iPadOS is a mobile operating system for tablet computers developed by Apple Inc. It was first released as a modification of iOS starting with version 13.1 on September 24, 2019. Before the release of iPadOS, iPads were released with iPhone OS, which was later renamed to iOS. New iPadOS versions are released every year mostly in sync with iOS, tvOS, and watchOS.
| Version | Initial release date | Latest version | Latest release date | Device end-of-life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPadOS 13 | September 24, 2019 | 13.7 | September 1, 2020 | — |
| iPadOS 14 | September 16, 2020 | 14.8.1 | October 26, 2021 | — |
| iPadOS 15 | September 20, 2021 | 15.8.3 | July 29, 2024 | Air 2, Mini 4 |
| iPadOS 16 | October 24, 2022 | 16.7.10 | August 7, 2024 | Pro (1st), 5th |
| iPadOS 17 | September 18, 2023 | 17.7.2 | November 19, 2024 | Pro (2nd), 6th |
| iPadOS 18 | September 16, 2024 | 18.1.1 | November 19, 2024 | — |
| 18.2 RC 2 | December 9, 2024 | |||
| Legend: Obsolete Supported Current Beta | ||||
iPadOS 13 is the first major release of iPadOS, an iPad-specific fork of iOS meant to emphasize the multitasking and tablet-centric features of the iPad. It was previewed at Apple's WWDC 2019, and released on September 24, 2019 as 13.1. iPadOS version 13.0 was never publicly released, though beta testing for iPadOS 13 started with 13.0.
It added a dark mode for the interface, and Memoji support for iPads with the Apple A9 chips or more recent chips. New multitasking options were added that could display multiple applications simultaneously, including Split View and Slide Over. Apps gained multi-window support. [1] These windows can be navigated using an interface similar to Mission Control on macOS. [2] System-wide support for picture-in-picture was added. Safari gained new keyboard shortcuts and a download manager, and was set to display the desktop versions of websites by default, instead of the mobile version. [1] [3] A new feature, Sidecar, allows an iPad to function as a second monitor for Macs, which allows the Apple Pencil to be used with Mac applications. [4] The Files app gained support for external drives, which can connect to an iPad with USB-C, or through the Lightning Camera Connection Kit for iPads with a Lightning port. [5] Preliminary support for mice and trackpads was added to iPadOS 13, with full support added in iPadOS 13.4. [6]
iPadOS 14 was released on September 16, 2020. [7] [8] It added new widgets in the Today View, a shelf to the left of the first home screen. The standardized system interfaces for Siri and voice calling applications like Skype were shrunk to the size of notifications, to allow users to continue interacting with the open app. Spotlight search gained improved search suggestions and more detailed web search results. iPadOS 14 also added support for mounting encrypted APFS external hard drives.
iPadOS 15 was released on September 20, 2021. It introduced an App Library, which automatically categorizes apps into one page, and also added the ability to place widgets on the home screen. Both features had previously only been available on the iPhone, with iOS 14.[ citation needed ] It also added a new multitasking user interface, with window controls to activate Split View, Slide Over, or full screen in one tap. Quick Notes allows users to create notes by swiping from the bottom right corner, from the Control Center, or with a keyboard shortcut. Tab Groups were added to Safari. iPadOS 15.4 added Universal Control: a user can use a Mac or iPad's keyboard and trackpad across all of their other Macs and iPads, by moving the mouse cursor past the edge of the screen in the direction of the other device.
iPadOS 16 was released on October 24, 2022 as 16.1 instead of 16.0 (similar to how iPadOS 13 started off as version 13.1 instead of the usual 13.0). It included a new Weather app, Passkeys in Safari, and a new Stage Manager feature that enables more powerful multitasking.[ citation needed ] iPadOS 16.2 added the Freeform app, a digital whiteboard which can sync across Apple devices.
iPadOS 17 was released on September 18, 2023.[ citation needed ] It allowed for customization for, and adding of wallpapers, with just a held tap on the Lock Screen.
