Battery life of iPad Air aged 5+years

It’s aways your own choice where you visit - and nobody can make that decision on your behalf. That said, unless you have a health condition that poses a particular risk to you, Apple’s in-store hygiene protocols are understood to be very tight.

If you are potentially replacing your iPad, ensuring that you have a full iCloud or iTunes backup of the device should preserve all your data. This backup can be restored to your new device. If taking your iPad for service, you should always backup first.

How to back up your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch – Apple Support

Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup - Apple Support

Your iPad Air battery will have lost some capacity over its life - and will not be able to provide the same battery endurance as when it was new. Like us, the battery ages and becomes less effective over time... but by how much will be largely dependent upon how heavily it has been used - and cared for over its life.

Apple Stores do not offer a battery replacement service per-se, instead, for qualifying iPads, offer an exchange programme where you exchange your current iPad for a reconditioned device of the same model and specification. The replacement cost, assuming that the iPad is otherwise fault-free and in good condition, is understood to be in the region of £99. If other damage is evident, the out-of-warranty exchange is often quoted as c.60% of the “as new” price of your current iPad.

If an exchange is offered, you’ll need to weigh the relative age and performance of your current iPad against this cost. Given that the original iPad Air cannot be updated beyond iOS 12.4.7, some Apps are no longer available/compatible with your iPad; as Apps cease to be compatible as they are progressively updated, or as older versions of Apps are withdrawn from the App Store, older iPads that are beyond update support will become increasingly limited in their usefulness and utility.

If you instead opt to use an Apple Authorised Repair Agent/Provider, your options may be different in that a battery replacement service might be available, however, the costs may differ. You must still consider the relative merit of extending the life of an iPad with diminishing utility.

I hope this information and insight proves to be helpful to you.