Unable to Update to iOS 11 or higher (iPad 4th Gen)

If your iPad is currently running, or cannot be updated beyond iOS 10.3.3/4, then have an iPad4.

Update support for iPad4 ended September 2017. The final iOS releases for this model were iOS 10.3.3 (WiFi Only models) and iOS 10.3.4 (WiFi & Cellular). iPad4 cannot be updated to any later major version of iOS as it lacks the minimum hardware requirements needed to run more recent versions. The 32-bit platform upon which the iPad4 is based is obsolete.

Many App Developers have dropped support for 32-bit devices and iOS versions preceding iOS11/12/13 - and have withdrawn older versions of their Apps from the Apple App Store. Withdrawal of Apps supporting older models of iPad is making their utility and usefulness significantly more limited.

If Apps that you need to use now have higher minimum iOS-version requirements, your only option is to replace your iPad with newer model. Of current models, even the entry-level iPad9 (principally designed for Educational environments) supports current iPadOS 15 - and has hardware specifications and capabilities that vastly outperform iPad4.

I hope this information is helpful - if only in clearly stating the fundamental limitations of iPad4 - and your available options.

Your iPad4’s are not “bricked”. They simply cannot be updated to a more recent version of iOS - and, by extension, cannot be used with modern Apps that require a higher version of iOS than your iPads can support.

Bottom line… your iPads are obsolete and have little remaining utility.

An iPad 4 isn't capable of 11 or above.

(207062)

iPads this old are of very little use for normal functions. They often can still have long life as a single task device such as a kiosk.