Apple Wireless keyboard eating batteries

I've an Apple aluminium wireless keyboard and a Magic Mouse. My keyboard's batteries last less than a week. I've seen this problem posted long time ago, but not clear solution now. Can anyone help

I'm having the same issue. I picked up a Magic Mouse right when they became available. At the time, I was using my USB keyboard but I also had the short aluminum (3 battery) bluetooth keyboard in my closet. Since my new mouse is wireless I decided to start using the BT keyboard as well to go all wireless. Since then, the batteries in the mouse have been fine and still report 75% charge but the batteries in my keyboard have needed to be replaced 3 times already. I'm using normal Energizer batteries (not rechargeables). I do use the keyboard quite a bit (probably 8 hours a day) but I remember when I used this keyboard in the past the batteries lasted for many months, not the few days they are lasting now. I put in new batteries in the keyboard yesterday and today I see it is reporting only a 77% charge already.
I am running Snow Leopard on a Mac Pro.

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Wireless keyboard eats batteries

I have a MBP running OSX 10.7.5, and my apple wireless keyboard has suddenly (as of a couple of weeks ago) started eating batteries. 5-8 hours, I will go from 100% to 12%. Prior to this, over the last year and a half, its been fine, I would maybe change batteries about once a month, if that.
I am not using a magic mouse with it, its a wired mouse.
I tried flashing the PRAM once.
Can anyone help?

Hello:
Offhand, it sounds like something went wrong with the device. There is no setting (that I am aware of) that would affect battery usage.
Barry

How long are the batteries for the Apple Wireless Keyboard supposed to last

I have an Apple Wireless Keyboard using Bluetooth to connect to my MBP. I'm using the keyboard about 10–12 hours a day. The battery typically lasts for only a month or two. Is this a normal life, or should it last longer than that? I've heard of experiences in which the battery can last upwards of a year.

You might as well use the macbook pro keyboard or purchase a wired keyboard to save on a monthly battery bill.
If 2 or 3 bucks every 1-2 months is that big of an issue, I agree.
But I bought and use mine for convenience, and that convenience is worth far more than the $2-3 for 3 AA alkaline batteries I spend as needed, even if it were on a monthly basis. Of course, if the built in keyboard serves you better, or a wired KB, certainly that would be the way to go (though I'm not sure why one would purchase a BT AWKB if that were the case). Think of what you spend money on for convenience. $3 a month, or 10 cents per day, or less than a penny per hour, for the convenience you apparently want (you bought the KB) works fine from my perspective. I look at the cost for me to golf, bike, fish, canoe, camp, ski, snowboard, scuba dive, eat out, travel, buy electronics and furniture, vehicles, clothes, etc. etc. etc. and if I could get those down to a penny an hour . . . well, it isn't going to happen.

HT3917 My apple wireless keyboard is not working after new batteries installed

My apple wireless keyboard is not working after new batteries installed.

Do you get a steady green light to say there is a connection. If not, are the batteries the right way round. Do you have a monitor to tell the batteries strength. Is there a reading. Are the batteries good quality ones, Duracell, Energiser or Apple rechargeables.

Apple Wireless Keyboard stuck at 100% charge, occasional disconnect even with fresh batteries. Any ideas?

Hi all,
I have an Apple Wireless Keyboard here I bought for my '09 Mac Mini, it's brilliant, love it. Problem is randomly a few months ago it started reporting my batteries as 100%, and I've not seen it report anything different for months now. Occasionally I'll get "connection lost" whilst the light on the keyboard is blinking as if it's trying to re-establish connection. I have a Wireless Trackpad which is working fine, reports the battery levels as normal and doesn't disconnect randomly. I've been replacing the batteries as disconnects happen and even with fresh ones it suffers from random disconnects.
Am I right in thinking that this is a keyboard problem? It still works when it's not disconnecting (doesn't happen all the time). It's just annoying when I will be typing something fairly long and then suddenly I get disconnected!
Cheers in advance.

Alvin, I'm using Lion, but hopefully it's similar to Snow Leopard if that's what you're using. Hope this helps:
Go in to System Preferences -> Bluetooth. In the page that appears, you'll see a white window showing your Bluetooth devices. At the bottom of this white pane, you'll see a +, - and a cog. Click the cog to bring up more options, and then click "Show More Info". The pane will split in to two, and show further information about your devices. Click your bluetooth device (such as your keyboard), and look at the setting of "Favourite" to the right. If this is set to "No", click the cog at the bottom left again, and click "Add To Favourites". Job done. You'll see the "Favourite" setting change to yes, and that's it.

I have an Apple wireless keyboard that will not turn on, even with new batteries. The contacts seem fine. What could be the problem?

My wireless keyboard will not turn on despite new batteries. It is about 8 years old. The contacts seem to be good. What could be the problem?

