement, if it is Generation 3 or earlier and the battery worn out I would trade it for a current new iPadMini.
iPad mini 4 running software 15.3.1. Probably about 4 years old I think. It has been great but started around 6 weeks ago to have a very limited battery life. Thankd for the suggestions.
I also have an iPad mini 4 which has typically lasted about 4-5 hours of flight time. I use it extensively most days. More recently that has been reduced but I would still expect 3-4 hours. It rarely runs out before I finish instructing for the day. I suspect that some of the latest software updates have had an impact, but for several Apple products that I use intensively I have found a battery replacement works wonders.
I find that screen brightness is an important factor in battery life.
You can also go into Settings > Battery and see what apps are drawing most from the battery. It may be that you have something running in the background that drains it.
I use my iPads (Mini 4 & 5) almost exclusively for flying and get around 4-5 hours out of either, with the 4 being older perhaps a bit less. This is running Foreflight with an external GPS source (either panel or portable (Stratus or DUAL).
My iPad Mini 3 used to last 8 hours when new (and software was less demanding at that time) to 3 hours when I replaced it few months ago. My new iPad Mini 6 lasts for 8 hours running ForeFlight.
This general issue can be seen on any device, IME. Most of the time the cause is never found, but terminating all the apps, switching the device off, and switching it back on, can help. I dont know about Apple but Android devices display stats on which apps draw most power and sometimes you get mysterious data in there; basically a badly written app which has got itself into a tight loop.
Otherwise, a battery replacement is the way to go especially if you bought the device secondhand i.e. don’t know the usage history.
