Many new devices and software versions were announced at the event held in recent weeks. iPadOS 26 was one of these updates, and it’s quite significant. With the release of the update, update support for some devices has been discontinued, marking a significant milestone for these devices. Here are the iPad models that will not receive updates and are now risky to use.

iPad Models That Will Not Receive Updates

Apple is generally quite successful at keeping even older generations of its products secure with the latest operating systems, or at least security updates. However, there comes a time when software support for every iPad is discontinued. This can render your device insecure, cause some apps and services to stop working, and put your personal data at risk.

Security updates are the primary determinant of how long an iPad will last. If Apple discovers a critical security vulnerability in the operating system and doesn’t release a patch to address it, continuing to use the device is strongly discouraged. Therefore, the real determining factor in your iPad’s lifespan is the timing of security patch drops, rather than the major updates that introduce new features.

Apple typically continues to provide security updates to iPadOS versions several generations older. For example, iPadOS 15, iPadOS 16, and iPadOS 18 all received a major security update in September 2025.

This is concrete evidence that Apple has been protecting older iPads with security updates for years. For example, iPadOS 15 runs on iPads from 2014-2015. This means that, at least so far, nearly a decade of security coverage has been provided.

However, it’s important to note that with the release of iPadOS 26, Apple is likely to discontinue support for very old versions like iPadOS 15 and iPadOS 16.

Here are the iPad models that don’t run iPadOS 26:

• 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2nd generation, 2017 and older)
• 10.5-inch iPad Pro (2017 and older)
• iPad (6th generation, 2018 and older)
• iPad Air (2nd generation, 2014 and older)
• iPad mini (4th generation, 2015 and older)

If the iPad you’re considering purchasing or currently using is one of the models on this list, it might be risky to continue using it assuming that software updates, and therefore security support, will be discontinued soon. For a long-lasting and secure experience, it’s best to choose a newer model not listed.