Right on time as it does each year, Apple announced its next major upgrade for the iPad this week. The new iPadOS 17 update is only available as a developer preview. Still, when it arrives this fall, it’ll deliver countless exciting new features as long as your iPad is supported.
Apple announced a ton of stuff at its annual WWDC event, and aside from its wild new Vision Pro headset, many fans are excited about what’s to come for the iPad. This next software release introduces customizable widgets available on the home screen or lockscreen (like iOS), new live activities widgets, offline maps, improvements to PDF support, the Health app for iPad, and much more.
An early access beta is available today for those interested, but the global release isn’t until later this fall. Additionally, the arrival of iPadOS 17 means some older devices won’t be supported. According to Apple, if you have the 1st generation iPad Pro or something like a 5th gen iPad, you’re out of luck.
- iPad (6th gen and newer)
- iPad Pro (2nd gen and newer)
- iPad Air (3rd gen and newer)
- iPad mini (5th gen and newer)
Surprisingly, those with a 1st gen iPad Pro are out of luck, but we knew it would lose support eventually. For those wondering, you can check which iPad model you own under Settings > General > About on your device. Then, check to see if it’s on the list above to get iPadOS 17.
While we don’t recommend regular users try the early preview beta, those interested can sign up for Apple’s developer program here. That said, you’ll likely face a few bugs and issues, so you’re better off waiting for the official release date in the fall.
Later this year, we’ll be getting a lot of updates, from iOS 17, iPadOS 17, a new watchOS, and even macOS 14 Sonoma. Stay tuned for more details.
