iOS vs iPadOS

What are the differences between iOS and iPadOS? Can I use either for an iPad? How do I know which one I have now?


iPad mini, iOS 9

Posted on Jan 12, 2021 1:29 PM

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Jan 12, 2021 4:12 PM in response to rsblake73

Expanding upon Niel’s summary, up to and including iOS12, the differences between iOS for iPhone and iPad were relatively minor.


However, from iOS/iPadOS13, whilst iOS and iPadOS remain closely related, iPadOS differentiates from iOS in several significant features - in particular multi-tasking on iPad. These advanced features require the newer CPU/GPU derivatives that are optimised for iPad.


Apple has indicated that the iPadOS “fork” (a computing term that describes a divergence) will continue to incorporate more features that can be successfully implemented on large-format devices. As such, over time, we are likely to see greater differences between the iOS and iPadOS feature sets.



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iOS vs iPadOS

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