What to check on a refurbished iPad in Colombia

When you receive a refurbished iPad, turn it on and set it up from scratch the same day. If it asks for another person's Apple account, do not accept it. Before paying, check which iPadOS version that generation gets, which kind of SIM it uses if you want cellular data, and which Apple Pencil works with it. Ask in writing for the battery percentage the shop promises, because we found no Apple page documenting a battery health screen on iPad. Prices by shop are on tablets.

The checklist

Before paying, identify the exact generation of the iPad and look it up in Apple's iPadOS version list.
If you want cellular data, confirm it is a Wi-Fi + Cellular model and which kind of SIM it uses.
If you will use an Apple Pencil, check which one works with that generation.
Ask for the serial number and look it up in Apple's Check Coverage tool.
Read the shop's warranty and ask for the battery percentage in writing.
When it arrives, photograph the package and the device.
Turn it on. If the passcode screen or the home screen appears, the content was not erased and the seller must erase it.
Set it up. If it asks for the previous owner's Apple account, it is still tied to it.
Open Settings and confirm that no supervision notice appears.
Activate your data plan if the iPad is Wi-Fi + Cellular.
Keep the box, accessories, invoice and warranty until the withdrawal period closes.

Activation Lock

Apple says it without nuance. Do not accept any used iPhone or iPad protected by Activation Lock. On an iPad with iPadOS 15 or later, a locked device shows on startup a screen saying that only the owner can unlock it. Apple's text uses the word iPhone even when the device is an iPad.

The test is done with the device in your hands. Turn on the iPad and follow the setup. If it asks for the previous owner's Apple account information, the device is still linked to their account. Apple says to return it to the seller so they can enter the password, and if the previous owner is not present, to ask them to remove the device from their account from a browser. On a purchase from a shop, that task falls to the shop. Third-party pages that claim to check the lock by IMEI have no confirmed accuracy.

An iPad supervised by an organisation

Open Settings and look between the search field and the Apple account area. If the iPad is supervised, a notice appears there saying "Este iPad está supervisado" (this iPad is supervised), with the organisation's name, warning that it can monitor your internet traffic and locate the device.

Only the organisation can release a device it bought for its staff. We did not read an Apple page describing whether a remote management screen appears when setting up an iPad, so we do not describe that screen.

Which iPadOS it gets

iPadOS 27 came out on 14 September 2026. According to Apple's security releases list, it reached these models.

iPad (9th generation) or later
iPad mini (6th generation) or later
iPad Air (4th generation) or later
iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation) or later
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation) or later

One generation back, devices got iPadOS 26.7 the same day. They are the iPad (8th generation), iPad mini (5th), iPad Air (3rd), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st) and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd). The iPad (7th generation) got iPadOS 18.7.10 on 17 August 2026.

We found no end-of-support dates on the Apple pages we read. These are observations of which version received patches and not a promise of how long they will keep coming.

The battery

Apple says the iPad battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity after 1000 complete charge cycles. Apple's one-year warranty covers the battery for factory defects. Out of warranty, service may be available through an Apple authorised service provider, with prices and terms that may vary.

We found no Apple page describing a battery health screen on iPad like the iPhone's, and we do not claim one exists. Your reference is what the shop promises in writing. Mercado Libre requires more than 80% battery capacity in all three grades of its refurbished listings (Excelente, Bueno and Aceptable), but that is a platform rule and not Apple's, and we did not confirm how it applies to tablets.

SIM or eSIM on cellular models

A Wi-Fi-only iPad has no cellular modem. We did not confirm in an Apple source how to tell one model from another at a glance, so ask the seller to state it on the invoice.

Among Wi-Fi + Cellular models, Apple separates three groups.

eSIM only. iPad Pro 13-inch and 11-inch (M4, M5), iPad Air 13-inch and 11-inch (M2, M3, M4), iPad (A16) and iPad mini (A17 Pro).
eSIM and nano-SIM. iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd to 6th generation, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st to 4th generation, iPad Air 3rd to 5th generation, iPad 7th generation or later, and iPad mini 5th and 6th generation.
nano-SIM only. Earlier models.

Apple's page puts the iPad Pro 11-inch 2nd generation in two lists, the eSIM and nano-SIM one (1st to 4th generation) and the nano-SIM only one (2nd generation or earlier). If you buy that model, confirm with the seller which SIM it accepts.

We did not research which Colombian carriers activate an iPad with eSIM or 5G data, on which plan or at what price. Confirm it with your carrier before buying a cellular model.

Apple Pencil

Each Apple Pencil works with a different list of iPads.

Apple Pencil Pro. iPad Pro 13-inch and 11-inch (M4 and M5), iPad Air 13-inch and 11-inch (M2 to M4) and iPad mini (A17 Pro). It needs iPadOS 17.5 or later.
Apple Pencil (USB-C). It works with the models Apple lists, among them iPad Pro 11-inch 1st to 4th generation, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd to 6th, iPad Air 4th and 5th, iPad 10th generation, iPad (A16) and iPad mini 6th. It needs iPadOS 17.1.1 or later.
Apple Pencil (2nd generation). iPad mini 6th generation, iPad Air 4th or 5th, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd to 6th and iPad Pro 11-inch 1st to 4th.
Apple Pencil (1st generation). iPad 6th to 9th generation, iPad mini 5th, iPad Air 3rd, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 1st and 2nd, iPad Pro 10.5-inch and 9.7-inch. It also works with the iPad 10th generation and the iPad (A16), which need the USB-C to Apple Pencil adapter to pair and charge it.

Locked parts and Apple coverage

Apple warns that a used part, such as a battery, an integrated display, a front camera or a Touch ID sensor, can be protected by Activation Lock and linked to another person's Apple account. Before it can be used in another device it must be unlocked with Repair Assistant or by removing the Activation Lock. While it stays locked it has no coverage from Apple's limited warranty or AppleCare, and Apple says it cannot help remove that lock. The page does not say whether it applies to every iPad.

Apple's Check Coverage tool accepts a serial number and shows the coverage Apple has recorded for that device.

Your rights in Colombia

Ley 1480 de 2011 sets no fixed warranty term for electronics. Article 8 says the term is the one the producer or seller announces, and one year for new products if none is stated. A used product whose legal warranty has expired can be sold without warranty only if you accept that in writing, and otherwise it is understood to carry three months. The law does not use the word "reacondicionado", so whether that rule reaches your iPad depends on how the shop disclosed and sold it. Ask for the warranty in writing. Each offer in Reacondi shows the warranty the shop states.

Among the shops we reviewed, Celucambio states 12 months for phones, tablets, watches and computers, except Outlet devices, which have no warranty. QuieroMac states six months and excludes Outlet devices. Refurbi states 14 months of hardware repair cover through a limited warranty. At Éxito, each seller sets the warranty. We did not confirm that all of them have iPads in stock, so confirm the term with the shop before buying.

On a distance purchase, when no legal exception applies, article 47 gives five business days from delivery to withdraw. You send the product back by the same means and in the same condition you received it and pay the return transport, and in e-commerce the money must be refunded within a maximum of fifteen calendar days. The law leaves out, among others, goods for personal use and goods that by their nature cannot be returned, and it does not say whether a refurbished iPad falls there.

If the shop does not answer, make the claim in writing and then go to the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC), which has an online form and the free line 01 8000 910165. The full route is in your rights when buying refurbished, and the screen, camera and sound tests are in what to check when your refurbished phone arrives. The signs of a fake device are in how to tell if a phone is original or fake.

Sources

The Apple pages were read on 1 October 2026 and may change. Shop policies are what each site stated that day. None of this replaces advice from a lawyer.