iPadOS 27 drops support for more iPad models than last year’s iPadOS 26, with older models of the iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad‌ and iPad mini all losing compatibility.
The biggest change concerns the ‌iPad Air‌. ‌iPadOS 26‌ supported ‌iPad Air‌ models from the 3rd generation onwards, meaning the M1, M2, and M3 models were all included alongside older devices. iPadOS 27 raises the tier to ‌M2‌ or later, removing the 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation ‌iPad Air‌ models from the compatibility list entirely.
The ‌iPad Pro‌ is also seeing discounts. ‌iPadOS 26‌ retained support for the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ from the 3rd generation and the 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ from the 1st generation. iPadOS 27 raises those floors to 12.9-inch 4th Gen and 11-inch 2nd Gen, dropping two older Pro models that were still supported just a year ago.
For the standard ‌iPad‌ lineup, ‌iPadOS 26‌ set the limit at the 8th generation, after already dropping the 7th generation last year. iPadOS 27 also removes the 8th generation, leaving only the 9th generation, 10th generation and the current A16 model as compatible.
The ‌iPad mini‌ sees its oldest supported model move from 5th generation to 6th generation, with the A17 Pro-equipped mini 7 also included. The 5th generation mini, which was running ‌iPadOS 26‌, will not receive the update.
In contrast, ‌iPadOS 26‌ was a relatively conservative selection; it only removed the 7th generation ‌iPad‌ from the iPadOS 18 compatibility list. iPadOS 27 represents a considerably more aggressive size across the entire ‌iPad‌ lineup.
