iPadOS 26.2 Unlocks Faster Wi-Fi for Wi-Fi 6E iPads

One of the more interesting changes in iPadOS 26.2 isn’t particularly flashy and wasn’t highlighted in Apple’s release notes, but it may improve Wi-Fi performance for some iPad users.

First noted by MacRumors, with iPadOS 26.2 Apple has enabled 160MHz channel width on 5GHz Wi-Fi for supported Wi-Fi 6E iPads, allowing for higher theoretical throughput on compatible networks. This appears to be a software-level change that lets iPads take better advantage of modern Wi-Fi routers.

(Here’s a great explanation of what channel width is.)

What Changed?

Before iPadOS 26.2, most iPads that supported Wi-Fi 6E (iPads prior to the M5 iPad Pro, which supports Wi-Fi 7) were effectively limited to 80MHz channel widths on 5GHz, even though their hardware could theoretically support more. The latest update enables support for 160MHz channel widths, effectively doubling the available theoretical bandwidth.

Which iPads Benefit?

According to Apple’s current specifications, the following Wi-Fi 6E iPads list 160MHz channel support on 5GHz:

iPad Pro (M4) – 11-inch and 13-inch
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation)
iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation)
iPad Air (M3) – 11-inch and 13-inch
iPad Air (M2) – 11-inch and 13-inch
iPad mini (A17 Pro)

What Does This Actually Mean?

Wi-Fi speed isn’t just about standards like Wi-Fi 6 or 6E. Channel width can plays a huge role.

80MHz: Common, stable, but capped in peak throughput
160MHz: Doubles available bandwidth, enabling much higher speeds

In ideal conditions, moving from 80MHz to 160MHz can dramatically improve:

Large file transfers
Cloud backups and restores
Media downloads
Local network transfers (NAS, SMB, media servers)

There are a couple of important things to note:

Your router must support 160MHz on 5GHz – If your router is locked to 80MHz, or doesn’t support 160MHz at all, you won’t see a difference.
Crowded networks may still prefer 80MHz – 160MHz channels are wide, which makes them more sensitive to interference and harder to sustain in dense apartment or urban environments. In some cases, 80MHz can actually be more stable, even if peak speeds are lower.

It’s not the most exciting feature, but if you rely on your iPad as a primary device, faster and more capable Wi-Fi is exactly the kind of upgrade that can help improve your productivity.