Guides

How to check a used iPad before you buy it

Updated September 27, 2026

Used iPads hold their value and last for years, so there are plenty of them for sale. But iPads come with traps iPhones rarely have: school and company device management (MDM), LCD backlight bleed, thin aluminium bodies that bend, and battery health that's hard to read. Here is the order to check one in.

Tip: open soimay.com in Safari on the iPad you are about to buy. The tests run right in the browser, with nothing to install or sign in to on the seller's device.

1. Activation Lock: check it first

Just like an iPhone, an iPad still signed in to the previous owner's iCloud gets Activation Lock after it's erased, and there is no legitimate way around it.

  • Open Settings: the top row must be empty, showing only "Sign in to your iPad".
  • Find My iPad must be off.
  • Safest: have the seller Erase All Content and Settings in front of you (Settings › General › Transfer or Reset iPad), then set the iPad up with your own Apple ID.

2. School or company management (MDM)

Many iPads are bought in bulk by schools, businesses and airlines and later sold off. If an iPad is still enrolled in mobile device management (MDM), the old owner can lock it, push apps and block features, even after it's erased.

  • A line at the top of Settings saying "This iPad is supervised and managed by…" means it's managed.
  • Under Settings › General › VPN & Device Management there must be no management profile.
  • After erasing, if setup shows a Remote Management screen, the iPad is still registered to the old organization. Don't buy it, whatever the seller promises about "skipping" it.

3. The right model, Wi-Fi or Cellular

iPad names are easy to mix up (iPad Air 4, 5, M2; iPad Pro 11-inch from the first generation to M4…). Check Model Name and capacity under Settings › General › About, then enter the serial number on Apple's coverage check page to confirm the exact model and purchase date.

  • Cellular models have a SIM tray or eSIM and a real GPS. Wi-Fi models have no GPS and only estimate location over Wi-Fi. Put in a SIM and test mobile data if you're buying Cellular.
  • The first letter of the Model Number works like on an iPhone: M is a new retail unit, F is Apple refurbished, N is a warranty replacement.
GPS and location testMeasure how long a phone takes to get a location fix and how accurate it is. Your location is never stored or sent anywhere.

4. Battery: where to look

Not every iPad has a Battery Health screen like the iPhone:

  • 2024 and later models (iPad Pro M4, iPad Air M2 and newer): Settings › Battery › Battery Health, with the cycle count.
  • Older models: connect the iPad to a computer and read the battery with coconutBattery (Mac) or 3uTools (Windows) to see real capacity and cycle count.
  • By hand: charge to full and play a YouTube video at about 50% brightness for 30 minutes. A healthy iPad usually drops only 5–8%.

More detail in how to check battery health.

5. Screen: backlight bleed, white spots, dead pixels

Most iPads have an LCD (the M4 iPad Pro is OLED). Common faults:

  • Backlight bleed: in a dark room, fill the screen with black at full brightness and look for light leaking in from the corners and edges.
  • White spots and pressure marks: fill it with white and grey and look for patches brighter than their surroundings, often from pressure or a drop.
  • Dead and stuck pixels: step through the solid colours.
Dead pixel, backlight bleed and burn-in testFind dead or stuck pixels, backlight bleed, burn-in and lines on a phone or laptop screen. Eight full-screen colours, free, no app to install.

iPad Pro models have a 120 Hz ProMotion display; the refresh rate test confirms it isn't stuck at 60 Hz.

6. Touch and Apple Pencil

A big screen makes dead touch zones easy to miss. Fill the whole grid, then put several fingers down at once to test multi-touch.

Touch screen test: dead zones and ghost touchesSwipe to fill a grid of cells and spot dead touch zones or ghost touches on a phone or tablet. Runs full screen, free.

If an Apple Pencil comes with it or you plan to use one, open Notes and draw long lines from edge to edge: strokes must be unbroken, and tilting the pencil should change the shading. Run the touch test again with the pencil to cover the whole screen.

7. Bent body, swollen battery

iPads are thin and bend when sat on or crushed in a bag. Lay it face down on a flat table and press the corners gently: if it rocks, it's bent. Look along the screen edges: a screen lifting or coming unglued on one side means a swollen battery. Walk away.

8. Face ID / Touch ID

iPad Pro uses Face ID; iPad Air, mini and the standard iPad use Touch ID in the top button or Home button. Go to Settings › Face ID (Touch ID) & Passcode and add your own face or fingerprint: if it enrolls, the sensor works.

Fingerprint and Face ID testCheck the fingerprint sensor, Face ID, Touch ID or Windows Hello through the browser, with an animated step-by-step guide.

9. Speakers, microphones, cameras

  • Speakers: iPads have 2 or 4. Hold it in landscape and play the left and right sides separately, then sweep the frequencies to hear crackling, with the speaker test.
  • Microphones: record and play back with the mic test, and make a FaceTime call.
  • Cameras: open the front and rear cameras and shoot something close up to check focus. The camera test shows the real resolution.

10. Charging port, keyboard, buttons

Plug in a charger and wiggle the cable gently: if charging cuts in and out, the Lightning/USB-C port is worn. If a Magic Keyboard or Smart Keyboard is included, attach it to the Smart Connector (the three dots on the edge) and type on it, using the keyboard test. The power and volume buttons should click, not feel mushy.

When you're done

On soimay.com, the Results page lets you save a PDF or create a report link and QR code as a record of the iPad's condition when you bought it. Things the browser can't read (iCloud, MDM, battery) are in the manual checklist.

More guides