iPadOS 17.5 Beta Hints at Battery Capacity and Cycle Count Menu on Upcoming iPads

Apple may be planning to expand the iPhone's Battery Health menu to upcoming iPad models, based on evidence uncovered in the iPadOS 17.5 beta.

iPad Battery Feature
As discovered by MacRumors contributors Steve Moser and Aaron Perris, there are several new references to a Battery Health menu on the iPad within the code for the first iPadOS 17.5 beta, which was released to developers earlier this week. The menu is expected to show an iPad battery's maximum remaining capacity and cycle count.

A sample of the code strings added in the iPadOS 17.5 beta:

  • "iPad must be regularly used while not connected to power to show maximum capacity."
  • "This is the number of times iPad has used your battery's capacity."
  • "The iPad battery is performing as expected."
  • "iPad batteries, like all rechargeable batteries, have a limited lifespan and may eventually need to be serviced or replaced."
  • "The original battery was designed to retain X capacity at X cycles under ideal conditions. Actual battery performance depends on a number of variables, including how iPad is used and charged regularly. The one-year warranty includes service for defective batteries in addition to rights provided under local consumer laws."

There is no visible Battery Health menu on any existing iPad models on the first iPadOS 17.5 beta, leading us to believe that the menu may be limited to the new iPad Pro and iPad Air models that are rumored to launch in May, and likely other new iPads released in the future. Apple has shown battery capacity information on iPhones for many years, but cycle count information is currently limited to the latest iPhone 15 series.

Apple will likely release iPadOS 17.5 to the public in May. Given this is a code finding in a beta, we cannot guarantee that a Battery Health menu will be added to the iPad, but it is certainly something that Apple has been working on.

Related Roundups: iPad Pro, iPad Air
Related Forum: iPad

Top Rated Comments

JPack Avatar
16 weeks ago
Betting this is a new M2/M3-only feature. Not because of technical limitations, but because Apple.
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fuzzball84 Avatar
16 weeks ago
Only coming to the latest models... upgrade your iPad to find out its battery health and cycle count. ???
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
swiftapplefan Avatar
16 weeks ago
Please just give us optimized battery charging. I hate that my battery just rotted in 2 years compared to my iPhone just from weekly use.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DJ2K3000 Avatar
16 weeks ago

And this is something that can't be added to my existing M2 iPad Pro? Let's hope they have a few more amazing features.
There is an app called Coconut Battery that will give battery information including cycle counts, date of manufacture, etc. It definitely contains quite a bit of information.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
1applerules1 Avatar
16 weeks ago
Finally, it’s so stupid that I have to contact customer service and waste 30 minutes of my day just to see my battery health on my iPad
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ELman Avatar
16 weeks ago
And this is something that can't be added to my existing M2 iPad Pro? Let's hope they have a few more amazing features.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)