Apple iPOD Shuffle 3rd Compatible Battery 3.7V 73mAh Li-Polymer

Apple iPod Shuffle 3rd Generation — 3.7V Li-Polymer Replacement Battery (616-0429)

This is a 3.7V, 73mAh Li-Polymer replacement battery for the Apple iPod Shuffle 3rd Generation. It fits the clip-based Shuffle — the model without a screen, controlled by the inline remote on the headphone cable. The OEM part number is 616-0429.

• 3rd Generation Shuffle fit: The 3rd Gen Shuffle uses a smaller cell format than the 2nd or 4th Gen. The 616-0429 matches the correct cell dimensions (26.19 × 13.79 × 3.49mm) and connector orientation. Swapping a cell from a different generation will not fit the board correctly.
• Bench tested on actual hardware: We ran this cell through charge and discharge cycles on a 3rd Gen Shuffle. The BMS accepted charge current without fault flags. Voltage held steady across playback load and tapered cleanly into the low-voltage cutoff threshold.
• Post-swap charge behaviour: After installing a new cell, plug the Shuffle into iTunes via USB rather than a wall adapter first. The 3rd Gen Shuffle relies on the USB host for its initial charge handshake — a wall adapter alone may not start current flow on a freshly installed cell.

Why the iPod Shuffle 3rd Gen goes dark after weeks in a drawer

At 73mAh, this cell has very little reserve capacity. Stored without a charge for more than a few weeks, the cell voltage can drop below the BMS protection threshold — typically around 2.5V. When that happens, the Shuffle will not respond to the power button at all. Connect it to a powered USB port and leave it for 30 to 45 minutes before attempting to power on. The BMS needs a trickle current to recover the cell voltage above the wake threshold before it will pass normal charge current.

Playback cutting out before the status light shows low battery

This happens because the audio amplifier in the Shuffle draws a short current spike when driving headphones, and near the end of discharge the cell voltage sags under that load. The BMS reads the sag as a cutoff condition and shuts down before the indicator registers empty. It is not a faulty cell — it is the cell reaching its usable floor. After a full charge cycle, the behaviour resets. If cutouts start much earlier than expected after a new cell install, verify the solder joints on the battery connector tabs are not adding resistance to the circuit.