iPadOS 27 system requirements: will it run on your older Apple iPad?

Apple revealed the next major iPad software update back in June at its developer conference. iPadOS 27 won’t roll out until September, although it is now available as a beta release.

It will work best with the latest iPads as you’d expect, but you’ll want to know if iOS 27 will work with your existing Apple tablet, which might be slightly older.

We’ve got all the details right here. As always, a whole bunch of older iPads will also get the free software update, stretching back around five years – the 9th gen iPad that’s on the list will get the new software and that was launched in October 2021.

Note that Apple’s software versions are now named after the year ahead – so iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27 and so on. Here’s our guide to the iPadOS 27 system requirements.

Will your iPad get iPadOS 27?

Unlike with iOS, the system requirements for iPadOS 27 are not the same as with iPadOS 26 and supoort has been dropped for many existing iPads. So if you have an iPad Apple A12 or Apple A12X chip it won’t be compatible with the new OS. The dropped models include the 8th gen iPad, 5th gen iPad mini, 3rd gen iPad Air, 1st gen 11-inch iPad Pro, and 3rd gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Here’s a full list of the devices compatible with iPadOS 26:

• iPad: 9th generation and later (including A16)
• iPad mini: 6th generation and later (including A17 Pro)
• iPad Air: 4th generation and later including M2, M3, M4
• iPad Pro 11in – 2nd generation and later
• Pad Pro 12.9in – 4th generation and later
• iPad Pro M4 and later

It’s also worth noting that not all of these iPads will get access to Apple Intelligence and Siri AI – for that you will need an iPad with an M1 chip or newer, or the latest A17 Pro version of the iPad mini (7th gen).

Related: Why you should buy an iPhone now to beat September’s price rises

Dan Grabham Editor-in-Chief

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Areas of expertise

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home