Checking your iPad’s battery health is getting easier, as iPad models released since 2024 have a dedicated Battery Health menu. If you have an older iPad, getting that information takes a little more work, but it's still pretty straightforward. We'll show how to do both in this article.
It's important to check your battery’s health as it helps you plan, manage expectations, and keep your tablet in peak condition. This applies for all iPad generations, old and new.
All lithium batteries degrade with time of course. But before you think about upgrading to a new model like the 2025 M5 iPad Pro or 2026 M4 iPad Air, read on and learn what you can do to optimise your existing battery.
How to check iPad battery life on a post-2024 iPad
On iPad Pro (M4 and M5), iPad Air (M2, M3 and M4), iPad mini (A17 Pro) and iPad (A16), you can find out about your iPad battery health, when your battery was manufactured, when it was first used, and the cycle count in your iPad settings. Simply, open Settings, tap Battery, then tap Battery Health.
Unfortunately, older iPads can't do this, even if you update your operating system to iPadOS 26.
How to check iPad battery health on an older device using built-in settings
01. Open settings
Launch the Settings app on your iPad.
02. Navigate to Analytics & Improvements
Tap Privacy & Security.
Select Analytics & Improvements.
03. Enable Share iPad Analytics
If you haven’t already, toggle on Share iPad Analytics.
Wait for a day or two to allow data recordings.
04. Access Analytics Data
Once data is available, tap Open Analytics Data.
Open one of the files at the top (look for the most recent date).
Scroll down and copy the whole file.
In a text editing app (like Notes or Google Docs), paste the copied text.
05. Search for Battery Health
Search for last_value_MaximumCapacityPercent. This value indicates your battery’s current status. More info here.
How to download the Battery Stats shortcut
Battery Stats is a free Siri Shortcut created by the tech support site Payette Forward. It reads your iPad’s analytics log and pulls out battery data that’s otherwise hidden, including the actual cycle count, its current maximum capacity in mAh and its original design capacity.
This shortcut works on older iPads without the Battery Health menu, and gives a more detailed picture than the menu does on iPads that have it.
The shortcut shows:
- MaximumFCC (original maximum capacity)
- NominalChargeCapacity (current maximum capacity)
- CycleCount (number of complete charge cycles)
01. Turn on analytics sharing
The shortcut needs your iPad’s analytics files to work. If you haven’t already, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements and turn on Share iPad Analytics. Then wait a day or two for files to be generated.
02. Get the shortcut
Download the Battery Stats shortcut on your iPad and add it to the Shortcuts app.
03. Open an analytics file
Open the Settings app.
Go to Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements > Analytics Data.
Open one of the files beginning with “Analytics” followed by a date. Choose the most recent.
04. Run the Shortcut
Tap the Share button in the top-right corner of the screen.
Select Battery Stats from the share sheet.
The shortcut will run and display your iPad’s original maximum capacity, current maximum capacity and cycle count.
05. Understand the stats
MaximumFCC: This is your iPad battery’s original capacity in milliamp hours (mAh). Apple quotes iPad battery capacity in watt-hours rather than mAh, so this is the easiest way to find the figure.
Nominal Charge Capacity: This is your battery’s current maximum capacity. It will gradually fall below the MaximumFCC figure as your iPad ages and goes through charge cycles. Divide it by MaximumFCC and multiply by 100 to get a rough battery health percentage.
Cycle Count: This shows how many complete charge cycles your iPad’s battery has been through. A charge cycle is counted when you’ve used the equivalent of 100% of the battery’s capacity, but not necessarily in one go. For example, if you use 60% of your battery one day, recharge it, then use 40% the next day, that adds up to one cycle. So topping up your iPad regularly doesn’t burn through cycles any faster than letting it run down.
How can I extend my iPad battery health?
If you want to make a single charge last longer, turn on Low Power Mode (Settings > Battery), lower your screen brightness and switch on Auto-Brightness. You can also turn off Background App Refresh (Settings > General > Background App Refresh) and limit which apps can use your location (Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services).
Longer term, a lithium-ion battery’s lifespan is related to its chemical age. The amount of charge that the battery can hold is reduced by chemical aging, which reduces peak performance and battery life.
Chemical aging can be caused by a combination of temperature history, charging pattern and other factors. iPads have been designed to provide the best possible performance throughout that process of chemical aging by monitoring its power needs and managing performance to address it.
That said, battery aging can still lead to noticeable effects, which can be temporary or permanent. This can include longer app launch times, lower frame rates, increased processing times, reduced wireless-data throughput, backlight dimming, or lower speaker volume.
It's recommended to keep charge levels between 20-80% for long-term health. Reducing the time that your iPad spends fully charged reduces the wear on your battery. On newer iPads, you can choose to limit charging to 80%, which can help prolong your battery’s lifespan. This option is available on the iPad Pro (M4 and M5), iPad Air (M2, M3 and M4), iPad mini (A17 Pro) and iPad (A16). To turn it on or off, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health.
With 80% Limit turned on (as you might expect), your iPad will charge to about 80% then stop. If the charge level drops to 75%, charging resumes until it reaches about 80% again.
Even with 80% Limit enabled, though, your iPad will occasionally charge to 100% to keep its battery level estimates accurate. And if the battery gets too warm, iPadOS may pause charging at 80% regardless of your setting, so don’t be surprised if that happens on a hot day.
Apple recommends avoiding using or charging your iPad in ambient temperatures higher than 35° C / 95° F, which can permanently reduce battery lifespan. On the other hand, , cold weather does less lasting harm: you might notice shorter battery life, or find your iPad stops charging, but performance returns to normal once it warms up again.
Apple says turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth does little to extend battery life as these are designed to draw minimal power when not connected to a network or accessory. For this reason, it recommends keep Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on for the best experience on your iPad.
How long does an iPad battery last?
Apple rates almost every current iPad at up to 10 hours of web browsing or video on Wi-Fi, and up to nine hours on mobile data. The bigger 13-inch models don’t last longer; their larger batteries just power bigger screens.
On all models, how long a charge lasts can drop sharply when doing heavy tasks like gaming, video editing or using high-power apps. Using mobile data instead of Wi-Fi will also often reduce battery life.
When using your iPad in a very cold environment, you might notice a decrease in battery life. This is temporary, and performance should return to normal when temperature returns to its normal range.
iPad batteries are designed to retain 80% of their original capacity at 1,000 complete charge cycles, depending on how they're regularly used and charged. In our experience, an iPad typically stays above 80% capacity for around five years of normal use.
When using your iPad in a very cold environment, you might notice a decrease in battery life. This is temporary, and performance should return to normal when temperature returns to its normal range.
How often should I charge my iPad?
For new iPads, the battery should last a whole day, meaning that you can leave it to charge at night.
Apple suggests charging an iPad at night even when the battery isn't fully depleted. The tablet will automatically stop charging when the battery is fully charged, so it's safe to leave it connected, but Apple suggests unplugging when possible after it has charged.
For more on optimising your iPad, see our iPad shortcuts guide.
