Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

It took Apple 14 years, but this missing app is finally coming to iPad

Published Apr 23rd, 2024 12:32PM EDT
iPad Air (2022) Port
Image: Christian de Looper for BGR

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

iPad users rejoiced once Apple introduced the Weather app in 2022 with iPadOS 16. However, another iPhone software was still missing from this release, which is the Calculator app. After 14 years of no calculator app, it has become an inside joke in the community how badly people want Apple to release this app for its tablet.

Apple executives generally praised the many third-party apps by saying their offerings were enough, but it seems Cupertino might have changed their mind. A source familiar with the matter told MacRumors that Apple finally plans to release a Calculator app for the iPad with iPadOS 18.

The publication says all iPad models compatible with this future software update will feature Apple’s Calculator app. If rumors are true, this means the iPad 6, second-gen iPad Pro, and the first 10.5-inch iPad Pro will drop support for iPadOS 18, so these tablets won’t get this long-awaited app.

To corroborate this rumor, MacRumors talks about AppleInsider’s report last week about macOS 15 getting a revamped Calculator app with integration with the Notes app. The publication believes the updated Mac app will be based on the new iPad app.

According to AppleInsider, Apple is working on its “Project GreyParrot” with new features and enhancements for the Calculator app, specifically on macOS 15. The publication says there’ll be a dedicated button at the top left of the Calculator app on macOS 15 that will give users “the option to toggle the history tape from all three calculator views – basic, scientific, and programmer.”

The Calculator app will also resemble its iPhone version, according to the report. This could be the first redesign of the software since macOS 10 Yosemite. Another interesting feature is the ability to resize the app’s window without selecting a different calculator view, which seems to come with this version.

Of course, we’ll know for sure once Apple unveils the new software at WWDC 2024. We’ll keep you in the loop for all the latest rumors regarding Apple’s upcoming operating system updates.

José Adorno Tech News Reporter

José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.