My iPad mini 2 will not update to the latest iOS version

Your iPad Mini 3 cannot upgrade/update beyond any version of iOS 12, currently at iOS 12.5.3.

The 2013 iPad Air 1, iPad Mini 2 and 2014 iPad Mini 3 cannot upgrade beyond any version of iOS 12.

Sorry.

These iPad models have overall internal hardware that is too old, too underpowered and incapable of running all of the new, advanced and internal hardware resource intensive features of iPadOS.

These iPad models will soon be 7 and 8-years old, in 2021.

Sorry.

There is one last thing you can try/attempt, if you need older versions of apps.

If you own another much newer iOS device that can run either iOS 12 and.or iOS/iPadOS 13 and later, you can install the most recent app/s onto that more recent iOS device.

Then go back to your older iPad, open the iOS App Store, go to the Purchases section of the store app, search for the app/s you wish to try and download to that older iPad and see if an older version of the app is allowed to be downloaded/installed to that older iPad.

These newer iOS/iPadOS devices must use your same Apple ID user account and password.

Failing that OR IF NO joy, then there is nothing more to be done.

It's 2021, now.

If you need/want an iPad with an up to date iPadOS with access to current, updated apps, then you really need to seriously consider a purchase of a new iPad model OR a much, MUCH “newer” and less expensive, refurbished or used iPad models, from better known, trusted sources, like other Apple product/device retailers/resellers, locally or online, on the Web/Internet, capable of running the latest iPadOS versions.

There are PLENTY of newer, older iPad models that can run the latest, current versions of iPadOS.

I am sorry that you had to learn all of this, but this does not change any of the facts regarding these very old iOS devices.

Sorry & Best of Luck to You!

These are just security point updates and no real feature updates.

These older iPad models will never, EVER upgrade beyond ANY version of iOS 12.

Support for apps under iOS 12 are slowly dwindling and this inevitability will only get worse as time moves on.

Usually after Apple ends full support of a device, third party app developers will only support these older iPad models for 2-3 more years, and THAT IS IT!

Apple's last major update for the iPad Air 1, iPad Mini 2/3 was in 2019.

It is 2021, now.

So, third party app support has one more full year to go, in 2022, before we see virtually no more app support for iOS 12 devices.

I own many older iPads, including the original 2010 st gen iPad running iOS 5.1.1.

Yes. If you already have apps on that iPad,,they will still work.

I betcha many Web-based apps, that require you to be connected to the Internet for these apps to function, no longer work or function.

Also, if you are no longer using an older version of iTunes or the app iMazing to save all of these older iPad apps to a computer ( only older versions of iTunes could do this ), if anything happens to the apps on these old iPad models, you will never get these old apps back, ever, as they have been completely removed/deleted from the iOS App Store, either by Apple or by the third party developers.

FYI.

I have been here in these iPad communities for a very long time and been an iPad user for the past 11 years.

Been a Mac user for nearly 25 years!

This is far from my “first rodeo”.

I know of which I state.

iOS 12 devices are on borrowed time.

Many old Web-based apps for iOS 9 and 10 have stopped working and functioning.

Relegated to using the actual Website, if it works, using a third party Web browser and NOT the nearly 5-year old Safari Web browser.

Also, the Web browser on that iOS 5 device, I would never, ever trust to use on the Internet.

Hi rasheedah80,

does your iPad have enough space to do the update?

Although your comment is correct in some ways they are still pushing updates to these iPads. I know I have one…. A new one was sent a couple of weeks ago.

correct, that doesn't mean it will just stop working tho. depending on what you use the iPad for it can keep on working.

I still use my first-gen iPad.

Your iPad mini 2 will never, ever upgrade/update beyond any point version of iOS 12, currently now iOS 12.5.3.

Bottom Line.