Summary: Starting from iPadOS 26.4, the maximum memory available to a single app has been reduced from approximately 6GB to 3GB on an 8GB iPad. This change persists in iPadOS 26.5 and has not been addressed. This breaks core functionality of memory-intensive applications such as 3D scanning apps that require large amounts of RAM to process models. Device:
iPad with 8GB RAM Affected versions: iPadOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.5 Working version: iPadOS 26.0 / 26.1 / 26.2 / 26.3
Measured Data:
iPadOS 26.0–26.3: App available memory ≈ 6GB (75% of total RAM) iPadOS 26.4–26.5: App available memory ≈ 3GB (37.5% of total RAM) Measurement method: Apple system API
Impact: This is a regression, not expected behavior. The available memory per app has been cut by 50% without any official documentation or release notes mentioning this change. As a result, our 3D scanning application crashes immediately when attempting to process 3D models on iPadOS 26.4 and later. The app requires substantial RAM to load and process 3D model data. With only 3GB available, memory allocation fails during model processing, causing the app to crash (EXC_RESOURCE / OOM kill). This core functionality was working correctly on iPadOS 26.3 and earlier with the same device and same app binary. This regression makes our app's primary feature completely unusable for all users on iPadOS 26.4+. Steps to Reproduce:
On an 8GB iPad, install iPadOS 26.0 Measure available app memory using Apple system API Upgrade to iPadOS 26.4 or 26.5 Measure available app memory again Observe: available memory drops from ~6GB to ~3GB
Expected Result: Available memory per app should remain consistent across minor OS updates, or any changes should be documented. Actual Result: Available memory per app dropped by 50% starting in iPadOS 26.4, with no documentation of this change. Additional Notes:
Disabling Apple Intelligence does not resolve the issue This issue was not fixed in iPadOS 26.5 Other developers have reported increased crash rates starting in iPadOS 26.4 (Apple Developer Forums)