iPadOS iPadOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple 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, suc ...

is a mobile operating system for tablet computers developed by

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...

It was first released as a modification of

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

starting with version 13.1 on September 24, 2019. Before the release of iPadOS,

iPad The iPad is a brand of tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple that run the company's mobile operating systems iOS and later iPadOS. The IPad (1st generation), first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. ...

s were released with iPhone OS, which was later renamed to iOS. New iPadOS versions are released every year mostly in sync with iOS,

tvOS tvOS (formerly Apple TV Software) is an operating system developed by Apple for the Apple TV, a digital media player. In the first-generation Apple TV, Apple TV Software was based on Mac OS X. The software for the second-generation and later ...

, and

watchOS watchOS is the operating system of the Apple Watch, developed by Apple Inc., Apple. It is based on iOS, the operating system used by the iPhone, and has many similar features. It was released on April 24, 2015, along with the Apple Watch, the o ...

Overview

Releases

iPadOS 13

iPadOS 13 is the first major release of

, 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. These windows can be navigated using an interface similar to Mission Control on

macOS macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

. System-wide support for picture-in-picture was added.

Safari A safari (; originally ) is an overland journey to observe wildlife, wild animals, especially in East Africa. The so-called big five game, "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, African leopard, leopard, rhinoceros, African elephant, elep ...

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. A new feature, Sidecar, allows an iPad to function as a second monitor for Macs, which allows the

Apple Pencil Apple Pencil is a line of wireless stylus pen accessories designed and developed by Apple Inc. for use with supported iPad tablets. The first-generation Apple Pencil was announced alongside the first iPad Pro on September 9, 2015. It communi ...

to be used with Mac applications. The Files app gained support for external drives, which can connect to an iPad with

USB-C USB-C, or USB Type-C, is a 24-pin reversible Electrical connector, connector (not a Communication protocol, protocol) that supersedes previous USB hardware#Connectors, USB connectors (also supersedes Mini DisplayPort and Lightning (connector) ...

, or through the Lightning Camera Connection Kit for iPads with a

Lightning Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...

port. Preliminary support for mice and trackpads was added to iPadOS 13, with full support added in iPadOS 13.4.

iPadOS 14

iPadOS 14 was released on September 16, 2020. 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 Skype () was a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for IP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also had instant messaging, file transfer, ...

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

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 iOS 14 is the fourteenth major release of the iOS mobile operating system 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 rel ...

. 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

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. iPadOS 16.2 added the Freeform app, a digital whiteboard which can sync across Apple devices.

iPadOS 17

iPadOS 17 was released on September 18, 2023. It allowed for customization for, and adding of wallpapers, with just a held tap on the Lock Screen.

iPadOS 18

iPadOS 18 was released on September 16, 2024. It allowed users to change from Light mode to Dark mode, customize the home screen, lock screen and Control Centre and use Apple Intelligence. This update also introduces dynamic wallpapers that change with the time.

iPadOS 26

iPadOS 26 was introduced on June 9, 2025 as the first iPadOS version to use Apple's new year-based versioning scheme. It introduces Liquid Glass, the first major redesign of the operating system since

iOS 7 iOS 7 is the seventh major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc., being the successor to iOS 6. It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10, 2013, and was released on September 18 ...

, based around the element of

glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

. The design language extends to all of Apple's other platforms, including

and

visionOS visionOS is a mixed reality operating system derived primarily from iPadOS and its core frameworks (including UIKit, SwiftUI, ARKit and RealityKit), and MR-specific frameworks for foveated rendering and real-time interaction. It was develope ...

, marking the first time Apple has used a unified design language across all of their operating systems.

Hardware support

iPad

iPad Mini

iPad Air

iPad Pro

Timeline of iOS and derivative operating systems

Notes

References

External links

* – official site * – official site {{Apple * Lists of operating systems Software version histories Tablet operating systems