My ipad air m3's battery life has gone down from 100 to 98 percent in only 61 cycles after updating to iOS 26, but my friend who has 72 cycles and iOS 18 still has a 100 percent battery life and it's an A16. I also used battery saver mode and no background activity is going on. I'm so disappointed in the ios26.
iPad Air, iPadOS 26
✔ Your drop from 100 → 98% is normal and healthy. Nothing indicates a problem with your iPad
Apple rates all iPad batteries to retain:
80% capacity after 500 cycles
You are at:
This is excellent and far above expected.
Your battery is aging slower than average.
✔ Your drop from 100 → 98% is normal and healthy. Nothing indicates a problem with your iPad
Apple rates all iPad batteries to retain:
80% capacity after 500 cycles
You are at:
This is excellent and far above expected.
Your battery is aging slower than average.
Many factors can impact your iPad's reported battery health. No two batteries are equal; due to manufacturing tolerances, all rechargeable batteries have initial capacity that vary to some degree. Apple always quotes battery capacity conservatively - many having initial capacity that exceeds the stated minimum value when new - and, as a consequence, this variability may cause apparent battery health to differ between devices during their early lifecycle.
Battery health is effectively an estimate calculated from many factors - and is displayed as an integer value (i.e. rounded down to a whole number). The displayed value may drop quite quickly from its initial 100% value as the iPad is charged a few times - or may continue to indicate 100% health for an extended period until the actual capacity, through use, falls below the specified minimum capacity when new.
An iPad's battery is rated to retain at least 80% of its original capacity after 1000 full charge cycles - one full cycle being any combination of charging that together sums to 100% (e.g. 50 + 25 + 15 + 10 = 100 = 1 cycle). Simple arithmetic would therefore suggest that battery health will decline at about 1% for each 50 charge cycles - but this alone does not take into account that the rate of decline is non-linear.
Studies have demonstrated that restricting charging to only 80% of maximum has little if any impact upon the overall longevity of the iPad's battery. This feature does have potential benefit where the iPad is connected to external power for extended periods such as when being used in retail or kiosk applications.
If you are concerned, you would be well advised to seek assistance directly from Apple Support - and request a remote battery diagnostic test. You can contact the Support Team using the Support link at top-right or bottom-left of this page.
Alternatively you can initiate and manage your support cases using the excellent Apple Support App. If not already installed on your iPad, the App can be downloaded from the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-support/id1130498044
You might also visit the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store or Apple Authorised Service Provider (AASP) - where the technicians will be able to hands-on test and assess your iPad:
Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple
More information about battery charging can be found in this document:
Battery life iOS 26
