iPadOS 17.5 May Bring Battery Health to the iPad

One of the most useful things to come from Apple’s so-called Batterygate scandal six years ago was a new set of Battery Health tools in iOS 11.3. For the first time, iPhone owners could gain new insights into how well their batteries were performing and whether it was time to seek out a replacement.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, that feature never came to the iPad. Even before iOS 13 and iPadOS 13, when Apple forked the two operating systems apart, iOS 12 only provided the Battery Health menu for iPhone users. Folks with an iPad were left with less reliable third-party apps, at best.

However, better late than never, it looks like Apple may finally be preparing to change this with iPadOS 17.5, although it remains unclear which specific iPad models will be supported.

Code found in the first iPadOS 17.5 beta by MacRumors contributors Steve Moser and Aaron Perris reveals multiple references to a Battery Health menu on the iPad, which could even include details like maximum remaining capacity and cycle count.

The code strings in iPadOS 17.5 are very similar to what we’ve seen in the iPhone’s Battery Health section for years, mostly with the word “iPhone” swapped out for “iPad.”

For example, a trip into Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging on your iPhone will show a paragraph at the top that says, “iPhone batteries, like all rechargeable batteries, are consumable components that become less effective as they age.” A string in iPadOS 17.5 reads, “iPad batteries, like all rechargeable batteries, have a limited lifespan and may eventually need to be serviced or replaced.”

Since iPadOS 17.5 doesn’t unlock a new Battery Health menu on any current iPad models, Macrumors believes that this may be limited to the new iPad Pro and iPad Air lineups that are expected to launch next month. However, it’s also possible that Apple has not finished it yet or wants to wait to activate it for older iPad models until the new ones are available.

It wouldn’t be unprecedented to limit some battery health features to only newer models. Apple recently did the same with the iPhone 15 lineup, where only the current models show cycle count and dates for when the battery was manufactured and first used. These aren’t likely arbitrary additions; there’s probably new technology in the latest batteries and iPhones that provides these extra details, and the same could be true of Apple’s new iPads.

Apple’s new iPads were initially expected to arrive in late March but have reportedly experienced multiple delays in the production process and finishing up the software. This could suggest that the upcoming tablets were never expected to run iPadOS 17.4 in the first place and will more likely ship with iPadOS 17.5.

By all reports, the new iPad Pro and iPad Air have entered production and are on track to ship in May. The iPad Pro will get a thinner design thanks to a switch to OLED screens, and naturally be upgraded to Apple’s latest M3 chip. The iPad Air will gain a larger 12.9-inch model and the M2 chip, but not likely too much else over its predecessor. Both iPad lineups are also expected to adopt landscape cameras and be accompanied by a new Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]