The iPad Air 2 originally shipped with iOS 8.1 pre-installed and includes a version of Apple Pay with the in-store NFC functionality removed.

iOS 8 comes with several built-in applications, which are Camera, Photos, Messages, FaceTime, Mail, Music, Safari, Maps, Siri, Calendar, iTunes Store, App Store, Notes, Contacts, iBooks, Home, Reminders, Clock, Videos, News, Photo Booth and Podcasts.

Additional apps made by Apple itself are available for free download, which are iMovie, GarageBand, iTunes U, Find My iPhone, Find My Friends, Apple Store, Trailers, Remote, and the iWork apps (Pages, Keynote, and Numbers).

[9] Like all iOS devices, the iPad Air 2 can also sync content and other data with a Mac or PC using iTunes.

Although the tablet is not designed to make phone calls over a cellular network, it can place and receive phone calls through an iPhone's cellular connection, using Apple's Continuity feature[10] (supported on iOS 8 and later versions of iOS, and OS X Yosemite and later versions of macOS), or using a VoIP application, such as Skype.

On June 8, 2015, it was announced at the WWDC that the iPad Air 2 would support all of iOS 9's new features when it is released in Q3 2015.

On June 6, 2022 after iPadOS 16 was announced at the WWDC 2022, it was revealed that the iPad Air 2 will not be compatible with this version of the operating system.

[15] It also uses the Apple M8 motion co-processor which has a barometer and is the first generation of the iPad to inherit the fingerprint Touch ID sensor from the iPhone.

Apple has released a "camera connection kit" with an SD card reader, but it can only be used to transfer photos and videos to an iPad.

The Verge called the Air 2 "the best tablet ever made", giving it a score of 9.3 out of 10 while noting that it offered only "iterative improvement" and that there were "missed opportunities" in its design.