Believe it or not, still on iPadOS 16.3.1...

[Michael Swartzbeck]

...because of all the horror stories I read about iPadOS 17 wrecking Pencil functionality. As the iPad has become pretty much my main tool for everyday sketching, drawing, painting & other illustration work, I took a pass on it.

Then, last year read where Apple pulled iPadOS 18 because it was bricking people's iPads, so I've just sat on on 16.3.1 until I felt confident I could update confident that it wouldn't absolutely wreck everything.

So, now I'm reading where v26 is also awful. Have v18 or v26 really been that awful? I've not seen where v18 was ever fixed and made available again.

I'm running an early '22 M1 5th Gen iPad Pro 12.9" with 256gb, 8gb RAM and a 2nd gen Pencil.

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

The bricking issue was specific to M4s, and wouldn't apply to you.
That said, 26 is the only option for you to go to. Many complaints are about the interface changing, which can be more finely controlled in 26.1 https://support.apple.com/en-ca/123074

 

[Genelec8341]

My 4th gen. Pro and Pencil are working fine on 26.

 

[papbot]

...because of all the horror stories I read about iPadOS 17 wrecking Pencil functionality. As the iPad has become pretty much my main tool for everyday sketching, drawing, painting & other illustration work, I took a pass on it.

Then, last year read where Apple pulled iPadOS 18 because it was bricking people's iPads, so I've just sat on on 16.3.1 until I felt confident I could update confident that it wouldn't absolutely wreck everything.

So, now I'm reading where v26 is also awful. Have v18 or v26 really been that awful? I've not seen where v18 was ever fixed and made available again.

I'm running an early '22 M1 5th Gen iPad Pro 12.9" with 256gb, 8gb RAM and a 2nd gen Pencil.

Functionally you should have few if any issues on 26.1. Visual glitches are another story. If you could go to iOS 18 you’d probably be happy as there probably aren’t many iOS 26 that would benefit you, but that’s not an option. My wife has the same iPad as you and hasn’t run into any problems that have concerned her, on 26.1.

 

[FeliApple]

Honestly I have an iPad Air 5 (also M1) on iPadOS 15, and, like you, I also mainly use it for tasks with the Apple Pencil.

If that’s all you use it for, you don’t really need to update at all. The apps you use will continue to work with the Pencil, and if your needs don’t change, then there really is no reason to update.