Those that personal a Mac or iPad and want to enhance their machine’s Wi-Fi pace are in luck. Apple has launched free software program updates for quite a few fashions in each product strains that provide precisely this.
iPadOS 26.2 and macOS Tahoe 26.2 had been rolled out halfway by means of December, however this function wasn’t seen on the time. Solely now has it been noticed that they comprise an enchancment to Wi-Fi efficiency.
As noticed by MacRumors and confirmed by up to date tech specs in an Apple help doc, iPads and Macs outfitted with Wi-Fi 6E are actually able to a most channel bandwidth of 160MHz when linked to 5GHz Wi-Fi. That’s double the earlier restrict of 80MHz, and matches what was already provided on 6GHz networks (that are far much less widespread, and require newer router {hardware}). In different phrases, now you can get the sleek streaming, speedy file transfers, and different advantages of 6GHz’s greater bandwidth restrict, with out the difficulties of truly connecting to 6GHz.
Fortuitously, loads of iPads and Macs help Wi-Fi 6E. The iPad Professional M2 and later, the iPad Air M2 and later, and the iPad mini A17 Professional all accomplish that. As do the MacBook Professional M2 (Professional/Max) and later, the MacBook Air M3 and later, the iMac M3 and later, the Mac mini M2 and later, and the Mac Studio M2 (Max/Extremely) and later. Homeowners of a typical iPad miss out, as do Mac Professional customers, although anybody utilizing one most likely has it hooked as much as an Ethernet cable anyway.
iPhone 16 and 17 fashions already help this greater bandwidth, in addition to the iPhone 15 Professional.
To not point out that the software program updates comprise different new options and tweaks which are price having. macOS Tahoe 26.2, for instance, provides a brand new ‘Edge Mild’ for improved video calls and brings new AI options to the Mac Studio. iPadOS 26.2, in the meantime, is full of crucial safety updates, together with a pair of zero-day WebKit flaws.
To replace iPadOS in your iPad, open the Settings app and go to Common > Software program Replace. The system will let you know if any new updates can be found; if there are, merely observe the directions to put in them. On Mac, open System Settings and go to Common > Software program Replace.
