What operating system does the iPad mini use? Which iPad mini models support which versions of the iPadOS?

All iPad mini models run the iOS/iPadOS, but not all versions are compatible with the current version of the operating system. Not all iPad mini models support all iPadOS features, either.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (iPad mini A17 Pro)

iPad mini Identification (Skip)

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

iPad mini	Model No
iPad mini (Wi-Fi Only/1st Gen)	A1432
iPad mini (Wi-Fi/AT&T/GPS - 1st Gen)	A1454
iPad mini (Wi-Fi/VZ & Sprint/GPS - 1st Gen)	A1455
iPad mini 2 (Retina/2nd Gen, Wi-Fi Only)	A1489
iPad mini 2 (Retina/2nd Gen, Wi-Fi/Cellular)	A1490
iPad mini 2 (Retina/2nd Gen, China)	A1491
iPad mini 3 (Wi-Fi Only)	A1599
iPad mini 3 (Wi-Fi/Cellular)	A1600
iPad mini 3 (Wi-Fi/Cellular, China)	A1601
iPad mini 4 (Wi-Fi Only)	A1538
iPad mini 4 (Wi-Fi/Cellular)	A1550
iPad mini 5th Gen (Wi-Fi Only)	A2133
iPad mini 5th Gen (Wi-Fi+Cell US/CA)	A2126
iPad mini 5th Gen (Wi-Fi+Cell Global)	A2124
iPad mini 5th Gen (Wi-Fi+Cell China)	A2125
iPad mini 6th Gen (Wi-Fi Only)	A2567
iPad mini 6th Gen (Wi-Fi/Cell US/Global)	A2568
iPad mini 6th Gen (Wi-Fi/Cell China)	A2569
iPad mini A17 Pro - 7th Gen (Wi-Fi Only)	A2993
iPad mini A17 Pro - 7th Gen (Wi-Fi/Cell)	A2995
iPad mini A17 Pro - 7th Gen (Wi-Fi/Cell China)	A2996

All iPad mini 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 Global model of the iPad mini 5 sold in the UK in black and space gray with 256 GB of storage is MUXC2B/A.

To pinpoint a specific iPad mini by a variety of other different identifiers, please refer to the Ultimate iLookup feature.

iPad mini iOS Support

The original iPad mini does not support versions of the iOS beyond iOS 9; the iPad mini 2 and iPad mini 3 top out at iOS 12; and the iPad mini 4 only supports iPadOS 15 at the latest. The iPad mini 5, iPad mini 6, and iPad mini A17 Pro models support the current version of the iPadOS, iPadOS 18.

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

iOS	6.x	7.x	8.x	9.x
iPad mini	Yes	Yes*	Yes♦	Yes♦
iPad mini 2	No	Yes*	Yes♦♦	Yes♦♦
iPad mini 3	No	Yes*	Yes+	Yes+
iPad mini 4	No	No	No	Yes

iOS	10.x	11.x	12.x	13.x
iPad mini	No	No	No	No
iPad mini 2	Yes++	Yes†	Yes††	No
iPad mini 3	Yes++	Yes†	Yes††	No
iPad mini 4	Yes++	Yes†	Yes††	Yes‡
iPad mini 5	No	No	Yes	Yes

iPadOS	14.x	15.x	16.x	17.x
iPad mini 4	Yes	Yes‡‡	No	No
iPad mini 5	Yes	Yes	Yes•	Yes••
iPad mini 6	No	Yes	Yes•	Yes•••

iPadOS	18.x
iPad mini 5	Yes§
iPad mini 6	Yes§
iPad mini A17 Pro	Yes

* These iPad mini models do not support the Panorama and "In Camera" Filters functionality (like Instagram), but otherwise are fully compatible with iOS 7.

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

♦♦ The iPad mini 2 fully supports iOS 8 with the exception of Health and Apple Pay. Interestingly, Apple quietly added Panorama photography support to these models with iOS 8.0.2, which was not supported with iOS 7. Running iOS 9, these models support Transit, Slide Over, and Picture-in-Picture, but not Split View.

+ The iPad mini 3 fully supports iOS 8 with the exception of Health. It also is worth noting that although they support Apple Pay, they only support Apple Pay for purchases within apps and not within physical retail stores. Running iOS 9, the iPad mini 3 supports Slide Over and Picture-in-Picture, but not Split View.

++ These iPad mini models fully support iOS 10 with the exception of the minor Raise to Wake and Ride-Booking features.

† These iPad mini models fully support iOS 11 except for person-to-person payments and Apple Pay Cash as well as the minor "Appointment confirmation" feature.

†† These iPad mini models fully support iOS 12 with the exception of the Memoji, Camera Effects, and ARKit 2 features.

‡ The iPad mini 4 fully supports iOS 13 (iPadOS 13) 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 mini 4 supports the last version of 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).

• The iPad mini 5 and iPad mini 6 support iPadOS 16, but they do not support the advanced Stage Manager, Reference Mode, Accessibility Detection, and Virtual Memory Swap features.

•• The iPad mini 5 supports iPadOS 17, but it lacks support for the React with Your Hands; Screen Distance; More Accurate Autocorrect in English, French, and Spanish; Inline Predictions (English); and External Camera for FaceTime features.

••• The iPad mini 6 supports iPadOS 17, but it lacks support for the minor Screen Distance and External Camera for FaceTime features.

§ The iPad mini 5 supports iPadOS 18, but it lacks support for the Apple Intelligence (AI), Handwriting with Smart Script, and Eye Tracking features. The iPad mini 6 supports everything except for Apple Intelligence (AI).

Please also note that once an iPad mini 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 any operating system.