Hi elljohnson,
It is important when replacing discharged batteries in the Apple Wireless Keyboard to make sure the new batteries are oriented correctly. See this article for directions -
Apple Wireless Keyboard (2007): How to install or replace batteries - Apple Support
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Brett L

Wacom Tablet causes Apple wireless keyboard to stop working.

My Wacom tablet/pen causes my Apple wireless keyboard to stop working. While working on a photo in Photoshop using my Apple (usb) mouse to make selections the keyboard works fine. When I use the Wacom Pen to make selections, not immediately but anywhere from five to ten minutes into it, I hear what sounds like a chirp from my computer (Mac Pro) and my keyboard stops working. The command, option, control and direction keys still work but not the number and letter keys. I have to connect a spare Logitech keyboard via USB in order to continue and not loose my work. After awhile I will hear the chirp again and the Apple keyboard will start working. This will continue to occur at irregular intervals. Without the spare keyboard I've had to reboot my computer (loosing all the work on the photo) to get the keyboard working again, but only for it to reoccur. Any suggestions to fix this would be appreciated.

The Mac inherently keeps all input methods active, such that you could type alternate keys on alternate keyboards.
If you have third party add-ons that might change the way Bluetooth works, those would be the primary suspects.
Be sure all your Drivers are completely up-to-date, and batteries in battery-powered devices are still strong.
Bluetooth uses the same part of the frequency spectrum (but a different modulation technique) as cheap WiFi Routers, baby monitors, and microwave ovens. if you live in a busy apartment building, there may be very high levels of interference.

Apple wireless keyboard, mouse and trackpad battery management is SO MESSED UP! HELP!

I have like 2 dozen batteries that I have swapped in the days since 10.8.4. The **** thing just drains in like 4 days. I am using apple wireless keyboard and mouse/trackpad (either at a time) with my macbook pro that is in closed lide clamshell mode less than a feet away from these devices. the batteries are draining like crazy! 3-4 days! they used to work for like weeks! i have heard in another thread that there is some bluetooth driver issue.
i know many of you would come up with things to check for like other wireless devices, etc. but like I said i have been using this since 2011 and only now since 10.8.4 they have gone crazy!
whats even more weird is that i dont think the batteries are really draining. its something to do with the battery management hardware/software that fails to see the power inside. when i remove the currently dead battery and put in one that was indicated having 0% charger i get a magically 50+ % sometimes event 80! a reboot and the figure is something else! since this is happening with all the three input devices i think its something to do with macbook pro.
any fix?
Neerav

SOLUTION:
Put the devices in "Manual paring mode"
1. Turn device off.
2. Push and hold in power button until the LED starts flashing on and off.
3. Try the paring procedure.
4. It should work.
I went to the apple store and this is what they did. They got the trackpad paired no problem, but the keyboard would refuse to make connection. At first they blamed windows and didn't want to replace the keyboard because it worked fine under OSX. However I made them try one of their keyboards and it paired fine. So they ended up swapping out my keyboard for one of the newer ones and now it pairs with both windows and OSX with no problem!

Apple Wireless Keyboard on iMac 20

Good morning everybody, two months ago i have installed an apple wireless keyboard model M9270T/A (not aluminium), model with numeric pad.
It runs properly since yesterday, when it stops to run.
I have tried to reinstall, it is discovered, but it doesn't linked and the led continue to lamp. So the system tells me that this bluetooth configuration is not supported by this Os X (but until yesterday it runs properly!?!?)
I have:
1) replaced the batteries
2) followed strictly what reported on support (turn off the keyboard, follo guidelines, update the latest version of software)...
No way...does anyone can help me?
Thanks in advance

Did you manage to get around your issue without resorting to a wired keyboard? My brother has the same issue.

Can't type Shift t on Apple wireless keyboard

When I try to type capital T on my Apple wireless keyboard, I can't type shift+t to make it. ( when type shift+t shows nothing on my display monitor. ) I have to press caps lock and t to make capitel T. Can anyone help me to solve this problem? Thank you.

start in Recovery & use Safari there - does the problem persist ?
if so, likely a problem inside the keyboard, but try new batteries.
If it works there - test in Safe mode

Powering Apple Wireless Keyboard

I know this is a keyboard issue, but there's no keyboard Discussion area, and I'm using it with a MacBook Pro... thanks in advance for any help.
Using a new Apple Wireless Keyboard (the latest tiny aluminium one), it seems unclear how to use something as simple as the power button!
Apple say "The keyboard automatically powers down when you're not using it and turns on instantly as soon as you start typing. This intelligent power management means you'll get up to nine months of battery life based on average usage patterns." I get all that - sounds great! But, they go on to say "It also has an on/off switch for when you're away from your computer for a long time." But there's nothing to explain how that works. If I stop working, turn it off and walk away, there's nothing to indicate that it's turned off. When I come back to work, do I need to turn it on again or does it just power up automatically from the 'turned off' state? If so, What did the turning off actually do? Or this a 'fridge light' situation??
Point is, I see no point in the power button if the unit turns off automatically when I stop using it, and there's nothing on the device to indicate whether it's been switched off or on. And it has used the new set of batteries far too quickly for my liking (less than a week), especially considering that Apple suggest a long (up to nine months) battery life. Mind you, as is always the case, the "up to" terminology also means "down to" (zero) I guess.
Any help or advice much appreciated. Thanks.

