What is iPadOS?
Until 2019, iPads ran iOS, the same operating system as the iPhone. Apple then gave the tablet its own name and release, starting with iPadOS 13. iPadOS still shares the iOS core, the App Store, the security model and the settings layout, and its version numbers follow iOS. The differences are features built for a bigger screen, a keyboard and a stylus.
Features that set it apart
- Multitasking: Split View puts two apps side by side, and Slide Over floats one app over another. Stage Manager, on supported models, groups overlapping, resizable windows and can extend to an external display. Later releases reworked windowing further, so the options available depend on the iPad model and iPadOS version.
- Apple Pencil: pressure-sensitive drawing and note-taking, plus Scribble, which turns handwriting in text fields into typed text. Each Pencil model works only with certain iPad models, a common cause of "it won't pair" tickets.
- Keyboard and trackpad: attached or Bluetooth keyboards and trackpads with an on-screen pointer, so some users treat the iPad as a laptop.
- Files app: local storage, iCloud Drive, third-party cloud services, USB drives and SMB file servers (Connect to Server) in one place.
- Desktop-class Safari: requests the desktop version of websites by default.
What stays the same as iOS
- Apps come from the App Store (or, in some regions, approved alternative marketplaces) or are deployed by the organization through MDM. Jailbreaking breaks this model and the security that depends on it.
- Each app runs in its own sandbox, so traditional antivirus scanning does not exist on the device.
- Updates come from Settings > General > Software Update.
- A passcode, Touch ID or Face ID, Find My and Activation Lock protect a lost device. Storage is encrypted, and the passcode protects the keys.
Managing iPads in organizations
Schools and businesses enroll iPads in mobile device management (MDM), often through Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager so devices enroll automatically the first time they start up. MDM pushes apps, Wi-Fi and email profiles, restrictions and updates, and it can lock or wipe a lost device. Education deployments may use Shared iPad, which lets several students sign in to the same tablet with separate data.
Common support issues
- "I can't put two apps side by side": check the iPad model, the iPadOS version and the multitasking settings before assuming a fault.
- Keyboard pairs but types the wrong characters: check the hardware keyboard layout in Settings.
- "My file is missing": confirm whether it was saved On My iPad or in iCloud Drive, and that the expected Apple Account (Apple ID) is signed in.
- App will not install: check free storage, the iPadOS version the app requires, and any MDM restrictions.
- Frozen iPad: force restart. On models without a Home button, press and release volume up, press and release volume down, then hold the top button until the Apple logo appears. On models with a Home button, hold the Home and top buttons together until the logo appears.
iPadOS compared with other tablet systems
Android tablets run Android with the manufacturer's changes, and apps can come from Google Play or other sources depending on settings. Chromebook tablets run ChromeOS. Windows tablets and 2-in-1s run full Windows, including desktop apps. iPadOS sits between a phone OS and a desktop OS: desktop-style multitasking and file access, with the locked-down app model of iOS.
iPadOS on the CompTIA A+ exam
iPadOS falls under Core 2 (220-1202) objective 1.1, operating system families and where each one is used. Recognize it as Apple's tablet OS, separate in name from iOS but sharing its core, App Store model and management tools. If a question lists mobile operating systems, iPadOS sits alongside iOS and Android. If it asks what an iPad offers that an iPhone does not, think multiwindow multitasking, Apple Pencil, and keyboard and trackpad support.