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Several months ago, I wrote how I had too many iPads (and that’s okay). With the purchase of the M4 iPad Pro, I now had two powerful iPads for new development work on the latest iPadOS (18) and sustaining engineering on the previous version of iPadOS (17). This left my 3rd-generation 12.9″ iPad Pro (2018) to look for a new purpose in our household. I decided to transfer the data from my 1st-generation 12.9″ iPad Pro (2015) over to the 2018 model for my child to use. The original iPad Pro was getting a little long in the tooth — its battery life was suffering, it was running out of space, and it was feeling rather sluggish. The 2018 iPad Pro is still plenty powerful, and it should continue to be supported by future iPadOS versions for at least a couple more years.

I looked up how much money I could get for the 2015 iPad Pro on Apple’s Trade In program, and it turns out, it’s worth $105. While I could possibly get more money selling it on eBay, Craigslist, or Gazelle, the Apple Trade In program is fast and more convenient.

Here’s what you need to do to trade in your Apple devices (if you are based in the United States):

1. Go to the Apple Trade In website.
2. Click on the device you want to trade in, from iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, or Mac. You can also have recycled Android devices or other pieces of technology.
3. Click Find your trade-in value.
4. Select the manufacturer of the device.
5. If asked, enter the serial number of the device you are trading in. You can find this information in iOS and iPadOS in Settings > General > About. On macOS, you can find it in System Settings > About. On watchOS, you can Settings > General > About.
6. Answer any additional questions about the device’s condition.
7. Choose the type of credit you want with the trade-in. You can apply this credit toward the purchase of a new device or get the credit added to your Apple Account balance.
8. You will receive an email from Apple with instructions on how to prepare and ship your device back to Apple (via FedEx).

When preparing your device for trade in, you’ll want to do things like sign out of iCloud, remove Activation Lock, and disable Find My before erasing it. Apple has clear instructions on what exactly needs to be done for Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple Watch.

What I like best about the Apple Trade In program is that I didn’t have to package up the devices. I just went to the FedEx store closest to my house, had them scan a QR code from the Apple email, and I was done. FedEx took care of packaging up the device and shipping it back to Apple.

In a few days, Apple will get the devices — I am also sending back an iPhone 7 Plus that could be worth up to $40 — and evaluate them. If all goes well, I’ll get a $145 Apple Gift Card.

Development Devices

There’s one reason why you might want to keep your old iPad or iPhone devices. If you’re a developer who has to support previous versions of iPadOS or iOS, having physical devices around the house may be helpful. iPadOS 16 is the last supported version of iPadOS for the 1st-generation 12.9″ iPad Pro. So, by returning it, I no longer have the ability to test my apps on a physical iPadOS 16 device; I can only test using the Simulator application on macOS. That said, I am holding onto an iPhone X, which can only be upgraded to iOS 16. iPadOS 16 and iOS 16 are not that different, so I’m confident that I will not need to have a physical iPad for testing purposes.

My MixEffect application is backwards compatible back to iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. I have a number of devices that can no longer be traded in for money, only recycled. So, for the moment, I’ll keep my iPad mini (4th generation), iPhone 6s Plus, and iPod touch (7th generation), which are stuck on that operating system.

Conclusion

If you have an old Apple device that you’re no longer using, check out how much it’s worth on Apple Trade In. You won’t get top dollar for it, but the convenience might just trump the extra hassle of posting it for sale on another platform.