iPhone got a native Battery Health tool a while ago. While it doesn’t produce as much useful information as I’d like, it still gives me a rough idea of the overall condition of my iPhone’s battery. But unfortunately, Apple has removed this vital tool from the iPad. And that hasn’t changed even with the release of iPadOS.
So I looked for a third-party desktop tool to check the battery health of my iPad, which has been with me for over four years. I had to make sure there wasn’t any battery-related issues around the corner.
Luckily, I’ve found not one but three great tools that can help me easily determine the status of the battery on my iPad. They run on both macOS and Windows. So whatever desktop platform you prefer, you won’t be left out in the cold.
1. Coconut Battery (macOS Only)
CoconutBattery is an extremely small application for Mac that provides a number of details about your iPad’s battery status. After downloading and installing the program, open it, switch to the iOS Device tab; You will see all the details about your iPad’s battery.
Key details include Full Charge Capacity and Design Capacity. The first details your iPad’s current charging capacity, while the second shows its original capacity – the bigger the difference between the two, the worse the battery.
Additionally, you can find a percentage value under Design Capacity, which is Full Charge Capacity divided by Design Capacity. As a general rule of thumb, you should only worry about getting a new battery or switching to a new iPad when that value drops below 80 percent. Mine is 92.5 percent, so I have nothing to worry about yet.
Another vital piece of information is the value next to the Number of Cycles. This reading gives the total number of charge cycles your iPad has gone through since you first started charging it. Apple puts the maximum charge cycles for an iPad in thousand, so I’m still not clear on 477 charge cycles.
The other details listed in the app are largely irrelevant, but the reading next to Temperature can come in handy if you have any issues with overheating.
2. iMazing (macOS and Windows)
I like CoconutBattery for its simple yet focused nature. However, if you’re having trouble installing it on your Mac or just have a Windows-based desktop, iMazing is a great alternative.
iMazing is an iTunes-like program with which you can back up your iPad and perform a number of other maintenance tasks. It also lets you determine your iPad’s battery health. Fortunately, the free version is more than adequate for the job at hand.
After installing iMazing on macOS or Windows, open it and click the Battery icon in the lower right corner of the iMazing window.
Then you will be greeted with a popup with all the details you want – Design Max. Charge, Effective Max. Charge (same as Full Charge Capacity in Coconut Battery), Charge Cycles, Temperature etc.
After that, iMazing will even give you a ‘You have good battery health’ notification if there are no immediate concerns with the Effective Maximum Charge and Charge Cycles readings.
3. 3uTools (Windows)
3uTools is another app that you can use to easily check the health of your iPad battery using a Windows desktop. However, I’m not the biggest fan of 3uTools as it runs pretty slow – I would only recommend using it if iMazing doesn’t work properly on your PC.
After installing 3uTools, open the app, connect your iPad to your PC, and then click Details next to Battery Life.
Next, under the Battery section you will see a nifty drop-down box with relevant details – Charge Times, Actual Capacity, Design Capacity, Temperature, etc.
During my testing, the 3uTools battery cycle count (477 times) was in line with the values I got on the Coconut Battery and iMazing. However, it offered a higher actual charging capacity at 7062mAh (as opposed to the 6972mAh and 6740mAh in other apps).
While these readings may vary for each application, 3uTools is a bit over the mark here, and it’s just another reason to use it if iMazing doesn’t work on your PC.
Play the Doctor
While you can’t check the status of your iPad’s battery using native methods, the above apps will do the trick. They show even more information than you get with iPhone’s own Battery Health tool. So, don’t forget to use them to check the battery health on your iPhone in more detail.
Next: Are you about to buy a new laptop? Manufacturers lie about battery life estimates. Here’s how to make a more accurate estimate yourself.
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