Hosted by site sponsor WebMate.







iPad Air Q&A

Update Published March 26, 2022

All Apple Q&As >> iPad Air Q&A (Home) | Also see: All iPad Specs

To be notified of new Q&As, sign up for EveryMac.com's bimonthly email list.




What operating system does the iPad Air use? Which iPad Air models support which versions of the iOS?

All iPad Air models run the iOS, but not all devices are compatible with the current version of the iOS, iOS 15 (iPadOS). Not all iPad Air models support all iOS features, either.

iPad Air with Smart Keyboard
Photo Credit: Apple (iPad Air 3 with Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil)

iPad Air Identification (Skip)

If you are not sure which iPad Air model you have, a simple way to identify each is by its Model Number located toward the bottom on the back of each device.

iPad Air

Model No

iPad Air (Wi-Fi Only)

A1474

iPad Air (Wi-Fi/Cellular)

A1475

iPad Air (Wi-Fi/TD-LTE - China)

A1476

iPad Air 2 (Wi-Fi Only)

A1566

iPad Air 2 (Wi-Fi/Cellular)

A1567

iPad Air 3 (Wi-Fi Only)

A2152

iPad Air 3 (Wi-Fi+Cell US/CA)

A2153

iPad Air 3 (Wi-Fi+Cell Global)

A2123

iPad Air 3 (Wi-Fi+Cell China)

A2154

iPad Air 4 (Wi-Fi Only)

A2316

iPad Air 4 (Wi-Fi+Cell US/CA)

A2324

iPad Air 4 (Wi-Fi+Cell Global)

A2072

iPad Air 4 (Wi-Fi+Cell China)

A2325

iPad Air 5 (Wi-Fi Only)

A2588

iPad Air 5 (Wi-Fi+Cell)

A2589

iPad Air 5 (Wi-Fi+Cell China)

A2591


All iPad Air models can be differentiated by other identifiers as well, such as the Order Number, which can be located by selecting the Settings app and pressing General > About and scrolling down to what is specified as "Model" within the iOS. For example, the iPad Air 3rd Gen (Wi-Fi+Cellular) sold in the US in black and space gray with 64 GB of storage is MV152LL/A.

To pinpoint a particular iPad Air by a variety of different identifiers, please refer to the Ultimate iLookup feature.

iPad Air iOS Support

The original iPad Air does not support versions of the iOS beyond iOS 12, but the iPad Air 2, iPad Air 3, iPad Air 4, and iPad Air 5 all support the current version of the iOS, iPadOS 15.

Specific feature support is more limited on some models than others, too:

iOS

7.x

8.x

9.x

10.x

iPad Air

Yes*

Yes**

Yes+

Yes++

iPad Air 2

No

Yes**

Yes

Yes++


iOS

11.x

12.x

13.x

14.x

iPad Air

Yes♦

Yes♦♦

No

No

iPad Air 2

Yes

Yes♦♦

Yes†

Yes††

iPad Air 3

No

Yes

Yes

Yes‡

iPad Air 4

No

Yes

Yes

Yes


iPadOS

15.x

 

 

 

iPad Air

No

 

 

 

iPad Air 2

Yes‡‡

 

 

 

iPad Air 3

Yes

 

 

 

iPad Air 4

Yes

 

 

 

iPad Air 5

Yes

 

 

 


* With the exception of a couple of minor photography features, the original iPad Air model is fully supported by iOS 7.

** With the exception of "Health" functionality, the original iPad Air and iPad Air 2 models are fully supported by iOS 8.

+ The original iPad Air is supported by iOS 9, but lacks support for the "Split View" interface feature.

++ The original iPad Air and iPad Air 2 models are supported by iOS 10, although they do not support the Raise to Wake or Ride-Booking features.

♦ The original iPad Air is supported by iOS 11, but it does not support person-to-person payments or Apple Pay Cash nor does it support the minor "Appointment confirmation" feature.

♦♦ The iPad Air and iPad Air 2 are supported by the last version of iOS 12, but neither support the Memoji, Camera Effects, and ARKit 2 features. The original iPad Air does not support Siri Suggestions, either.

† The iPad Air 2 is supported by iOS 13 (iPadOS), with the exception of the Adjust Portrait Lighting and "High-Key Mono" photography features as well as the modest AR features of Motion Capture People Occlusion.

†† The iPad Air 2 is supported by iPadOS 14, but does not support a number of advanced features (ARKit Depth API and Location Anchors, AR RealityKit Video Textures, Spatial Audio via AirPods Pro and On-Device Dictation).

‡ The iPad Air 3 fully supports iPadOS 14 with the modest exception of the ARKit Depth API.

‡‡ The iPad Air 2 supports iPadOS 15, but it does not support a significant number of advanced features (Spatial Audio, Portrait Mode, 3D Landmarks, Interactive Globe, Live Text in Photos, Live Text Translation, and Visual Look Up as well as Universal Control).

Please also note that once an iPad Air 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 smart to wait for feedback from other users and a couple of "bug fix" releases before upgrading any operating system.


Permalink | Report an Error/Typo | Sign Up for Site Update Notices




<< iPad Air Q&A (Main) | All Apple Q&As




Established in 1996, EveryMac.com has been created by experts with decades of experience with Apple hardware. EveryMac.com includes, and always has included, original research incorporating detailed, hands-on inspection of packaging, computers, and devices as well as extensive real-world use. All information is provided in good faith, but no website or person is perfect. Accordingly, EveryMac.com is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind whatsoever. EveryMac.com, and the authors thereof, shall not be held responsible or liable, under any circumstances, for any damages resulting from the use or inability to use the information within. For complete disclaimer and copyright information please read and understand the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy before using EveryMac.com. Copying, scraping, or use of any content without expressed permission is not allowed, although links to any page are welcomed and appreciated.