Can I run Android or similar on iPad 1?

I’ve got an iPad 1 I’ve had for years.

It’s still good, but its operating system cannot be upgraded further. More and more of the apps are being upgraded to run only on the later versions of the operating system, so its capabilities are becoming more and more limited.

So basically the iPad has been deliberately obsoleted, which doesn’t particularly bother me, technology advances etc.

But seeing as it still works perfectly well, I thought I could use it to play with some other OS. I’ve had a quick look on the interweb, and it seems maybe possible.

However seeing as the repository of all IT knowledge is actually the STW forum, I figured I’d ask here before doing anything else.

So has anyone here done this?

If be impressed if anyone had managed that!

More and more of the apps are being upgraded to run only on the later versions of the operating system…

Just don’t update the apps. We’ve got a ANCIENT iPod permenently on a speaker dock running an early tunein radio functioning as a perfectly good internet radio. If I updated it it would be bollocksed, so I don’t. It’s only obsolete if the USER thinks it is.

I too have an ancient iPad 1 languishing in a drawer; never even considered trying to do this. A quick Google suggest that there’s a tool for installing Android on the original iPhone or 3GS but not iPad however you should be able to load Linux on if you so wish.

Just don’t update the apps.

You couldn’t update the apps, even if you wanted to, so no danger there!

v8ninety – Member
Just don’t update the apps…

It isn’t being used much anymore, the iPhone and Kindle does the jobs I used it for.

I was thinking I could use it for my OS maps, but it won’t run that on its obsolete iOS, so if I could Android it then that would make it handy again.

I’m not keen to pay the premium price for another iPad because of the rate of obsolescence, so I figured go lower end where chucking them after a year or two doesn’t burn the wallet so much, and that’s what got me thinking about Android on the otherwise good tablet I already have.

I’m not keen to pay the premium price for another iPad because of the rate of obsolescence, so I figured go lower end where chucking them after a year or two doesn’t burn the wallet so much

That’s a bit melodramatic. The original iPad is the only one that can’t run ios9 and I very much doubt you bought that “a year or two” ago.

So you don’t want to pay a premium for an iPad and are prepared to use Android – simple answer…

…buy an Android tablet! There are loads of decent ones under £100 now.

If you read OP’s last post that’s what he’s already decided to do. He just wanted a way to make his older iPad more usable.

zilog6128 – Member
That’s a bit melodramatic. The original iPad is the only one that can’t run ios9 and I very much doubt you bought that “a year or two” ago

It’s not a criticism of Apple. I happily accept that stuff goes out of date, because we are seeing rapid improvements. However I don’t really need an iPad now or I would have bought one.

Just looking for a way to continue to use a perfectly good iPad, and have some fun getting it to work. If I stuff it up in doing so, no great loss.

Sticking Windows on would be a hoot. :)[/url]

Spent a bit more time looking at this – doesn’t look feasible. Shame.

I’d be putting it on some sort of stand, connecting a speaker and turning it into an internet radio.

The OS maps was about the only use I have for it. Thought it would be nice to have a bigger screen than my iPhone when doing a bit of exploring. In the meantime I can still play MahJong on it or load pics on.

The only other thing I could think of is if it could emulate an old Mac like an SE/30 so I could play with some of the old programmes I wrote, but these days I can’t be bothered with the faff. It’s got to be relatively easy to do.

Having said that I’m waiting for my crowd funded RaspBerry Pi laptop to arrive – don’t know what I was thinking when I splashed out for that, must have been bored – now I’ll have to read up on Python I suppose…

Can’t you just run a screen emulator such as Teamviewer to view your OS program running on another workstation? Not ideal I know, and I don’t even know whether that type of app is available on iOS…

markgraylish – Member
Can’t you just run a screen emulator such as Teamviewer to view your OS program running on another workstation? Not ideal I know, and I don’t even know whether that type of app is available on iOS…

I wouldn’t be using it in the home.

I’ll start a new thread, because now I’m thinking I may buy an Android or similar for this purpose.

New query here