I had the same questions after installing my keyboard. When I powered it up the first time, the power light came on and then went off. My power light seems to be off even when I'm using the keyboard to type. So that's not a valid indication of "sleep mode". However, I found to turn it off completely I pushed the power button, and the power light came back on. Then I pushed and held the power button for a few seconds. The power light went out and I saw a keyboard icon on my display with "connection lost" below it. Powered it back on by pushing the power button and was back in business immediately.
The manual is skimpy and confusing. It reads, "Note: When the Power On light is off, the keyboard is off." That's on page 3. Well it's working well right now, with the light off. If the manual is correct (it's not, but if it were) then my batteries would last a very, very long time.
Nice keyboard though, and very portable for a ModBook - if I ever get one.

Will an Apple wireless keyboard pair with an iPad2?

Is an Apple wireless keyboard designed to pair with an iPad 2? The instruction book refers to a Mac computer but never to an iPad. I keep getting the "Pairing Unsuccessful" message after I type in the 4 digit code that the iPad tells me to enter on the keyboard. The keyboard gives me the flashing light saying it's ready to pair, but doesn't make the hook-up. The keyboard is just a foot from the iPad. Any suggestions?

This might help.
Note the following:
The original Apple Wireless Keyboard, introduced in 2003, is not compatible:
Apple Wireless Keyboard (2003): Features a white case and uses four AA batteries.
In addition, many third-party Bluetooth keyboards that use the Apple keyboard layout are also compatible. Check with the keyboard manufacturer for additional information.

Apple Wireless Keyboard

I cannot get my apple wireless keyboard to work. I changed the batteries and now I can't get it to pair. When I go into set up bluetooth device I click on find keyboard and it shows nothing found. When I click other device it recognizes it but when I type in the passkey (number on the bottom of keyboard) it will not pair. Please help..

Are you using the new wireless keyboard, or the older version?
I am having similar problems with my wireless keyboard. One day it just stopped working. I took it in to the Genius Bar, and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with it either. They replaced it for me. My new one still won't work. It is strange, because my computer recognizes the keyboard, and it seems to be paired. When I type on the keyboard, it is as though the computer recognizes it as a mouse - the cursor jumps around, and if I hit the "I" key, it "clicks" as though the mouse were clicked.
Unfortunately, I am now back at school in Santa Barbara, and there are no Mac stores to visit. Furthermore, I am no longer covered by phone support (you'd think that the wireless keyboard would be covered... no such luck.) Have you had any luck with your problem?

Apple Wireless Keyboard Drain?

I just bought an Apple Wireless Keyboard to use with my MacBook, and the battery is already at 88%. At this rate, in 5 days the battery will be drained. Could this be the batteries it came with, or is it most likely a faulty keyboard?

Well, obviously, turn the keyboard turned off when you're not using it for extended periods to avoid draining the batteries, as the Bluetooth transmitter will be running if the keyboard is not turned off.
Personally, I don't put a lot of stock in the battery level indicator for the wireless devices. A new set of batteries in my wireless Might Mouse immediately read only 93% battery level. Use it more as a guide to gauge when you might want to consider replacing the batteries when it starts dropping below 20%.
Good, fresh batteries ought to last at least one to two months under normal everyday usage on the Apple wireless devices.
The batteries that came with it are nothing exceptional and probably not the highest quality batteries available, but ought to work well enough for a month or two.
-Douggo

Apple wireless keyboard, no battery logo always blinking

Hello,
I just got my battery changed for my apple wireless keyboard. Even if i replace the battery again, the issue start again.
The not battery logo is always blinking every 5 seconds which is terribly disturbing.
What could be the issue about it ?
Thx for your reply.
PS : i use windows 7

I don't know about the Wireless Keyboard, but Apple's Magic Trackpad (MT) is amazingly inaccurate in telling the computer how much power is left. I have a mid 2010 iMac (27", 3.6 GHz i5, 10.10.1). About a week ago, my the iMac reported that the MT had a low battery. Usually, I tend to change the battery when this happens. This time, I decided to just keep on going. Well, it's been more than a week now, and the MT is working fine. The battery charge has been gradually dropping (sort of), and now reads 8%. One day it even went to 40%, but then it dropped back to 9. I don't think this has anything to do with Yosemite, since I had been noticing that the battery life on my MT seemed awfully short, lasting less than 2 weeks on Apple's rechargeable batteries. This has been the case from 10.6 through 10.10.

Apple Wireless keyboard eating batteries

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