Hi! I have a MC979B/A Ipad 2..16GB. iSO stays on 9.3.5. No option to upgrade iSO to 10?!

Your iPad lacks the hardware to upgrade to iOS 10 or past that. iOS 9.3.5 is the last OS you are eligible to use on that device.

Hi RhortonK,

you can‘t upgrade your iPad beyond iOS 9.3.5. Even if you’d find an ISO 10 your iPad would NOT install it.

Cheers

You have an iPad 2nd generation (iPad 2).

The iPad 2, 3 and 1st generation iPad Mini are all ineligible and excluded from upgrading to iOS 10 AND iOS 11.

They all share similar hardware architectures and a less powerful 1.0 Ghz CPU that Apple has deemed insufficiently powerful enough to even run the basic, barebones features of iOS 10 OR iOS 11!

Why would you want to upgrade, anyways?

Since iOS 8, older iPad models such as the iPad 2, 3 and 4 have only been getting the most basic of iOS features.

Older iPad users get none of the newest and coolest cutting edge features that newer model iDevices, with better hardware specs, can handle with more aplomb.

Plus, the iPad 2 and 3 are the only two supported models left that use the much outdated 30 pin dock connector.

The same iPad 2 users who whined and moaned and groaned that both iOS 8 and 9 slowed down the performance of their iPad 2 models would come back, once again, in angry droves, with even more complaints of slowdowns under iOS 10 or iOS 11.

FYI,

Just because your iPad 2 is no longer able to upgrade to the latest iOS doesn't mean your iPad 2 is suddenly useless.

Your iPad 2 will work as it always has and the apps you have installed on it will continue to update and receive some level of app updates relevant to your current iOS.

You have had four years of iOS upgrades and updates.

Your iPad 2 will still do everything it does now and you will, get, at least, another full year, perhaps two, if you decide you want to wait longer to get a new or newer iPad model.

Your iPad 2 is NOT, suddenly, becoming obsolete or useless.

So, your options are really keep using your iPad 2 or purchase a new iPad if you feel you need or want to.

Your current iPad 2 will still work and continue to receive app updates for some time, when, with the current versions of iOS 11, ALL support for older 32 bit iDevices and any iOS 32 bit apps will come to a final end.

Your iPad 2 will still work and function as it always has, but will no longer receive any more app updates some time in the foreseeable future.

The final app updates your iPad 2 will end up receiving will be their last!

Your iPad 2 should STILL be receiving app updates, currently, but look for this to end sometime soon.

This is why Apple introduced the new, lower cost 2017 iPad 5 model, in April

Apple is trying to get older iPad 2, 3, 4 and 1st gen Mini iPad users to upgrade to more modern iPad hardware with the recent introduction/release of iOS 11, which WILL render all older 32 bit iDevices obsolete, in time.

So, the decisions are really up to you!

If you decide to stick with your older iPad until it is no longer getting any app updates, I would STOP using that 2-2-1/2 year old Safari web browser, as it is, probably, not safe and secure to use any longer, and seek out a third party web browser that is STILL currently being updated and STILL being supported on iOS 9.3.5.

Here are a few third party web browsers that I know are STILL being updated and supported on iOS 9.

Perfect Web browser

iCab Mobile Web browser

Dolphin Web browser

Aloha Web browser

Maven Web browser

Maxthon Web browser

Opera Web Browser

Good Luck to You!

It can’t be updated past 9.3.5.

(159903)

iOS would only be available from Apple and directly from the OS, not a store or website, and if you found one there it would be highly suspect.

ISO is the International Standards Organization

ISO - International Organization for Standardization

Of course, you’re right. That’s what happens when your wife catches your typing a reply here...😉 so, never get distracted...

Wife’s calling again...

Cheers

Here are a bunch of iPad performance enhancing tips that may help with your older iPad's speed and overall performance.

Have you tried a hard reset of your iPad by holding down both the Home and sleep/wake buttons until your iPad goes to black and restarts with Apple logo, then release the buttons?

How much free data storage space is left on your iPad?

iDevices need to maintain, at least, 3 GBs, OR GREATER, of free data storage space.

In Settings app, General settings panel, turn OFF Background App Refresh for any apps you feel do not need constant data updating/Internet updating in the background when not using the an app OR turn OFF Background App Refresh entirely/globally for the entire device.

Do the same in the Settings app under Notifications.Turn off notifications for apps you do not think you need notifications for and/or edit the different ways you receive notifications to help with performance by not always using all the notification methods together.

In Settings app under Mail, you may want to set a longer fetch time or set your iOS Mail app to only manually fetch your mail ONLY when you launch the iOS Mail app.

In Settings app, under General settings, Reset panel, at the right bottom of the list, Reset All Settings.

In Settings app (NOT from the iOS Control Panel) turn OFF Bluetooth when not using any Bluetooth devices.

Also, in general, if you want a faster IDevice, on all of my iDevices, I turn off most of the iOS motion graphics eye candy, by simply turning ON Reduce Motion in Settings app, General, Accessibilty settings.

Make sure you aren't running scads and scads of background apps in the iOS 11 Control Panel/App Switcher.

If you are, you need to quit the bulk of these background running apps by tap and hold a finger on an app window in the switcher and slide your finger upwards to quit an app. You should be able to use more than one finger to quit more than one app window simultaneously.

Also, make sure you don’t have scads and scads of active website tabs running in the web browser.

If you do, greatly reduce the amount of active website tabs your web browser.

Some minority of user have been turning ON and leaving ON iCloud backups continuously backing up on a constant and daily basis.

If you are one of these users, in Settings App, tap your Apple ID, then tap iCloud, then find iCloud backup and turn off iCloud backup and only turn this on to do daily backups either when you are not using your iPad for a prolonged period of time (like when you are sleeping), then turn iCloud backups OFF when actually using your iPad.

OR

Only perform your backups on a lesser time schedule.( like twice a week, once a week, once every two weeks, once a month, etc.).

Any large amount of background running apps or active processes that have to constantly go out to the Web to fetch data ALL THE TIME is going to slow down ANY iDevice.

In addition to all of the possible fixes and solutions presented, I suggest go into Settings, General, Accessibility, Increase Contrast and turn ON Reduce Transparency.

Your iPad won’t look as pretty, but some users reported that iPad speed improved considerably.

If you don’t like this look, then, turn OFF Reduce Transparency.

Tap on the link below to my other iDevice/iOS performance/optimisation user tips link.

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-10344

With all the tips above and in my supplied link, try all of these tips and leave each tip active together. Do not simply try every tip individually, expecting just one tip to be a performance “cure all”.

Many of these tips are designed to work together to improve overall iOS/iDevice performance.

Good Luck!