BERLIN: Age takes its toll on batteries. Not only do they need to be charged more frequently as their capacity decreases, but the device's performance also suffers.

If you have an iPhone or a newer iPad and suspect its battery is ageing, it’s easy to check the remaining capacity by going into the device’s settings.

That works for the iPad Pro (M4), iPad Air (M2 and M3), iPad mini (A17 Pro) and iPad (A16). However, with older iPads it’s not so straightforward. It can still be done but takes a few steps.

Firstly, go into "Privacy & Security" in the settings and select “Analysis & Improvements.” Then activate the "Share iPad Analysis" option and click the share icon (the box with an arrow sticking out of it). You can send the analysis data to your email address.

Note that there are several analysis files there. The one you want begins with the name “Analysis.” If the file hasn’t been written yet you might need to try again later.

Once the email with the file attached arrives in your inbox you can open it with any word processor, such as Windows Notepad, Pages or OpenOffice.

Now search the document for the term "MaximumCapacityPercent." The number listed represents the remaining battery capacity, based on 100% when the battery was new.

If the battery is now below 80%, you should consider replacing it. The cost of that varies depending on the model.

If you find these steps too complicated, there are apps like CoconutBattery and iMazing that can read the analysis data directly from the device. – dpa