The Apple box says the battery should last 12 hours, but yours just went dead after eight. So what gives, you ask? Well, the 12-hour approximation doesn’t take the full functionality of your iPod into account. Or in other words, the additional features like backlighting and commands you make from the menu (such as searching for specific songs or artists). All of those actions drain more power, and hence, give you a shorter battery life per charge.

The good news is that there are some tips and tricks you can employ to get the most play time out of your player — and here they are.

1. Reset the iPod to the default settings.
1. Make sure the remote’s HOLD switch is off.
2. Connect iPOD to power adapter.
3. Connect adapter to an outlet or your computer’s firewire port.
4. Press and hold the PLAY and MENU buttons for 5 seconds, until Apple logo appears.
2. Use the Hold button when playing music. When engaged, the Hold button disables any power to your iPod’s controls, therefore saving power. Just slide the Hold switch toward the headphones jack to turn it on.
3. Change the backlight settings. The backlight in an iPOD can drain a great deal of power from the player. If there is not a need for it, turn it off altogether (Choose SETTINGS –> BACKLIGHT TIME –> OFF). If you do need to use the backlight for low light situations, change the setting to have the backlight turn off after only a few seconds.
4. Disable the Equalizer. The equalizer is constantly changing the sound properties of the music that is being played. By disabling this feature you can extend your battery life (Choose SETTINGS –> EQ –> OFF).
5. Create Playlists. Manually choosing songs or selecting new artists and actively accessing the menus will also cut the battery life. Create a few playlists to use when you’re traveling with your iPod and you’ll get a longer listening period.