Apple has confirmed that iPadOS 16.0 gained’t be getting a public launch and that the tablet-centered OS gained’t be popping out till after iOS begins hitting telephones. In a statement to TechCrunch, attributed solely to “the company,” it stated: “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.”

Despite Apple historically releasing iPadOS and iOS collectively, it’s all the time felt like this decoupling was a risk ever since Apple cut up out the iPad’s working system as a separate entity in 2019. (And certainly, the primary model of iPadOS launched as 13.1, lower than per week after iOS 13’s messy preliminary rollout.) Still, it’s a fairly large change of tempo for Apple — whereas the corporate has made a behavior of delaying particular person options from its cell OSes, it’s a unique factor totally to push again the OS itself, skipping the preliminary model.

This information, which confirms a report that Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman launched earlier this month, comes alongside the primary beta launch of iPadOS 16.1. Currently, Apple’s developer site doesn’t appear to have any launch notes for the 16.1 beta. The firm can be releasing a new iOS 16 build for iPhone builders, nevertheless it’s for 16.0, not 16.1.

Apple didn’t instantly reply to The Verge’s request for touch upon why iPadOS will likely be launched later, skipping the preliminary model. However, many individuals on the beta for the upcoming OS have famous that its flagship characteristic, the Stage Manager multitasking system, feels very underbaked. When my colleague David Pierce previewed the OS, he stated he hated Stage Manager, and outstanding iPad consumer Federico Viticci recently tweeted a plea to Apple to delay the characteristic, reporting that he skilled crashes “every few minutes” and “UI glitches everywhere” whereas utilizing it. He additionally stated that he considers some components of the characteristic’s design to be “fundamentally misguided.”

While it does sound like iPadOS isn’t prepared for primetime, its delay might find yourself inflicting some bizarre habits for iPad customers who instantly improve to iOS 16 for his or her telephones. Messages edited on iOS will virtually definitely present up otherwise on an iPad, based mostly on the system’s habits within the betas, and it’s onerous to say for positive how iPadOS will deal with issues like iCloud Shared Photo libraries. Plus, as somebody who lives the beta life, I can let you know that it may be annoying to get used to options on one gadget after which not have them on one other that runs a really related OS. I can think about getting pissed off after forgetting that my iPad doesn’t assist Passkeys or emoji dictation but.

iPadOS’s delay additionally raises the query of what’s going to occur with macOS Ventura, which additionally contains Stage Manager. However, it’s simpler to disregard on the Mac (I needed to ask a colleague the right way to even activate it), and Apple’s desktop OS doesn’t have the identical custom of being up to date alongside the iPhone.

Despite the potential downsides, it’s nonetheless most likely a very good name to push again an OS launch if it’s not completed. Apple technically hasn’t given an precise date for when iPadOS (or iOS, for that matter) will likely be popping out, however the wait is now only a bit longer.