iPadOS 16 release date is reportedly set for the last week of October

Photo credit: Ern Gan (@ern) / Unsplash

Thursday, October 13, 2022 8:12 AM UTC

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Apple’s annual tradition of releasing the new versions of iOS and iPadOS did not carry on this year. And iPad users are reportedly going to wait for a few more weeks before the first public version of iPadOS 16 goes live.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who first reported about the iPadOS 16 delay, recently said on Twitter that the software update is currently scheduled to launch in the week of Oct 24. It means the software update could start rolling out to compatible iPads between Oct. 24-30. The journalist noted that the schedule is in place unless developers encounter bugs and issues that could prolong its release.

“Apple has historically held launches the week of its earnings calls in October,” Gurman added about the iPadOS 16 release date. It is worth noting that Apple has scheduled its earnings call for Q3 FY2022 on Thursday, Oct. 27.

iPadOS 16 will deliver significant new features to Apple’s tablets, including Passkeys and Stage Manager. Passkeys are billed as the tech giant’s ultimate alternative to passwords, which Apple says is more secure and more resistant to phishing attacks.

Stage Manager, on the other hand, is Apple’s response to the long-standing request for iPads to support multitasking and enhance the productivity experience. The early versions of Stage Manager in iPadOS 16 beta came with bugs, though. Fixing these issues is reportedly the primary reason for delaying the software update.

Apple did not confirm if the remaining work on Stage Manager was the reason for not releasing iPadOS 16 with iOS 16 last month. “As its own platform with features specifically designed for iPad, we have the flexibility to deliver iPadOS on its own schedule,” Apple previously told TechCrunch. Apple said earlier that the next version of iPadOS will be released to the public as iPadOS 16.1 “this fall.”

While Apple continued working on iPadOS 16, the company eventually expanded Stage Manager’s availability to select non-M1 iPads. An optimized version of Stage Manager that can support up to four app windows at a time will be available on earlier iPad Pro models powered by A12X and A12Z chips.

Photo by Ern Gan (@ern) from Unsplash