iPad iPadOS on unsupported Mini 2

[mws43]

I saw a tread about getting Catalina to work on unsupported Macs. Is there any change that iPadOS can be made to work on my unsupported Mini 2 (that works very well), or must I buy a new Mini just to have supported OS?

 

[redheeler]

It's not generally possible to install a newer version of iOS (iPadOS) that a device doesn't support because of the way Apple locks down iOS devices. Not sure it would even run well considering iOS 13 expects 2 GB RAM and the iPad mini 2 only has 1 GB.

 

[aakshey]

It is time to upgrade my friend. Had Apple allowed iPadOS on 1 GB RAM devices, that would have been a nail in the coffin for them.

 

[Juicy Box]

It is time to upgrade my friend.

Yeah, this is probably correct.

Not sure it would even run well considering iOS 13 expects 2 GB RAM and the iPad mini 2 only has 1 GB.

Had Apple allowed iPadOS on 1 GB RAM devices

Apple could optimize older devices to run newer software. Usually there are some trade offs involved when it comes to optimizing, but it could be done.

There is just little reason/incentive for Apple to do so.

that would have been a nail in the coffin for them.

For my iPad mini 2, the nail was iOS 9.

It ran great under iOS 8, with great battery life, but iOS 9 made many apps, such as Safari useless. iOS 10 brought the Mini 2 back to life, but it still wasn't as good as iOS 8, and the battery life sucks.

 

[chrfr]

I saw a tread about getting Catalina to work on unsupported Macs. Is there any change that iPadOS can be made to work on my unsupported Mini 2 (that works very well), or must I buy a new Mini just to have supported OS?

Apple will not provide a software update file for the Mini 2, so there's absolutely no way to make it work.