Reviving an old iPad

We have an old iPad that I'd like to start using again. It might be 10 years old, maybe a bit more. It hasn't been used in 6-8 years.

I've had it plugged in over night but the only thing it's done is display a white Apple logo in the center of the screen the entire time. I tried holding the power button down for 60 seconds but nothing changes. The home button on the front similarly does nothing. Any suggestions?

I suspect it will need a new battery.  I had a first gen iPad that I kept with me for years.  I would play sudoku on it when I needed to be killing time.  That was three or four years ago. I should go plug it in and see if it still works.  I suspect it won't.

In reply to dyintorace :

Try holding BOTH the power and home button at the same time for a while. 

Will early models still download apps with such an old IOS

1988RedT2 said:

I suspect it will need a new battery.  I had a first gen iPad that I kept with me for years.  I would play sudoku on it when I needed to be killing time.  That was three or four years ago. I should go plug it in and see if it still works.  I suspect it won't.

Well, I was about to give up on it, but as of just a few minutes ago, after having it plugged in for a few hours, and trying to get it to do anything, including holding both buttons, I got it to turn on with just a press of the power button.  Battery was showing like 23% charged.  I just finished a game of sudoku on it, just like old times.  LOL. 

I am certain it wouldn't download any new apps.  I just use it as it was when it was being used years ago.  It's got a good number of apps that still work.

To the OP: leaving it plugged in for days might get enough charge in the battery to get it to power up, but sitting discharged for long periods has likely done the battery in.  It may be possible to ebay a new battery and install it with the help of a youtube vid, but may very well not be worth the effort.

Edit:  Mine is model A1219, which dates back to 2010.  In spite of my general ambivalence towards Apple and it's products, I can report that it has been a paragon of dependability.

If you do a google search you can find how to reset it using iTunes.

Mine was set up for work with no password or any security since multiple volunteers needed to use it.  It went through an update and suddenly required a 6 digit pin.

Reset it through iTunes and it's great.  That's if you need to reset, but it sounds like you might have it sorted.

Thanks for the suggestions. No change as of yet, including after holding both the power and home buttons. I'll leave it plugged in for a bit longer before declaring it a goner. I'd want to download a few new apps to it anyway. 

I just got a new battery installed in my hand-me-down iPad Air 2. Batteries+ had to order the battery and with install cost me right around $100. I thought REALLY hard about just getting a 2021 iPad on sale from Best Buy though. At $250 for a new one, it came down to the fact that the Air 2 would still update to the latest OS, etc. for at least a little while longer.

If your model can't support the new OS's, I'd think hard about spending any money on it.

hobiercr said:

If your model can't support the new OS's, I'd think hard about spending any money on it.

Oh, definitely.  If I could tackle the battery replacement myself, I'd spring for the parts, but no way I'd pay somebody to do it.  But I'm funny that way.  I've re-battery-ed two drowned iPhones.  One kinda worked, one was toast.  A battery install on an old iPad is almost certainly easier than a phone. 

If you buy the oldest still-supported iPad, they're not too bad, price-wise.

Let me add , if you get a iPad that has cellular it has a GPS chip and you can use it as a large GPS without cell service, 

the WiFi only models do not have the GPS chip

Hmm, I think I like wise have an old, bordering on ancient, I-pad I need to check for functionality. Thank you for the reminder.

Do the older ones still hold Wifi connection well? 

Call Apple support: 1-800-275-2273

It's free and there is no time limit or restriction on helping, even with EOL old machines it's 'best effort' for the techs.

I was tier two Mac support for a year when the pandemic hit, and trust me when I say that if you call in to ask about a thing like this and don't expect much they'll be extremely happy to help you.  (because you are not yet another teen who expects you to replace the phone they just dropped, for free)