iPadOS iPadOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. for its iPad line of tablet computers. It is a rebranded variant of iOS, the operating system used by Apple's iPhones, renamed to reflect the diverging features of the two product ...

is a mobile operating system for tablet computers developed by

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company ...

It was first released as a modification of

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...

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

iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operati ...

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 known as Apple TV Software) is an operating system developed by Apple Inc. for the Apple TV, a digital media player. In the first-generation Apple TV, Apple TV Software was based on Mac OS X. Starting with the second-generatio ...

, and

watchOS watchOS is the operating system of the Apple Watch, developed by Apple Inc. 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 only ...

Overview

Releases

iPadOS 13

iPadOS 13 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 ...

is the first major release of

, an iPad-specific

fork In cutlery or kitchenware, a fork (from la, furca ' pitchfork') is a utensil, now usually made of metal, whose long handle terminates in a head that branches into several narrow and often slightly curved tines with which one can spear foods ...

of iOS meant to emphasize the multitasking and tablet-centric features of the iPad. It was previewed at Apple's

WWDC The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is an information technology conference held annually by Apple Inc. The conference is usually held at Apple Park in California. The event is usually used to showcase new software and technologies in t ...

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 The Apple A9 is a 64-bit ARM-based system-on-chip (SoC), designed by Apple Inc. Manufactured for Apple by both TSMC and Samsung, it first appeared in the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus which were introduced on September 9, 2015. Apple states that it h ...

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 operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. Within the market of ...

. System-wide support for

picture-in-picture Picture-in-picture (PiP) is a feature that can be found in television receivers, personal computers and smartphones, consisting of a video stream playing within an inset window, freeing the rest of the screen for other tasks. For televisions, pic ...

was added.

Safari A safari (; ) is an overland journey to observe wild animals, especially in eastern or southern Africa. The so-called "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – particularly form an importa ...

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 A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, making the whole a three-wheeled vehicle. A motorcycle with a sidecar is sometimes called a ''combination'', an ''outfit'', a ''rig'' or a ''hack''. ...

, 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 File or filing may refer to: Mechanical tools and processes * File (tool), a tool used to ''remove'' fine amounts of material from a workpiece **Filing (metalworking), a material removal process in manufacturing ** Nail file, a tool used to gent ...

app gained support for external drives, which can connect to an iPad with

USB-C USB-C (properly known as USB Type-C) is a 24-pin USB connector system with a rotationally symmetrical connector. The designation C refers only to the connector's physical configuration or form factor and should not be confused with the conne ...

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

Lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an average ...

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

iPadOS 14

iPadOS 14 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 i ...

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 () is a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for VoIP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also has instant messaging, file transfer, ...

were shrunk to the size of notifications, to allow users to continue interacting with the open app.

Spotlight Spotlight or spot light may refer to: Lighting * Spot lights, automotive auxiliary lamps * Spotlight (theatre lighting) * Spotlight, a searchlight * Stage lighting instrument, stage lighting instruments, of several types Art, entertainment, a ...

search gained improved search suggestions and more detailed web search results. iPadOS 14 also added support for mounting encrypted

APFS Apple File System (APFS) is a proprietary file system developed and deployed by Apple Inc. for macOS Sierra (10.12.4) and later, iOS 10.3 and later, tvOS 10.2 and later, watchOS 3.2 and later, and all versions of iPadOS. It aims to fix ...

external hard drives.

iPadOS 15

iPadOS 15 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 a ...

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 Inc. for their iPhone and iPod Touch lines. Announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 22, 2020 as the successor to iOS 13 ...

. 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 iPadOS 16 is the fourth and current major release of the iPadOS operating system developed by Apple Inc., Apple for its iPad line of tablet computers. The successor to iPadOS 15, it was announced at the company's Apple Worldwide Developers Con ...

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 Freeform may refer to: __NOTOC__ Computers * Freeform surface modelling, via computer-aided design (CAD) *Freeform solid modeling, via computer-aided design (CAD) * Freeform machine, 3D printing * Freeform, a collaborative application developed b ...

app, a digital whiteboard which can sync across Apple devices.

iPadOS 17

iPadOS 17 iPadOS 17 is the iPadOS version history, fifth and current major release of the iPadOS operating system developed by Apple Inc., Apple for its iPad line of Tablet computer, tablet computers. The successor to iPadOS 16, it was announced at the c ...

was released on September 18, 2023.

iPadOS 18

The upcoming version

iPadOS 18 iPadOS 18 is the upcoming iPadOS version history, sixth major release of Apple Inc., Apple's iPadOS operating system for the iPad. It was revealed at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). It is the direct successor to iPadOS 17 and ...

was set to be most likely released in September 2024. If not, then some may expect the release to be on October 2024.

Hardware support

References

External links

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