We’re expecting iPadOS 19 / iPadOS 26, the next software version for iPad, to land during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2025) this year.
From what we’ve heard, it looks like it could be a significant update. Here’s what we know so far about iPadOS 19 / iPadOS 26 — we’ll find out if these rumors are true in June.
A recent report for reliable Apple tipster Mark Gurman claims Apple is readying a major overhaul of its operating system naming convention, to bring all of its software in line numerically.
Apple will reportedly ditch the version numbers it’s historically used for new iterations of its operating systems, instead moving to using the last two digits of the year. However, even though we expect the new iPadOS to be launched in June 2025, Apple is said to be lining up 26 as the number for the OS.
It means we could see iPadOS 26 revealed during the WWDC keynote, rather than iPad 19.
Apple announced this year’s WWDC will run from June 9 to 13. That means iPadOS 19 / iPadOS 26, codenamed “Luck,” will likely be announced during the keynote event on June 9.
It kicks off at 10am PDT / 1pm EDT, and you can follow the action as it happens with our WWDC 2025 live blog. If you want to keep a closer eye on proceedings, here’s how to watch the WWDC 2025 keynote.
Alongside iPadOS 19 / iPadOS 26, we should also see iOS 19, watchOS 12, and macOS 16 — and there may even be some hardware announcements.
We don’t know as much about iPadOS 19 / iPadOS 26 as we do iOS 19 / iOS 26, but there are a few things we could expect.
According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, iOS and iPadOS 19/ iPadOS 26 are expected to get the most significant redesign since iOS 7 in 2013.
iPadOS 19 “will fundamentally change the look of the operating systems and make Apple’s various software platforms more consistent.” That means unifying the look and style of the operating system across multiple platforms for a simpler and more uniform user experience. We’re expecting icons, buttons, menus, and system apps to receive a visual overhaul, with enhanced customization.
This redesign may be inspired by visionOS, and some early leaks have suggested the Camera app may get the most significant changes. That’s something many folks have long suggested needs to be simplified.
However, it’s unclear whether that will be limited to the iPhone in iOS 19/ iOS 26 or if those changes will also make their way into iPadOS 19/ iPadOS 26, as the cameras have always been a lower priority on Apple’s tablets.
Apple still plans to make Siri more personalized so that it can understand personal context and be aware of what’s on your screen. Apple initially announced this at WWDC 2024, promising it would be part of Apple Intelligence in iOS 18, and it was initially expected to arrive in iOS 18.4 before Apple conceded it needed more time to get it ready. It’s now slated for iOS 19 / iOS 26, but it’s likely to still be pushed off into a later point release.
In November 2024, Gurman reported that Apple is working on making Siri “more conversational,” like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, employing more advanced large language models (LLMs) so users can have lengthy back-and-forth conversations. “LLM Siri,” as it has been dubbed, was initially expected in an iPadOS update around spring 2026, but it’s unclear if this will be affected by the other Siri delays.
According to AppleInsider, many of the updates introduced in iOS 19 /iOS 26 will most likely make their way to iPadOS. We’re expecting a major focus on and expansion of Apple Intelligence features.
This could also be the year that Apple finally makes iPadOS more Mac-like. Multiple sources have reported that, while Apple still doesn’t plan to port macOS to the iPad, it’s going to try to do more to turn its tablet into a viable laptop replacement.
Gurman reports a stronger focus on “productivity, multitasking and app window management,” while another report from leaker Majin Bu suggests we could even see a macOS-like menu bar. Combined with reports that iOS 19 / iOS 26 could bring proper Stage Manager-style external display support to the iPhone, we’re hoping Apple plans to borrow a page out of Samsung’s DeX playbook to help its powerful iPads reach their full potential.
Lastly, we’ve heard that Apple Journal may finally make the jump from iPhone to iPad, although you’ll want to take this one with a pinch of salt, as it hasn’t been corroborated by any reliable sources and may be little more than wishful speculation.
A December report from French website iPhoneSoft.fr (via MacRumors), which cites a source within Apple, suggests that iPadOS 19 / iPadOS 26 will drop support for the 2019 iPad 7. This was corroborated to 9to5Mac in late March by an anonymous but reliable leaker.
All other iPad models capable of running iPadOS 18 will reportedly be compatible with the latest iPad operating system, though some features will be unavailable on older models.
The full list of devices compatible with iPadOS 19 / iPadOS 26 includes:
This works out to all iPad Pro models released in 2018 or later, all iPad Air and iPad mini models released in 2019 or later, and 2020 and newer models of the standard iPad.
The first iPadOS 19 /iPad OS 26 deveoper beta should arrive shortly after the WWDC 2025 keynote, followed by public betas in late June or early July. iPadOS 19 /iPadOS 26 will likely be fully released in September, following the iPhone 17 reveal.
Apple has just launched its latest iPad mini with a notable set of upgrades, including an OLED screen, improved speakers, and a more resilient build. It also gets a new chip, and the whole package costs $200 more than its predecessor. But if you look closely at Apple’s online store, you’ll realize that $699 isn’t enough to get you the most powerful version of the A20 Pro chip inside this tablet. In fact, even if you pay $800 for the 256GB model, you still won’t get the beefiest variant. Only when you jump to the 512GB trim, which costs an absurd $999, do you get the most powerful flavor of the A20 Pro.
The $999 model gets more than extra storage
Ahead of its October 28 “Pro and Tell” event, Apple has refreshed the iPad mini with an OLED display (the first for the mini line), the company’s latest in-house, Pro-grade chipset, and something else that made me read twice: an Acoustic Display design.
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