Apple is preparing to release iPadOS 16 and iOS 16 before the end of 2022, but now the Cupertino-based company has confirmed that iPad owners won’t get the next big OS update in September as expected.
This delay is significant because it marks the first time in a long time that Apple has released major updates to its iPhone and iPad operating systems. For years, September has been the month when new versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS are released to the public, but in 2022 we might wait a bit between when iOS 16 drops in September and iPadOS 16 releases later this fall.
This news comes courtesy of a comment made by an Apple spokesperson Take Crunch (Opens in a new tab), which states “This fall, iPadOS will ship after iOS, as version 16.1 in a free software update.” This is important for two reasons: not only is iPadOS 16 coming later than usual, it was also not released to the public until version 16.1, instead of the usual public version 16.0.
This indicates that Apple wants more time to work on iPadOS 16 before turning it green for general use. We’ve already heard rumors that Apple delayed iPadOS 16, with Bloomberg reporter and Apple whisperer Mark Gurman suggesting that the company wants more time to fine-tune the new Stage Manager feature on iPads.
If that were true, that would make some sense. In our public beta review of iPadOS 16, we were generally impressed with how stable and usable the next version of iPadOS was, even in beta form. We liked the way Stage Manager made it easy to multitask as well, but the feature feels a bit limited in the confines of the iPad screen, but it really shines only when used in conjunction with the added screen feature of an external monitor.
We also like the way the feature is being implemented on the next version of macOS, which can still be launched alongside iOS 16. In our public beta review of macOS Ventura, we liked how Stage Manager makes it easy to multitask, Although we crave more flexibility in how the windows are ordered and displayed.
iPadOS 16 lag: What does this mean for you
Now that Apple has confirmed that it’s taking a little longer to work on iPadOS 16 before it’s delivered to the public, the company may be making some necessary tweaks to Stage Manager. Certainly if the software appears as version 16.1 instead of 16.0, you should expect the next version of iPadOS to be more stable and road-tested than usual.
Hopefully, this means that by the time the full version is out for everyone’s iPads, we’ll have a better, more intuitive version of Apple’s iPad operating system.
We’ll have to wait a little longer than we expected to see the final version in action, but in the meantime, you can check out the iPadOS 16 beta for yourself by following our handy guide on how to download the iPadOS 16 public beta.
Once you have the iPadOS 16 beta up and running, use our guide on how to use Stage Manager on the iPad to quickly enable the feature. Just remember that Stage Manager for iPadOS 16 will only work on iPad M1 devices, so if you have an old tablet that doesn’t run on Apple silicon, you won’t be able to check out the most controversial new feature in iPadOS 16.
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