How many years is the ipad mini 6 can get security updates ? Is that the same with the software update or system update what ever you call? Is it true that if the ipad or iphones get older the apps will not be compatible when downloading or updating?

Look,

Apple now, typically supports iPads for anywhere from 6-8 years.

The 2014 iPad Air 2 will get almost 8-years of support.

When support from Apple ends, third party app support WILL continue for another 2-3 years MAX!

So, that will be a total of anywhere from 8-11 years of device support.

What that means is that the last compatible app, depending on what it is, may ceased to work and may no longer function or the newest version of an app wiil NOT be compatible, but the older version may still continue to function.

Older gaming apps are the first to stop functioning.

Followed by video apps, like YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Disney, HBO, Amazon, etc.

Typically, third party video app developers will simply stop an older app from functioning.

Most third party video app developers will give users a “heads up” email or app notifcation on the older app prior to shutting down the functionality of that older app.

Also, banking apps will be next to follow and may no longer allow you to access your online bank acxount through an older app and you may need to try and accesss your bank's actual Website, through a Web browser to access your bank’s bank account.

If this is a fail, then it will, probably, be time for another new or much “newer” iPad model.

Most apps that are designed to directly accesss content from the Internet, from within an app framwwork, are, usually, the apps that are first to no longer function or function properly.

So,, there you have it.

Apple does not pre-announce end-of-life dates for its products - in particular for devices that are the current model such as your iPad mini6.

Ultimately, Apple will continue to support system software updates for any model of iPad for as long as its internal hardware is capable of supporting the updated software. System software updates for a particular model will cease when the internal hardware (generally the CPU or RAM) is insufficient to provide adequate performance for the demands of the evolving Operating System.

Your iPad mini6 has the current Apple A15 CPU and 4GB RAM. The current minimum supported hardware configuration for the for iPadOS15.x is 2GB RAM (this being iPad Air2 with an A8X CPU). The iPad5 and iPad6 also have the minimum supported 2GB RAM configuration. As you can see, the iPad mini6 has double the current minimum RAM requirement.

Whilst the Terms of Use that govern participation here precludes speculation, given that the RAM configuration has historically been the limiting factor, it might be reasonable to for your to presume that models with only minimum 2GB RAM (the iPad Air2, iPad5 and iPad6) are at greatest risk of losing support at the next major release. The Air2 was released in 2014 - now approaching 8 years of supported OS updates.

Armed with this knowledge, you can perhaps gauge for yourself how long you might realistically expect system software updates to continue for your model.

As mentioned by others, App Developers will often maintain App updates for a few additional years - insofar as their own App software remains compatible with the system libraries upon with the App often relies for its operation.

This is a user forum… Apple have shown in the past that they support iOS devices for a long time. Eg; iPad Air 2 runs iPadOS 15. iPad Mini (6th generation), has an A15, which is Apple’s latest mobile SoC, therefore, it should get updates for a good long while.

Apps often drop support for older versions of iOS quite quickly, hence if your device no longer gets updated, it can cause problems. Not because your device is old….