Apple quietly boosts Wi-Fi speeds on newer Macs and iPads

Apple has silently given some Macs and iPads a Wi-Fi velocity enhance with macOS Tahoe 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2. The replace allows 160MHz channel bandwidth help on 5GHz Wi-Fi networks.

The extra bandwidth will assist your Mac or iPad supply increased throughput.

Apple flips a swap and your Mac’s Wi-Fi will get a velocity enhance

Apple’s complete iPad and Mac lineup helps Wi-Fi 6E. On paper, this could allow them to ship increased bandwidth and throughput over 5GHz Wi-Fi in comparison with older fashions. And whereas that’s true, their capabilities had been restricted as they solely supported 80MHz channel bandwidth on 5GHz networks. The latter is way extra widespread and doesn’t sometimes require a brand new Wi-Fi router.

macOS Tahoe 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 tackle this limitation by enabling help for 160MHz bandwidth on 5GHz Wi-Fi networks (by way of MacRumors). This enchancment will enable appropriate Macs and iPads to realize increased real-world throughput even when linked to five GHz routers as a substitute of 6 GHz. 

For those who primarily use Wi-Fi for big native file transfers or Time Machine backups to your NAS, the upper bandwidth ought to convey a noticeable velocity enhance. The ultimate outcomes will rely upon a number of different components, although, together with the congestion in your house or workplace.

Nonetheless, it is a welcome enchancment, particularly in case your router helps 160MHz bandwidth on the 5GHz channel.

Solely new Macs and iPads will get this improve

All notable Apple merchandise launched since 2022 or later help Wi-Fi 6E. This contains the M2 iPad Professional, M3 iPad Air and the A17 Professional–powered iPad mini. As for Macs, all M3 or newer MacBook Professional, Mac Studio, iMac and M4 MacBook Air fashions help Wi-Fi 6E.

It’s the identical bandwidth limitation that makes Wi-Fi 7 on the iPhone 17 really feel like Wi-Fi 6E+. The telephone solely helps 160MHz wide-channels, whereas Wi-Fi 7 requires 320MHz channel help to ship its theoretically most speeds of 46Gbps.

Rajesh has been writing about client expertise for over a decade, with a powerful deal with iPhones, Macs and Apple’s ecosystem. He enjoys digging into Apple software program updates, {hardware} adjustments, and discovering new Mac apps that make work sooner and extra satisfying.