It’s been six years since Apple decided to brand the iPad operating system iPadOS to differentiate it from iOS on the iPhone. Since then, Apple has added a handful of iPad-exclusive features, but overall, it’s still a lot like iOS.
That could change dramatically in iPadOS 19, due to arrive at WWDC and ship in September. We’ll have a chance to see what Apple has in mind at the keynote on June 9. In the meantime, here’s what we know about iPadOS 19.
iPadOS 19: Release date
The official release date has not been announced, but Apple currently has an annual cycle with its operating systems that happens in the September timeframe. Based on recent history, iPadOS 19 could be released to the public on September 15 or 22.
Here are the release dates for the past version of iPadOS:
- iPadOS 18: September 16, 2024
- iPad OS 17: September 18, 2023
- iPadOS 16: September 12, 2022
- iPadOS 15: September 20, 2021
- iPadOS 14: September 16, 2020
- iPadOS 13: September 24, 2019
iPadOS 19: Compatibility
A report in December 2024 stated that the following iPads will be able to run iPadOS 19:
- iPad Pro (2018 or later)
- iPad Air (3rd generation or later)
- iPad mini (5th generation or later)
- iPad (8th generation and later)
That’s nearly every iPad that can run iOS 18, excluding the 7th-gen iPad from 2019.
iPadOS 19: Developer and public betas
Apple makes betas of its operating systems available before the official release in September. A developer beta is released first following the WWDC keynote, so developers can immediately begin testing it with their products. The WWDC25 keynote will be held on June 9, so the developer beta should be available later that day after the keynote presentation.
Apple then releases a public beta for everyone else, which usually arrives in July, about a month after the first developer beta. Then, whenever Apple issues beta updates, the updated public beta follows a day or two after the updated developer beta.
If you are interested in using the beta, you can join Apple’s beta program. The beta program involves running software that will have some stability issues, and you are expected to provide Apple with details of any issues through the Apple Feedback app.
iPadOS 19: New features
Because iPadOS 19 never needs to leave Apple Park until it ships, rumors of its new features are harder to come than iPad hardware. But leaks still occur, and we’ll keep track of them here. Here’s what we’ve heard so far:
Major design overhaul
Apple is working on a design overhaul of iPadOS (as well as iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS). Reports state that the update will take its cues from visionOS, and the Apple Invites and Sports apps could offer some hints at what is in store. It’s also possible that Apple changes the icon shape for the first time to match the visionOS’s circular icons.
Mac-like user experience
One exciting feature rumored to be on the way is a new window management system for multitasking on the iPad. Apple released Stage Manager with iPadOS 16.1, but it hasn’t lived up to its potential. An April 2025 report from Mark Gurman claims that Apple is working on Stage Manager 2, which will incorporate the use of a menu bar that activates when the iPad is connected to a keyboard. Gurman added that iPadOS 19 will make the iPad “more like a Mac,” but he did not offer specifics.
A separate report from November 2024 claims that users will be able to pin files to the iPadOS 19 Home screen, similar to the way files can be saved to the desktop in macOS.
Low Power Mode could expand its functionality in iPadOS 19.
Foundry
Low Power Mode
iPadOS 18 currently has Low Power Mode, but Majin Bu last November claimed that the system will be “reinvented” in iPadOS 19. That could mean it will lean on Apple Intelligence to manage and optimize battery life.
Apple Intelligence and Siri
Apple has hit some serious hurdles with its Apple Intelligence development, causing features to be delayed. Features that were supposed to be delivered in iPadOS 18.4 may appear sometime in 2026 in an iPadOS 19 update.
Apple had touted a major update to Siri, where it is better at natural conversations with the user. Previously expected in iPadOS 19, it is now more likely to come as a later update or in iPadOS 20. However, there will almost certainly be new Apple Intelligence features as part of iPadOS 19, especially since all new iPads (except the 11th-gen model) can now run it.
New Home app
Apple will reportedly make a major push into the smart home over the next year, and that could start with a new Home app. Numerous reports claim that Apple is developing a new “HomePad” and a new HomePod with a display that features a new “homeOS,” and Apple recently pushed all users to the new Home architecture first released in iOS 16. To go along with these new products, could present a whole new Home app in iPadOS 19.
