Apple has announced the iPad models that support iPadOS 27 following its unveiling at WWDC on June 8, 2026.
Apple drops support for older iPads in iPadOS 27. The new operating system requires more recent hardware to deliver features including an updated Siri and other Apple Intelligence capabilities. Models with A12 chips or earlier, including the iPad (8th generation), iPad Air 3, and iPad mini 5, will not receive the update.
iPadOS 27 supports iPads with M1 chips or later as well as specific recent base models and the iPad mini with A17 Pro. No base iPad models with older chips qualify.
Here is the complete list of supported iPads. Compatible models include the iPad Pro with M1 or later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation and later), iPad Air (4th generation and later), iPad Air 11-inch (M2 and later), iPad Air 13-inch (M2 and later), iPad (9th generation and later), iPad with A16 chip, iPad mini (6th generation and later), and iPad mini with A17 Pro.
From The CircuitryThe Feed — live briefs across tech, all day.See what’s happening →The list aligns with the hardware requirements for advanced AI features. Earlier rumors from early June had anticipated the cutoff around 2020 and 2021 models, and the official lineup confirms that iPad (8th generation), iPad Air 3, and iPad mini 5 lose support while newer devices gain access to the full set of productivity and intelligence tools.
Users can check their iPad model in Settings. Navigate to Settings > General > About to view the model name and generation. The same menu displays the current iPadOS version. To see if an update is available, go to Settings > Software Update.
Apple provides ongoing software support for as many devices as possible, but new capabilities in iPadOS 27 limit compatibility to these models. The developer beta becomes available later on June 8, 2026, the public beta arrives in July, and the final release reaches users this fall.
Compatibility focuses on performance for new Siri and tab organization. iPadOS 27 includes an always-on Menu Bar option, the ability to resize iPhone apps on iPad, refined Liquid Glass interface elements, performance improvements, revamped Screen Time, upgraded search, an active app name in the status bar, Photos enhancements, and Safari's ability to organize tabs into topics. These changes drive the stricter hardware requirements.
