Disable immediate passcode on iPad with iOS 18.1

You are perhaps confusing this with an entirely different setting...

Settings > TouchID & Passcode > Require Passcode > Immediately

With two-factor authentication enabled (now required) this setting cannot be changed.

The setting that you may wish to alter is:

Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock - select from 2, 5, 10, 15 minutes - or Never

Much of your iPad’s advanced functionality simply won’t work unless a Passcode has been initially set - such as TouchID/FaceID and Keychain stored passwords - and for this reason alone you will likely need to at least have a Passcode set for your iPad. If your iPad supports TouchID or FaceID, don't forget that you can use biometric authentication to access your iPad with minimal friction.

As already strongly advised by Katana-San, disabling your device Passcode is ill advised. However, should you accept the inherent risk, you can effectively remove the need to enter a Passcode to unlock your iPad:

Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock - set to Never

As documented by Apple in its Security Guide, for devices with TouchID or FaceID enabled, you device Passcode will reportedly always require entry of a Passcode in the following circumstances…

A passcode or password is also required if the device is in any of the following states:

• The device has just been turned on or restarted

• The user has logged out of their Mac account (or hasn’t yet logged in).

• The user hasn’t unlocked their device for more than 48 hours.

• The user hasn’t used their passcode or password to unlock their device for 156 hours (six and a half days), and the user hasn’t used a biometric to unlock their device in

4 hours.

• The device has received a remote lock command

• The user exited power off / Emergency SOS by pressing and holding either volume button and the Sleep/Wake button simultaneously for 2 seconds and then pressing Cancel.

• There were five unsuccessful biometric match attempts (though for usability, the device might offer entering a passcode or password instead of using biometrics after a smaller number of failures).

When Face ID with a mask is enabled on an iPhone, it’s available for the next 6.5 hours after one of the following user actions:

• Successful Face ID match attempt (with or without a mask)

• Device passcode validation

• Device unlock with Apple Watch

Any of these actions extends the period by an additional 6.5 hours when performed.

Go to settings, then scroll down till you see "Touch ID and Passcode (or just Passcode)", then tap on "Turn Password off".

Hello~ I would like to caution you against disabling your passcode for a moments inconvenience. If your iPad was stolen then everything on your device is at risk. You also can’t use the Wallet app, iCloud, iTunes and App Store, Keychain to remember your passwords and a plethora of other things. The main reason for not doing this of course is for security reasons.

~Katana-San~

I'm delighted to learn that we have got the bottom of the issue.

Having now (hopefully) resolved any concerns, the key take-away points are perhaps that the device Passcode is an essential element of your iPad - as it both secures the device from unauthorised access and enables many important functions.

Disabling or removing the Passcode is a bad idea on many levels - although, in some circumstances, it is possible to remove the need to enter the Passcode without entirely disabling its protection and associated security unctions.

In case you haven't encountered it, be aware of the iPad User Guide - this being a rich and frequently overlooked source of information about your iPad, iPadOS and its many features. Being on online resource, it is continuously updated by Apple to include information about new features as they are released:

iPad User Guide - Apple Support

The Tips App, installed by default on all new models of iPad, provides a brief introduction - and leads you to the User Guide. In case you missed it, here is a link to the Tips App:

https://apps.apple.com/app/tips/id1069509450

Hello~ Excellent information.

~Katana-San~

Hi. Thank you. 🙂

Subject to the caveats - in particular with regard to your own advice - I hope it will offer a functionally useful compromise for the OP.