How To Check The Battery Health On Your iPad

Sometimes, an iPad's battery may seem like it doesn't last as long as it used to. Although this is completely normal, some users might experience a more drastic drop in battery life that implies something is wrong. If you feel like your iPad only lasts a couple of hours on a single charge, whether it's a tad old or brand new, we recommend you check its battery health. However, the exact process to do this varies depending on which iPad model you have. If your iPad predates certain M-series models, such as the M4 iPad Pro, you will need to use a cumbersome — though not particularly difficult — method that involves enabling the iPad's analytics feature, then digging through the raw data for your battery's information. 

If you have an M4 iPad Pro or an M2 iPad Air (not to be confused with the M2 iPad Pro we reviewed in 2022), you can access the battery health data directly in an iPadOS menu that mirrors the battery health menu found on iPhones. Apple added the battery health menu to select iPad models in early 2024; it is unclear whether there are plans to make it available on older models, as the company has not clarified why the model-based limitation exists at the time of writing. The battery health menu is not available on any of the other non-Pro models, such as the iPad mini (6th Generation), nor the pre-M4 iPad Pros.

If you want to check the battery health on an iPad Pro that features Apple's M2 or M4 chip, you can do so using the new Battery Health menu built into iPadOS:

Apple

1. Turn on your iPad.
2. Open the Settings app.
3. Scroll down and tap Battery.
4. Look at the information provided in the Battery Health menu that opens. 

Each item in the Battery Health menu is self-explanatory. For example, within the Battery Health bar at the top of the menu, look for the status — if it says Normal, that means your battery is in good health, but if it says Service, that means something is wrong and you should make an appointment to get the battery looked at. The menu bar titled Maximum Capacity shows the battery's current charging capacity, which decreases over time as the iPad is regularly charged and drained. Meanwhile, the Cycle Count bar shows how many times the battery has been charged and discharged. 

According to Apple, it designed the iPad's battery to keep 80% of its charge capacity across 1,000 charging cycles. This means, put simply, you should be able to fully charge and discharge your iPad Pro 1,000 times before the battery's maximum capacity drops low enough that it'll be time to get the battery replaced. If the max charge capacity drops to 80% before you reach 1,000 charge cycles, you should contact Apple about a warranty claim.

There's no feature that directly shows the iPad's battery health. However, Apple keeps the data related to maximum battery capacity and charge cycle count in its analytics logs. For whatever reason, it doesn't let you access it unless you tweak a couple of settings.

1. First, open the Settings app on your iPad.
2. Scroll down and hit the "Privacy & Security" option.
3. In the following menu, find and hit the option that reads "Analytics & Improvements."
4. Now, turn on "Share iPad Analytics" at the top of the screen. You can only access your iPad's current charge capacity only after you agree to share diagnostic and usage data with Apple. Once you enable the option, you will have to wait for a day or so until your iPad records the necessary data.
5. The next day, navigate to the same menu in step four and hit "Analytics Data."
6. Now, you need to look for a file that's named "Analytics-[year]-[month]-[date]-[hour-minutes-seconds].ips.ca.synced." Watch out for the "ca.synced" in the end. In our case, the file was named "Analytics-2023-10-28-053007.ips.ca.synced."
7. Open the file, hit the Share button at the top right, and then select "Save to Files."
8. Open the Files app, locate the file you just saved, and rename it "Analytics.txt." The idea is to convert it into a text file so your iPad can open it.

Now, tap on the file to open it. You'll see an ocean of random terms and jargon, but don't worry, as you're very close to determining your iPad's battery health now.

1. Hit the search button (magnifying glass) in the top right and type in "MaximumCapacityPercent." 
2. Right next to the phrase, you'll notice a number, which signifies what percent of the maximum charge your iPad can currently hold, or, in other words, its current battery health. For this example, it is 94%.
3. If you wish to know more about the total battery capacity of your iPad or want a more accurate depiction of the battery health, search for "MaximumFCC" in the analytics file. 
4. The result is the maximum capacity from when your iPad was new, in mAh. 
5. Next, search for "NominalChargeCapacity," which indicates the current capacity. 
6. Now, divide the second value by the first, and you have yourself a precise representation of your iPad's battery health, as it takes into account the actual battery capacity of the new device. For this example, the numbers are 8203/9071, which equals 90%. 
7. Last but not least, you can also check how many times you've charged your iPad by searching for "CycleCount."

Now that you know the battery capacity of your iPad, let's discuss what it means, and whether you need to take any action.

Suppose you've purchased an iPad in the last year; expect the battery health to hover around 95%. If it's two years old, the number should be between 90% and 85%, and that's fine.

However, if the battery health falls drastically to 90% or, say, 85% in a couple of months since you purchased the device, you should contact Apple support and ask them to examine if there's a problem with your iPad, and if it needs a battery replacement.

As general practice, you shouldn't charge your iPad with third-party chargers, which might harm the battery. Apple also recommends users update their iPads to the latest version of iPadOS and enable auto-brightness. To extend the battery life, users can also enable low power mode.

That's about it. Now you know how to check your iPad's battery health, how to interpret it, and what you can do to preserve the battery.