What operating system do the regular, full-size iPad models use? Which iPad models support which versions of the iOS? Which features are and are not supported by different models?

Note that this Q&A covers all regular, full-size iPad models, including the current ones. EveryiPad.com provides separate Q&As that cover iOS support for the iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro models.

The original Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi/3G/GPS iPad models first shipped with iPhone OS 3.2 (subsequently renamed the "iOS"). At the time, it was disappointing to many as this version of the iOS did not support true system-wide multitasking.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Original iPad)

However, iOS 4 was released in a few months and the original iPad models support multitasking when upgraded to iOS 4 or later. All subsequent iPad models shipped, or ship, with a version of the iOS that supports system wide-multitasking by default, as well.

However, not all iPad models support all versions of the iOS and not all devices are compatible -- or fully compatible -- with the current version of the iOS, iPadOS 15, either.

Specifically, iOS support for each regular iPad model follows:

iOS 3.2-iOS 6

iOS	3.2	4.3	5.x	6.x
Original iPad	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
iPad 2	No	Yes	Yes	Partial*
iPad 3rd Gen	No	No	Yes	Yes
iPad 4th Gen	No	No	No	Yes

Later iPad models cannot run these early versions of the iOS at all. The original iPad cannot run any subsequent versions of the iOS, either.

iOS 7-iOS 14

iOS	7.x	8.x	9.x	10.x
iPad 2	Partial**	Partial**	Partial**	No
iPad 3rd Gen	Partial†	Partial†	Partial†	No
iPad 4th Gen	Yes††	Partial+	Partial+	Partial++
iPad 5th Gen	No	No	No	Yes
iPad 6th Gen	No	No	No	No
iPad 7th Gen	No	No	No	No
iPad 8th Gen	No	No	No	No

iOS/iPadOS	11.x	12.x	13.x	14.x
iPad 2	No	No	No	No
iPad 3rd Gen	No	No	No	No
iPad 4th Gen	No	No	No	No
iPad 5th Gen	Yes	Yes‡	Yes♦	Yes♦♦
iPad 6th Gen	Yes	Yes	Yes♦	Yes
iPad 7th Gen	No	No	Yes	Yes
iPad 8th Gen	No	No	Yes	Yes

iPad 4th Gen and earlier models cannot run subsequent versions of the iOS (iPadOS) at all. The iPad 9th Gen cannot run versions of the iOS before iPadOS 15.

iOS 15-Later

iPadOS	15.x
iPad 5th Gen	Yes§
iPad 6th Gen	Yes§
iPad 7th Gen	Yes§
iPad 8th Gen	Yes
iPad 9th Gen	Yes

*Siri and FaceTime over a cellular network are not supported on the iPad 2 when running iOS 6 or later.

** The iPad 2 provides bare bones support for iOS 7, iOS 8, and iOS 9 with no advanced features supported.

† When running iOS 7, the iPad 3rd Gen supports Siri, Filters in Photos, and advanced photo functionality that Apple formally refers to as "square and video formats and swipe to capture," but it does not support AirDrop. When running iOS 8 and iOS 9, it continues to support Siri, but supports no other advanced features.

†† The iPad 4th Gen does not support the Panorama and "In Camera" Filters functionality (like Instagram), but these models otherwise are fully compatible with iOS 7.

+ The iPad 4th Gen supports iOS 8 including AirDrop, Siri, and Continuity, but do not support Panorama photography, Health, or Apple Pay. Running iOS 9, the original iPad mini and iPad 4th Gen support neither Transit nor multitasking features like Slide Over, Picture-in-Picture, and Split View.

++ The iPad 4th Gen supports iOS 10, but does not support Rich Notifications nor does it support the minor Raise to Wake or Ride-Booking features that are not supported by any iPad models.

‡ The iPad 5th Gen supports iOS 12 with the exception of the minor Memoji and Camera Effects features.

♦ The iPad 5th Gen and iPad 6th Gen support iOS 13 (iPadOS), with the exception of the Adjust Portrait Lighting and "High-Key Mono" photography features as well as modest AR features (Motion Capture and People Occlusion).

♦♦ The iPad 5th Gen supports iOS 14 (iPadOS), but it does not support Spatial Audio. None of these iPad models support Location Anchors or On-Device Dictation.

§ The iPad 5th Gen supports iPadOS 15, but it does not support Universal Control nor the Spatial Audio, Portrait Mode, Maps - 3D Landmarks, Interactive Globe, Live Text in Photos, Live Text Translation, or Visual Look Up features. The iPad 6th Gen and iPad 7th Gen support iPadOS 15 and Universal Control, but not the other features.

Please also note that once an iPad device has been upgraded to a later version of the operating system, it can be challenging to "downgrade" it back to an earlier version without resorting to hacks. It's always wise to wait for feedback from other users and a couple of "bug fix" releases before upgrading the operating system.

If you are not sure which iPad you have, see EveryiPad.com's iPad Identification section.

Will operating system updates for the iPad be free like the iPhone or will they cost money like the iPod touch?

As first spotted by MacRumors in the original iPad licensing agreement, the next major version of the operating system (4.x) would be provided free of charge. Indeed, iOS 4 was provided free of charge.

At the time the iPad first was released, operating system updates were free for the contractually bound iPhone, but cost money for the no contract iPod touch. Based on the fact that Apple only stated the next major version of the iOS would be free and that the iPad was not bound by a contract, EveryiPad.com originally speculated that subsequent versions of the operating system presumably would cost money. However, the site also noted that "only time will tell."

In a nice surprise, Apple released iOS 5 at no charge for those using earlier iPad models. Apple has released all subsequent revisions of the iOS free of charge, too. It certainly appears that Apple now considers free iOS updates to be strategically important to encourage as many users as possible to upgrade to the latest version.

However, it also is important to be aware that Apple notes operating system "updates and releases may not necessarily include all of the new software features that Apple releases for newer iPad models" or support older iPad models at all.

Can applications that run on the iPhone and iPod touch run on the iPad models? Can the iPad models run Mac OS X applications?

Applications that can run on the iPhone and iPod touch models -- with the exception of applications that require hardware capabilities that the iPad models lack (such as a "phone" for any iPad or a camera for the original iPad models) -- can run on the iPad.

If an app is not optimized for the iPad, which basically all apps are these days, apps will either be shown at actual size centered in the middle of the larger iPad screen or "doubled" (which "blows up" each pixel in the iPhone/iPod touch application to twice its size).

Of course, the iPad also can run apps and webapps designed explicitly for the iPad.

The iPad cannot run traditional macOS applications, though.