iPadOS 16 update to be delayed this year

iPadOS 16 will have a delayed release this year. It has long been rumoured that the iPadOS 16 update may not be released alongside the iOS 16 update due to some hurdles in its development. In a press release, Apple has now hinted at the same thing, saying that the iPadOS 16 patches could see its release schedule. An exact date for the same hasn't been confirmed, but the inclusive timeline of "Fall 2022" could mean a late October release for the latest version of the OS for the iPad lineup.

In a statement shared with TechCrunch, Apple says that the iPadOS 16 update now has its release schedule that would not match the iOS version. "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," said Apple.

iPadOS 16 update will be released late

Unfortunately, Apple does not indicate any reason behind the delay in the release of the update. However, rumours have long indicated the development hurdles the iPadOS team has faced this year. The only feature causing this issue is the Stage Manager feature, which is Apple's new way of multitasking on the iPad. Unfortunately, the Stage Manager feature has problems; therefore, the iPadOS team will need more time to fix it.

The Stage Manager feature will be limited to a few iPad models. Apple has stated that Stage Manager, pulled directly from macOS Ventura, will be available only on M1-powered iPad models. Also, Stage Manager will be available only on iPads with 128GB of storage. That makes only the M1 iPad Pro models and the 256GB iPad Air M1 eligible for the upgrade.

On the other hand, Apple has also updated the beta version of iPadOS 16 to iPadOS 16.1, which will now be the first stable version of iPadOS. iPadOS 16.1 will likely have the regular version of Stage Manager and all the issues fixed. The iPadOS 16 beta has been tested on iPad Air M1 for a while, and the experience has been decent.