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Magic Keyboard A1314 uses a lot of batteries

I have this keyboard for years now and still like it a lot. It doesn't have, as you know, a rechargeable battery but needs two AA batteries.

The batteries empty within three days, a little more if I don't use rechargeable ones. What is weird is that they also lose energy during the night, as the A1314 does not have a power button. The button on the right side of the keyboard does not power it on or off, it is needed to establish the connection to the computer.

Any suggestions what I could try are very welcome.

Thanks,

Michael

Posted on Feb 8, 2024 5:04 PM

Reply
3 replies

Feb 9, 2024 11:03 AM in response to MWEsser

...as the A1314 does not have a power button. The button on the right side of the keyboard does not power it on or off, it is needed to establish the connection to the computer.


I turn my A1314 off all the time. You press and HOLD the right button until the green light goes out. Please see the small text at the end of the first section of this Apple article:


If you can't connect your Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, or Magic Trackpad to your Mac - Apple Support



I also found the original user manual:


https://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1208/en_US/Apple_Wireless_Keyboard_2009_UG.pdf


...but it is unclear compared to the info in the article above re the "press and hold" part.


However, I have forgotten to turn mine off and still had usable batteries days later. Were this a notebook computer I could quote you chapter and verse on excessive battery drain but this is the first I've encounters this particular issue.


Does changing brands of batteries make a difference in runtime?

Feb 9, 2024 3:49 PM in response to Allan Jones

Hi, Allan,


thanks a lot for this comprehensive answer.

As to the 'power' button, in other posts I read the action you describe (6 sec continuous push) is said to reset the keyboard, for example if you want to unpair it from a given computer. I also cannot confirm from my experience that the long press switches the keyboard off. The only way to securely switch it off is to turn off the Bluetooth connection on the computer (as the keyboard holds the connection even at a distance of 35+ feet) and/or loosen the screw that locks the battery compartment.


What also strikes me as odd is that, if I control-click on the Bluetooth symbol in the menu bar, and get to see the specifics of the Magic Keyboard it says that the software version on it is 0.50. So Apple never got around to issue at least a 1.0 of the OS of the keyboard? Weird. Even if there was an update, there is no conceivable way that I have found to update the keyboard's software. Somewhere I read that the update comes automatically with the OS update of your computer, but I guess that Apple has long stopped the support of this old piece of hardware.

Which is a shame, because mechanically speaking it is still one of the best keyboards around.


As to different batteries types, yes, quality not rechargeable batteries last definitely longer than rechargeable ones. But never more than two weeks. It really makes you wonder how much the technology must have improved in the past years ever since the Magic Keyboard came on the market, as even the worst of today's rechargable bluetooth keyboards hold their charges for months.


Best,

Michael

Feb 10, 2024 9:11 AM in response to MWEsser

Thank you.


Maybe we could delve a bit deeper if we knew what Apple device this board is serving and its OS version. What third-party utilities if any are at play?


That knowledge also may suggest to us getting this moved to a more active forum section. In spite of a non-intuitive forum name, this section is generally for computers made before 2006 and a few odd things like Apple's discontinued routers that lost their home in the last simplification of the forum layout. Once we know the device, you and I can figure out a better home for this question.


Again, I've been in these forums way too long and this is the first report I've seen of super-short battery runtime on that model board. However, I've only used that board model on Macs, not iDevices.


I love a good mystery so I'm not giving up yet!

Magic Keyboard A1314 uses a lot of batteries

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