iPadOS
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iPadOS
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| Developer | Apple |
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| Based on | iOS; Darwin |
| Written in | C, C++, Swift, Objective-C, assembly |
| Source model | Closed, with open-source components |
| Initial release | September 24, 2019 (iPadOS 13) |
| Latest release | iPadOS 26.6 |
| Beta release | iPadOS 27.0 Developer Beta |
| Platform | Arm (iPad) |
| Kernel | Hybrid (XNU) |
| Official site for iPadOS | |
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iPadOS
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| iPadOS13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 26 · 27 |
| iOS · iPadOS · macOS · watchOS · tvOS(audioOS) · visionOS |
iPadOS is Apple's operating system for the iPad, split off from iOS in 2019 to let the tablet's software grow beyond a stretched phone interface. It shares its foundation, frameworks, and annual release cadence with iOS — every iPadOS version ships alongside its iOS sibling — while layering on tablet-specific capabilities: multitasking and windowing, Apple Pencil handwriting, desktop-class Safari, external display support, and file management.
The split acknowledged a decade of tension. From the original iPad's launch in 2010 through iOS 12, iPads ran iOS with tablet accommodations; serious multitasking arrived with iOS 9's Split View, and by iOS 11 (Dock, Files, drag and drop) the iPad's build was an operating system in all but name. iPadOS 13 made the name real, and each release since has moved the iPad closer to laptop-class computing — culminating in iPadOS 26's Mac-style windowing system, the platform's biggest single step.
1 History✎
iPadOS 13 (2019) introduced the brand with a denser home screen, widget column, Sidecar Mac-extension, and desktop-class Safari. iPadOS 14 (2020) added Scribble handwriting and app sidebars; iPadOS 15 (2021) brought home-screen widget parity and Quick Note; iPadOS 16 (2022, delayed a month for it) introduced Stage Manager's overlapping windows on M-series iPads; iPadOS 17 (2023) opened lock-screen customization and external webcam support; iPadOS 18 (2024) delivered Apple Intelligence, a Calculator app with handwriting Math Notes, and Smart Script. iPadOS 26 (2025) rebuilt multitasking outright — resizable windows, a menu bar, window tiling, and the Liquid Glass design shared across Apple's platforms. iPadOS 27 entered beta at WWDC26 with the Siri AI generation.
2 Relationship to iOS✎
iPadOS versions are iOS versions at heart: same kernel, same frameworks, same point-release trains, same security content, with the version number kept in lockstep (there was no "iPadOS 12," and like iOS it jumped from 18 to 26). Features generally flow both ways — widgets and Apple Intelligence arrived together — while windowing, Pencil, and pointer support remain the iPad's own. This wiki covers shared foundations on the iOS version pages; iPadOS version pages document the tablet-specific layer.
3 See also✎
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