Apple Confirms iPadOS 16 Will Launch After iOS 16 This Fall

Apple has released today the first iPadOS 16.1 beta today, confirming along the way that the release of iPadOS 16 has been delayed to later this fall. In a statement shared with Techcrunch, the company explained that iPadOS 16.1 will be the version of the OS that will roll out to the public later this fall, and it will be released after iOS 16.

“This is an especially big year for iPadOS. As its own platform with features specifically designed for iPad, we have the flexibility to deliver iPadOS on its own schedule. This Fall, iPadOS will ship after iOS, as version 16.1 in a free software update,” the company told Techcrunch.

Bloomberg previously reported that Apple was planning to delay the release of iPadOS 16, a release that could require more polish than usual. The latest iPadOS 16 betas have been quite buggy, with the new Stage Manager feature being a main source of concern among beta testers

Stage Manager will let users of M1 iPads access a new multitasking experience where they can interact with multiple apps at the same time. The feature got some stage time during Apple’s WWDC conference back in June, though it will be turned off by default on iPadOS 16.

Last week, Federico Viticci, iPad evangelist and Editor in Chief of MacStories.net expressed in a Twitter thread his many frustrations regarding the state of Stage Manager in the latest iPadOS 16 betas. “The fact that going back to classic Split View and Slide Over feels *so* nice right now is…pretty telling,” Viticci tweeted.

If iPadOS 16 will need to spend a bit more time in the oven, it should be business as usual for the next iOS release. Apple is expected to hold its iPhone 14 event on September 7, with the new devices possibly launching on September 16.