What Happens To Your iPad If You Skip Updates?

Apple's iPad was an instant hit when the company launched the first one back in 2010. For starters, it looked pretty darn cool, designed as it was to resemble a slim slab of glass. With little effort required beyond tapping and swiping, it was also the perfect tool for viewing photos and videos, playing games, browsing the web, listening to music, and sending quick emails. Essentially, it was less intimidating than, say, a laptop, and proved popular with casual users who had never really taken to PCs, though seasoned tech enthusiasts curious about the potential of this new type of device also jumped on board. 

For those keen on having the simplest possible experience with an iPad, perhaps the only mildly bothersome aspect is the prompts to update the device's operating system. You can, of course, let the iPad handle updates in the background, but many users stick to manual updates because they want to know what's changing. Others simply ignore the prompts, but generally it's best to keep the device up to date.

Updates come in various forms. The smaller ones can actually be the most important, fixing newly discovered security issues or bugs, while the biggest downloads arrive as new versions of iPadOS, transforming how your iPad looks and works. It's possible to skip both types, and for the most part, your iPad will continue to operate as normal. But you'd be wise to at least install the smaller security updates so that your device is properly protected against known exploits and malware.

Apple has revamped the iPad's operating system annually since the device launched back in 2010. The most recent one arrived in 2025 as iPadOS 26. As usual, it brought a new look to the user interface (in this case, a redesigned Liquid Glass effect for the Lock Screen), along with updated app icons and refreshed system controls. Apple also introduced a handy new windowing system that lets you juggle multiple apps at once by closing, minimizing, resizing, and tiling windows.

If you have an iPad from the late 2010s, it's likely that you can download iPadOS 26 and enjoy everything that it has to offer. In fact, you've probably already done it. But some folks may have held off, worried about having to learn a new way of doing things. While that's a valid concern, the changes don't usually take too long to get used to, and should, overall, make the tablet more enjoyable to use. 

Smaller updates to iPadOS are, in many ways, more significant. Apple drops these throughout the year, according to need. A flurry of these might arrive in the days and weeks after the new iPadOS arrives, as tens of millions of users around the world uncover bugs, mostly by accident, while using the new system. After receiving these bug reports, Apple fixes them and rolls them out as quickly as possible, ensuring people have the best possible experience with their iPad. Additionally, Apple will also seek to fix security issues soon after they're discovered so that users are properly protected from any online threats.

For peace of mind, it's best to update your iPad whenever Apple prompts you, or you can simply set up automatic updates via the Settings app. On recent versions of iPadOS, the Automatic Updates screen has various options with toggles. To reach it, tap Settings, Software Update, and Automatic Downloads. If you toggle the Automatically Download button to "on," your iPad will fetch new iPadOS updates in the background as soon as they're available, but it won't actually install them until you allow it. The iPad also needs to be connected to Wi-Fi and charging for the download and installation processes to take place. If you'd like the iPad to automatically install the download without asking you first, then simply toggle the Automatically Install button to "on" as well. Finally, if you want to automatically install things like security fixes, toggle the System Files button to "on."

Keeping your iPad's software up to date is the best way to ensure it remains enjoyable and safe to use. Whether you set up automatic downloads or initiate them yourself is entirely up to you, but we think it's worth staying as current as possible with your iPad's software for the best possible experience. And watch out for the next big update in just a few months' time with the rollout of iPadOS 27, bringing with it a host of new features. But take note, some older iPad models won't be able to get the new operating system.