iPad Air iPad air 2 usability in 2026?

[Steve Adams]

I have my old iPad air 2 with a damaged screen, and I am wondering if its still useable in 2026? I was thinking about using it in our truck as a navigation / media unit. Are the apps still supported on it or do they not work anymore?

TIA!

 

[uacd]

Yes it will work OK with all the navigation apps like Google Maps or Waze. The only issue is that it holds battery life for 3 hours at max and can throttle and dim the screen when it is working hard in a hot car. Obviously it is old and has only 2 GB RAM but will work for that stuff. You can watch movies on it too or listen to music. For web browsing I wouldn’t recommend as Safari is very outdated on it, but with AdBlock it will open most websites faster

 

[Steve Adams]

Cool, if I find it from our water damage claim I am going to give it a go.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

I have my old iPad air 2 with a damaged screen, and I am wondering if its still useable in 2026? I was thinking about using it in our truck as a navigation / media unit. Are the apps still supported on it or do they not work anymore?

TIA!

I'm still using an iPad Air 2. Some apps and services are starting to drop support for iPadOS 15, but many still work. If you'd like, name a few apps that you want, and if they're available in Australia, I can test them out for you.

 

[Steve Adams]

Thanks, I have to check my android tablet I have set up now for all the apps I would use. But the main one is gaia. It's an outdoor mapping app owned by outside magazine. There is alltrails, and apple music really. I know torque pro is not on iPadOS but something similar would be great to keep and eye on vitals.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

Thanks, I have to check my android tablet I have set up now for all the apps I would use. But the main one is gaia. It's an outdoor mapping app owned by outside magazine. There is alltrails, and apple music really. I know torque pro is not on iPadOS but something similar would be great to keep and eye on vitals.

Gaia GPS: Mobile Trail Maps is a no go, it requires iPadOS 16.

AllTrails: Hike, Bike & Run is a no as well, needing iPadOS 17.

Since you already have them, it might offer you older versions to download, but the current versions are out.

Apple Music works at least…

 

[1BadManVan]

Good enough for very basic usage if the apps are supported. My kids have air 3’s and they are definitely showing their age now. They basically don’t use them anymore, just use their phones

 

[Royksöpp]

I upgraded my dad's last year and by that time it was ridiculously slow. It was about on par with the iPad 2 on iOS 9.

 

[FeliApple]

Older versions of those apps might work, iPadOS 15 isn’t that old. Performance and battery life is a whole different ballgame, both will probably be very poor, but if they are good enough for your use as a “navigation/media iPad”, then you’ll be fine.

 

[JPack]

It's unusable unless you're really willing to wait forever for webpages to load. Even then, many apps no longer support Air 2.

 

[jms_uk]

It's unusable unless you're really willing to wait forever for webpages to load. Even then, many apps no longer support Air 2.

It is not that bad (coming from someone who uses one several times a week), although I'll admit it is getting slower. And some apps can't be updated, but that depends on one's personal use.

I am looking into the s/h Air M1 to replace it.

 

[Dana Beck]

It is not that bad (coming from someone who uses one several times a week), although I'll admit it is getting slower. And some apps can't be updated, but that depends on one's personal use.

I am looking into the s/h Air M1 to replace it.

I use my Air 2 every day...all day long (I use an external battery)...to watch news on Sling TV. Doesn't seem to be particularly slow there, but that is all I use it for.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

Older versions of those apps might work, iPadOS 15 isn’t that old. Performance and battery life is a whole different ballgame, both will probably be very poor, but if they are good enough for your use as a “navigation/media iPad”, then you’ll be fine.

I've started getting streaming apps stop working saying they need to be updated, but any update requires a newer version of iPadOS. I've culled half my streaming apps because of this.

 

[Homme]

It’s still issuable to the fact that Apple is still receiving security updates to them as well as specific one which involved the Coruna exploit being fixed.