iPadOS 18 was released on September 16, 2024. [9] For more details, go to the iPadOS 18 main page.
| Model | iOS [a] | iPadOS | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | |
| iPad (1st) | 3.2 |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| iPad 2 | — | 4.3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| iPad (3rd) | — | 5.1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| iPad (4th) | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ||
| iPad (5th) | — | 10.2.1 | | | | | | | | | ||||||
| iPad (6th) | — | 11.3 | | | | | | | | |||||||
| iPad (7th) | — | 13.1 | | | | | | |||||||||
| iPad (8th) | — | | | | | | ||||||||||
| iPad (9th) | — | | | | | |||||||||||
| iPad (10th) | — | 16.1 | | | ||||||||||||
| Model | iOS | iPadOS | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | |
| Mini (1st) | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mini 2 | — | 7.0.3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mini 3 | — | 8.1 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mini 4 | — | | | | | | | | | | | ||
| Mini (5th) | — | 12.1.4 | | | | | | | |||||
| Mini (6th) | — | | | | | ||||||||
| Mini (7th) | — | | |||||||||||
| Timeline of iOS and derivative operating systems |
|---|
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Safari is a web browser developed by Apple. It is built into several of Apple's operating systems, including macOS, iOS, iPadOS and visionOS, and uses Apple's open-source browser engine WebKit, which was derived from KHTML.
iOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple exclusively for its mobile devices. It was unveiled in January 2007 for the first-generation iPhone, which launched in June 2007. Major versions of iOS are released annually; the current stable version, iOS 18, was released to the public on September 16, 2024.
SpringBoard is the standard application that manages the iPhone's home screen. Other tasks include starting WindowServer, launching and bootstrapping applications, and setting some of the device's settings on startup.
iOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. and was first released as iPhone OS in June 2007, coinciding with the launch of the first generation iPhone. iPhone OS was renamed iOS following the release of the iPad, starting with iOS 4. With iOS 13, Apple began offering a separate operating system, iPadOS, for the iPad. iOS is also the foundation of the newer audioOS and tvOS, and shares some of its code with macOS. New iOS versions are released yearly, alongside new iPhone models. From the launch of the iPhone in 2007 until the launch of iPhone 4 in 2010, this occurred in June or July; since then, new major versions are usually released in September, with the exception of iOS 5, which released in October 2011. Since the launch of the iPhone in June 2007, there have been 18 major releases of iOS, with the current major version being iOS 18, released on September 16, 2024.
iPadOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. for its iPad line of tablet computers. It was given a name distinct from iOS, the operating system used by Apple's iPhones to reflect the diverging features of the two product lines, such as multitasking. It was introduced as iPadOS 13, reflecting its status as the successor to iOS 12 for the iPad, and first released to the public on September 24, 2019. Major versions of iPadOS are released annually; the current stable version, iPadOS 18, was released to the public on September 16, 2024.
The iPad Air 2 is the second-generation iPad Air tablet computer developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It was announced on October 16, 2014, alongside the iPad Mini 3, both of which were released on October 22, 2014. The iPad Air 2 is thinner, lighter and faster than its predecessor, the first-generation iPad Air, and features Touch ID with the height, width and screen size the same as the iPad Air.
iOS 9 is the ninth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc., being the successor to iOS 8. It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8, 2015, and was released on September 16, 2015. It was succeeded by iOS 10 on September 13, 2016.
