How can I diagnose iPad Performance issues?

Hello RickBlaine43,

Given that, as you stated, the charging light is yellow and the screen turns off after 30 seconds, you may be using Low Power mode on your iPad: Use Low Power Mode to save battery life on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support. If you want to turn it off, follow these steps:

• Go to Settings -> Battery
• Toggle off Low Power Mode

All things considered, I would suggest purchasing a new/newer iPad if you are still experiencing slow performance. Honestly, depending on your budget, I would suggest an older iPad Pro (~$400+), or even the new iPad 10th Generation (~$260+). In my experience, having used an iPad Air 2 and an iPad Mini 3, I think that the A14 (or even A13 in the iPad 9th Generation going for around $200) is plenty of power for iPad tasks.

Have a nice evening and enjoy the holidays!

Hi there!

If you are on a tight budget, try resetting or erase your iPad in order to remove unwanted softwares and background tasks.

But if not necessary, I really recommend you to get a new iPad since your device has dropped support for the new updates anyways.

Thanks

Clearly contributors here have absolutely no insight into what you may have already tried in attempting to identify and correct any potential issues with your iPad5. Being an older model, it will obviously not perform as well as much more recent models of iPad.

For information, here is a list of the highest version of iPadOS for your iPad5 and more recent models of iPad, noting that your iPad5 is incapable of supporting iPadOS 16 or later:

• iPad5, iPad Pro (9.7"/12.9" 1st generation) - iPadOS 16.7.10
• iPad6, iPad Pro (10.5"/12.9" 2nd generation) - iPadOS 17.7.3

Newer models are all able to be updated to the current version - iPadOS 18.2

• iPad Pro 13" (M4)
• iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd generation and later)
• iPad Pro 11" (1st generation and later + M4)
• iPad Air (3rd generation and later + M2)
• iPad (7th generation and later)
• iPad mini (5th generation and later + A17 Pro)

Starting at the beginning, if your iPad is not performing as expected, begin your troubleshooting with a forced-restart - as this will often clear an isolated software issue:

Force restart iPad (models with the Home button)

Press and hold the top button and the Home button at the same time. When the Apple logo appears, release both buttons.

If the problem persists after performing the restart, it may be necessary to reset your iPad settings. While this reset will not cause any loss of data, as a precaution, it is always wise to ensure that you have a current iCloud or iTunes backup before performing the reset:

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

When you are happy to proceed, you can perform the reset from iPad settings:

Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad > Reset > Reset All Settings

If the problem still doesn’t clear, the next step is to reset the iPad to factory settings:

Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings - Apple Support

Otherwise, you might be best advised to seek assistance directly from Apple Support and request a remote diagnostic test. You can contact the Support Team using the Support link at top-right or bottom-left of this page. Alternatively and perhaps easier, 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 test and assess your iPad - and you can explore your available options:

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

Reply to RickBlaine43

Hi Rick ,

I have an iPad (5th Gen.) as well . I sat on it , so the screen is scratchy looking ~ I put

tape around the frame & remarkably it works fine . It can update to 16.7.10 , I can still

sync with iCloud , watch the news while I'm cooking . I especially like that I can look

up stuff on it and not loose my place or get signed out on my iPad (9th gen.) which I'm using now .

So the interface & features are minimally different ~but I like having it around . And I would much rather type on it than the mini me keyboard on the iPhone .

All up to date 18.2

👌 I would say yes , for sure you should be getting a new one . The iPad 5th … it's up to you whether you're willing to part with it .

🛍️