iPad Air updates

A first generation iPad Air can only be updated to iOS 12.5.1

Apple ended major update support for iPad Air1 in September 2019 - although it since continues to received “point” security updates - the most recent being 12.5.1 a few days ago. An iPad Air1 cannot be updated to iPadOS 13 (or any later major versions of iPadOS) as the internal hardware does not meet the minimum technical requirements (CPU and RAM) for newer versions of iOS/iPadOS.

Some App developers have dropped support for iOS versions preceding iOS 13.x for technical reasons (often because APIs or software libraries upon which they rely have been updated in the new version of iPadOS, making their App incompatible with earlier versions). 

Whilst many App titles remain compatible with your iPad Air1, if you want or need to access to Apps requiring the most recent versions of iOS, you’ll need to consider replacement of your iPad with a newer or current model that supports iPadOS14.

Sorry, I appreciate that this may not be what you were hoping to learn.

I hope this information provides helpful clarity as to your available options - and the limitations of your existing iPad Air.

Yes, your device cannot support iOS versions beyond 12.5.1 because of hardware incompatibility, sorry.

Regards

Giulio

I get that my iPad Air will not update past 12.5.1. This has been an awesome iPad and I still have plenty of memory. My questions is it still safe to use on the internet? I am an older person and it still provides what I need at this time. Thank you for any information assistance you can provide and have a great weekend