Remember how iOS 27 kept every single iPhone on board and nobody got left behind? Well, iPadOS 27 did not get that memo. Apple has gone the complete opposite direction here, cutting support for a pile of iPad models across every line in the range. If you are clinging to an older iPad, this is the bit you need to read carefully.
Last year’s iPadOS 26 was a gentle trim. It dropped only the 7th generation iPad and left everything else standing. iPadOS 27 is a proper pruning, and it touches the iPad Pro, iPad Air, standard iPad, and iPad mini all at once.
The biggest casualty is the iPad Air. iPadOS 26 happily ran on Air models from the 3rd generation onwards, which meant the M1, M2 and M3 versions were all welcome alongside some genuinely old kit. iPadOS 27 raises the floor to M2 or later, which wipes the 3rd, 4th and 5th generation iPad Air off the list entirely. That 5th gen Air is the M1 model, so if you bought one expecting years of updates, this one stings.
The iPad Pro takes a hit too. Previously iPadOS 26 supported the 12.9-inch from the 3rd generation up and the 11-inch from the very first generation. iPadOS 27 bumps those floors to the 4th generation 12.9-inch and the 2nd generation 11-inch, knocking out two Pro models that were perfectly fine just a year ago. Losing support on a device that literally had “Pro” in the name always feels a bit rough.
The standard iPad lineup keeps shrinking as well. iPadOS 26 drew its line at the 8th generation after already binning the 7th. iPadOS 27 now cuts the 8th generation too, leaving only the 9th generation, 10th generation, and the current A16 model still in the club.
Finally the iPad mini. The oldest supported model moves up from the 5th generation to the 6th generation, with the A17 Pro powered mini 7 obviously along for the ride. The 5th gen mini, which ran iPadOS 26 just fine, does not make the jump.
So here is the quick version of who just got dropped:
- iPad Air 3rd, 4th and 5th generation
- The two oldest iPad Pro models still supported last year
- iPad 8th generation
- iPad mini 5th generation
The honest read is that Apple has decided iPadOS 27 needs newer silicon to do whatever it wants to do, almost certainly tied to the Apple Intelligence and Siri AI push. That is the trade off. Bigger features, shorter tails on older hardware. If your iPad made the cut, brilliant. If it did not, iPadOS 26 is now your final stop, and there is no shame in that.
For everything else Apple revealed at the event, see our full WWDC 2026 roundup, or check whether your phone is safe in our iOS 27 supported devices guide.
