Apple has finally decided to split up iOS between iPhones and iPads. That being said, here's a list of devices that are compatible to work with iOS 13 beta and the newly announced iPadOS.
The iPadOS focuses entirely on the experience on the iPad, which can be vastly different from that of an iPhone or iPod touch. As far as what devices are compatible with iPadOS, here they are:
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12.9-inch iPad Pro
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11-inch iPad Pro
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10.5-inch iPad Pro
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9.7-inch iPad Pro
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iPad (5th generation)
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iPad (6th generation)
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iPad mini (5th generation)
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iPad mini 4
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iPad Air (3rd generation)
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iPad Air 2
If you do not see your iPad on the list, then it will not work with iPadOS.
The developer beta for iOS 13 is available today. The public release is arriving sometime in July (we'll have more info on that as it becomes available). And the final public release of iOS 13 is arriving sometime in Fall 2019.
But what devices are able to run iOS 13? Here's the full list:
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iPhone XS Max
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iPhone XS
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iPhone XR
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iPhone X
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iPhone 8 Plus
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iPhone 8
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iPhone 7 Plus
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iPhone 7
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iPhone 6s Plus
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iPhone 6s
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iPhone SE
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iPod Touch (7th Generation)
If you do not see your device listed here, that is because it is not compatible with iOS 13.
The first release of iOS 13 is only available for developers with a paid developer account, but Apple has said that the public beta will launch in July. Once the public beta is available, anyone who wants to help test can do so.
Installing the beta is an easy process, taking very little of your time. However, you'll need to make sure you have a backup and are aware that things will not always work.
Should you download the iOS 13 developer beta? This is a pretty easy question if you're not an iOS developer: You should not. While Apple thinks iOS 13 is ready for app makers to play around with, it's not yet ready to extend that invitation to the public at large. That's because some features still need to be refined and there may be some show-stopping bugs hiding in the beta at this point. Apple wants to iron those out before the public beta makes its debut.
Even if you are a developer, you'll only want to install the iOS 13 beta on a backup iPhone or iPod touch, not on a device you rely on for everyday use. And before you install the beta, you'll want to make an archived backup of your iOS device so that you can restore things to their current state if your beta experience goes wrong.