The iPad Mini 4 is the fourth-generation iPad Mini tablet computer developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It was announced along with the iPad Pro on September 9, 2015, and released the same day. The iPad Mini 4, which replaced the iPad Mini 3, was discontinued on March 18, 2019, when it was replaced by the fifth-generation iPad Mini. It features most of the hardware similar to the iPad Air 2 including its laminated display and design.
iOS 10 is the tenth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc., being the successor to iOS 9. It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 13, 2016, and was released on September 13, 2016. It was succeeded by iOS 11 on September 19, 2017.
iOS 11 is the eleventh major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple, being the successor to iOS 10. It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 5, 2017, and was released on September 19, 2017. It was succeeded by iOS 12 on September 17, 2018.
iOS 12 is the twelfth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple. Aesthetically similar to its predecessor, iOS 11, it focuses more on performance than on new features, quality improvements and security updates. Announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 4, 2018, iOS 12 was released to the public on September 17, 2018. It was succeeded for the iPhone and iPod Touch by iOS 13 on September 19, 2019, and for the iPad by iPadOS 13 on September 24, 2019. Security updates for iOS 12 continued for four years after the releases of iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 for devices unable to run the newer versions. The last update, 12.5.7, was released on January 23, 2023.
iOS 13 is the thirteenth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple for the iPhone, iPod Touch and HomePod. The successor to iOS 12, it was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 3, 2019, and released on September 19, 2019. It was succeeded by iOS 14, released on September 16, 2020.
macOS Catalina is the sixteenth major release of macOS, Apple Inc.'s desktop operating system for Macintosh computers. It is the successor to macOS Mojave and was announced at WWDC 2019 on June 3, 2019 and released to the public on October 7, 2019. Catalina is the first version of macOS to support only 64-bit applications and the first to include Activation Lock. It is also the last version of macOS to have the major version number of 10; its successor, Big Sur, released on November 12, 2020, is version 11. In order to increase web compatibility, Safari, Chromium and Firefox have frozen the OS in the user agent running in subsequent releases of macOS at 10.15.7 Catalina.
iPadOS 13 is the first major release of the iPadOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. for their iPad line of tablet computers. The successor to iOS 12 on those devices, it was announced at the company's 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 3, 2019, as a derivation from iOS, with a greater emphasis on multitasking and tablet-centric features. It was released on September 24, 2019. It was succeeded by iPadOS 14, released on September 16, 2020.
Find My is an asset tracking service made by Apple Inc. that enables users to track the location of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, tvOS devices, AirPods, AirTags, and a number of supported third-party accessories through a connected iCloud account. Users can also show their primary device's geographic location to others, and can view the location of others who choose to share their location. Find My was released alongside iOS 13 on September 19, 2019, merging the functions of the former Find My iPhone and Find My Friends into a single app. On watchOS, Find My is separated into three different applications: Find Devices, Find People and Find Items.
iOS 14 is the fourteenth major release of the developed by Apple for the iPhone and iPod touch lines. Announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 22, 2020 as the successor to iOS 13, it was released to the public on September 16, 2020. It was succeeded by iOS 15 on September 20, 2021.
iPadOS 14 is the second major release of the iPadOS operating system developed by Apple for their iPad line of tablet computers. It was announced on June 22, 2020 at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) as the successor to iPadOS 13, making it the second version of the iPadOS fork from iOS. It was released to the public on September 16, 2020. It was succeeded by iPadOS 15 on September 20, 2021.
iPadOS 15 is the third major release of the iPadOS operating system developed by Apple for its iPad line of tablet computers. The successor to iPadOS 14, it was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 7, 2021 along with iOS 15, macOS Monterey, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15. It was released to the public on September 20, 2021. It was succeeded by iPadOS 16, which was released on October 24, 2022.
macOS Ventura is the nineteenth major release of macOS, Apple's operating system for Macintosh computers. The successor to macOS Monterey, it was announced at WWDC 2022 on June 6, 2022, and launched on October 24, 2022. macOS Ventura was succeeded by macOS Sonoma, which was released on September 26, 2023.
iPadOS 16 is the fourth major release of the iPadOS operating system developed by Apple for its iPad line of tablet computers. The successor to iPadOS 15, it was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 6, 2022, along with iOS 16, macOS Ventura, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16. It received numerous new features, improving multitasking and many other aspects of the operating system, most notably on iPads with Apple's M1 SoC and later.
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