iPad OS Support
Is there any official Apple documentation online to show what Apple supports for iPad OS? I see other websites showing supported and unsupported, but I am looking for anything on Apple's site so I can point it to my users.
I see that iOS 16 and 17 are not supported on other sites, but not on Apple's site.
Any links would be appreciated!
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Original Title: iPad OS Support
That table on Wikipedia only shows what iOS / iPadOS versions a specific iPad supports i.e what versions the specific iPad can run. Not what Apple may or may not support for issues or hardware repairs. Apple will not help you out with issues on an iPad first generation from 2010 at this point for example. Even though that table shows iOS 3.2 as supported.
In general Apple does not limit support by iPadOS version. They limit support by age, regardless of what it is running.
Apple will offer service and repairs for iPads in the current or vintage categories as shown in the following support document though.
click here ➜ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102772
Consider iPads released within the last 10 years or so for support by Apple.
That table on Wikipedia only shows what iOS / iPadOS versions a specific iPad supports i.e what versions the specific iPad can run. Not what Apple may or may not support for issues or hardware repairs. Apple will not help you out with issues on an iPad first generation from 2010 at this point for example. Even though that table shows iOS 3.2 as supported.
In general Apple does not limit support by iPadOS version. They limit support by age, regardless of what it is running.
Apple will offer service and repairs for iPads in the current or vintage categories as shown in the following support document though.
click here ➜ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102772
Consider iPads released within the last 10 years or so for support by Apple.
While this is not a table, using this Support Article from Apple you can choose the OS version on top and it will list the compatible iPads.
https://support.apple.com/guide/ipad/ipad-models-compatible-with-ipados-26-ipad213a25b2/26/ipados/26
CapMReynolds wrote:
Basically I am looking for a simple table from Apple like they have on other sites like Wikipedia:
While Apple most certainly have it, Apple doesn't publish that table. They publish the data, not the table.
For OS, update the device to current. If that's not 26 (2026), the device has dropped off OS support.
App vendor support varies, with some major vendors supporting the three most recent OS versions: 17, 18, 26.
Hardware support varies by (presumably) parts availability. Past five to seven years, replacement usually wins the calculation.
Resources:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/102772
Can you provide more details on what kind of documentation you are referring to or what you mean by seeing other websites showing supported and unsupported?
What does: "I see that iOS 16 and 17 are not supported on other sites, but not on Apple's site." mean?
https://support.apple.com/guide/ipad/welcome/17.0/ipados/17.0
https://www.apple.com/ipad/compare/?modelList=ipad-mini-2,ipad-air-11-m3,ipad-11th-a16
What exactly do you mean by "support" exactly? What kind of support.
Apple recently released updates for iPadOS 16. iOS 16.7.13 was released on January 26th, 2026.
click here ➜ https://support.apple.com/en-us/100100
iPadOS 17, however, has not been updated since 2025, since every device that can run iPadOS 17, can also run iPadOS 18 and and as such it is recommended to update to that.
Last update for iPadOS 17 was in August of 2025. iPadOS 17.7.10.
click here ➜ https://support.apple.com/en-us/124926
Hi!
Let me rephrase, I am looking for documentation that shows what iOS versions Apple would support, should there be any issues. Similar to an End of Life listing that Windows has for their OS.
Other websites like Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPadOS_version_history where it shows unsupported, supported, and current versions. iOS 16 is showing as unsupported, yet it received a security update this month. (which I believe was more for the iPhones that had an issue calling emergency services in Australia IIRC)
This request is mainly to show our users that the manufacturer does not support their devices so we can persuade them to upgrade to a more modern device. We do support any device as long as (in this case) Apple will also support it. For example, we support any iMac, Studio, or Macbook that can support the latest + the last two published macOS. Any device that cannot upgrade to a supported macOS would be marked for retirement. However we do not have any policies (yet) for iPadOS.
Basically I am looking for a simple table from Apple like they have on other sites like Wikipedia:
I have been searching so many different ways but ending up with the same results that doesn't give me a clear view on what I would need.
If this is how Apple is, then I find that amazing that a simple piece of information like this can't be shown :)
This request is mainly to show our users that the manufacturer does not support their devices so we can persuade them to upgrade to a more modern device.
This is not Apple's request line. We are all end users, not Apple employes. I've been here almost 25 years and I've yet to find evidence that Apple officially patrols the tens of thousands of new posts daily. Apple WILL see submissions through this link:
https://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad/
By the way, there are four major categories of iPads and the chart you posted covers only one. It omits iPad Air, iPad Mini, and iPad Pro.
This is a link from Macworld, maybe it will help.
https://www.macworld.com/article/675021/how-long-does-apple-support-iphones.html
Where can I find official Apple documentation on iPadOS support?
