How long does Apple support iPads?

If you already have an iPad or are thinking about picking up an elderly, maybe a renovated model, you need to know how long it will still be able to use the latest version of iPados. Apple is usually excellent in this area, often keeping older generations of its products on the latest versions of the operating system or at least blessed with security updates to keep them safe. But there is a time when the software on an iPad can no longer be updated to a secure version of iPados, and when it happens, you may find that apps and services are no longer working and your data may be at risk.

Here is a quick guide to how long you should expect an iPad to remain useful.

Which versions of iPados support Apple?

While the latest version of iPados is the one with all the latest features and the one that Apple will update with new features throughout the year, the company provides security updates for older versions of iPados to ensure the security of users of older iPads, but how long can you expect to get these updates for?

The decisive factor is whether Apple will update the operating system software running on your iPad if it detects a security error. You may be in danger if you are using an iPad that does not have sufficient security measures in place.

This means that the real defining element of how long an iPad can last is security updates. When these stops, it is not recommended to continue using the device as it could be vulnerable. Generally, the Apple security updates for two generations are issuing after completing support for the latest version. For example, when iPados 17 arrived in 2023, Apple still issued updates to iPados 16 and 15 throughout the year. But with iPados 18, Apple stopped issuing regular security updates to iPados 15 and iPados 16 (the last update to iPados 16 was in August 2024).

Security updates are released relatively often and simply update the code in the system to close any areas where hackers or malware could access. These appear on your device as a “point” releases such as iPados 18.1, 18.1.1, 18.2, etc., and they make small adjustments of iPados and attach any security errors that can put your data at risk.

To find out if you have installed the latest version of iPados, go to Settings> General> Software Update and Check.

Apple

Which version of iPados can I run?

The key is to know which version of iPados your iPad can run, so you can identify if Apple is still required to update it with security -related corrections. Apple tends to continue security support for the two or three latest versions of iPados (Apple tends not to support a third version if the same iPad models are covered by the newer version).

iPados 18

iPados 18 arrived on September 16, 2024. It runs on the following models:

iPad Pro 11-inch and 13-inch (M4)
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3. Gen and later)
iPad Air (M3, M2, 3. Gen and later)
iPad (7. Gen and later)
iPad mini (5th gen and later)

With this iteration of iPados Apple, Apple dropped support for 2nd-Gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 10.5-inch iPad Pro and 6th-Gen iPad.

iPados 17

iPados 17 arrived in 2023 and was last updated in August 2024. It runs on the following models and Apple will issue software updates to it (the latest was iPados 17.7.5 on February 10, 2025).

iPad Pro 12.9 (2. Gen and later)
iPad Pro 11
iPad Pro 10.5
iPad Air (3. Gen and later)
iPad (6th gen and later)
iPad mini (5th gen and later)

iPados 17 dropped support for 2016 iPad Pro 9.7-inch (A9X Chip), 2015 iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1 Gen) (A9X Chip) and 2017 iPad (5th genes) running on an even slower A9 processor.

Apple

Which iPads are not supported with any updates?

With the arrival of iPados 18, Apple dropped support for iPados 15 and iPados 16, which means iPad Air 2. Gen and iPad Mini 4, have been dropped from the list of supported iPads.

Because Apple is no longer supporting them with security updates, avoid iPads that can’t run iPados 16. It includes these models:

iPad Air (2. Gen and earlier)
iPad (4. Gen and earlier)
iPad Mini (4. Gen and earlier)

Remember that by the end of 2025 iPados 17 Support may end at which time the following iPads will no longer be supported:

2016 iPad Pro 9.7-inch (A9X)
2015 iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1. Gen) (A9x)
2017 iPad (5. Gen) (A9)

Which iPads are supported with full updates?

These are iPads that get the latest version of iPados -iPados 18. Not each iPad below gets all the features, many miss Apple Intelligent features that require an M1, M2, M3 or M4 chips found in iPad Air or iPad Pro, or A17 Pro Chip used in 2024 iPad Mini.

iPad Pro (M3, M4)
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3. Gen and later)
iPad Pro 11-inch (all)
iPad Air (M2, M3, 3. Gen and later)
iPad (7th, 8th, 9th, 10. Gen and A17 Pro)
iPad Mini (5th, 6th Gen and A16)

How long does Apple support iPads with security updates?

Apple is currently supporting security updates for iPados 18 and 17. The oldest iPad capable of running iPados 18 is from 2018, and the oldest iPad capable of running iPados 17, is the decade old 1. Apple may stop security updates for iPados 17 at the end of 2025 or 2026, at which time it will end support for these models. Note that the first 12.9-inch iPad Pro is already considered outdated by Apple (as you will see in the section below!)

It’s still seven to ten years of security support. When buying an iPad, you can assume between eight and 10 years of security updates.

If it’s the full version of iPados you’re after, you can expect about six years of support-the 3rd Gen iPad Pro 12.9-inch is the oldest iPad that can run iPados 18 and they were introduced in 2018.

Foundry

How long does Apple support iPads for repair?

Generally, Apple devices move to the Vintage list between five and seven years after it stops selling them. About seven years after Apple stops selling a product, it is moved into the outdated list, although some countries have different rules.

Once considered vintage of Apple, your chance of being able to get replacement parts is difficult, but when a product is outdated, you will not be able to get replacement parts. Therefore, if it is five years since Apple stopped selling an iPad, it is unlikely that you will be able to get replacement parts if something goes wrong.

The products considered vintage and outdated are listed below.

Vintage iPads

iPad Air 2
iPad mini 2, iPad mini 4
iPad Pro 10.5-inch
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1. Gen, 2. Gen)
iPad (5. Gen, 6. Gen)

Outdated iPads

iPad Air (1. Gen)
iPad Mini (3. Gen and earlier)
iPad (4. Gen and earlier)
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1. Genes)
iPad Pro 9.7-inch (1. Genes)

How long should an iPad item?

On the software side of things, it seems from the current examples that have been added that you can expect software security support for up to nine years from when an iPad went on sale, but we wouldn’t trust it.

Because Apple is not considering a product vintage before five years after it stopped selling it, you can expect at least six years of support (provided the product was sold for a year, although Apple often sells products much longer than that).

Of course, hardware is the other side of the equation and it can be more random when parts worsen or fail. Say your battery life fall off a cliff, you still need to be within your year’s warranty period to get it repaired for free. However, Apple has a battery replacement service that usually costs $ 99/£ 99 for a replacement and assembly, so this could extend the hardware side of things for a good while (essentially until it was moved to the vintage list five years after Apple stopped selling it).

Apple offers the service of hardware and parts to a variety of older iPads, all at a price. On its site, the company says, “Owners of iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac or Apple TV products can get service and sharing from Apple service providers, including the Apple Store locations and independent repair providers, for at least 5 years from Apple last distributed product for sale”. This is clarified later in the text and says you can get iPads repaired up to seven years after they were last for sale from Apple. So if you want to know if your iPad qualifies, simply google when it was interrupted by Apple.

Of course, a 10-year-old iPad is an impressive feat with durability, but it won’t be as fun or powerful as a new one. So take a look at our iPad purchasing guide to see what is currently being offered. After all, you could use it for a very long time.

Want to know how long Apple supports iPhones and how long Apple supports MACs, we’ve also covered.