Apple has quietly boosted wireless performance on a wide range of its Macs and iPads with the latest versions of their respective operating systems, as noted by MacRumors.
In the recent release of iPadOS 26.2 and macOS 26.2, Apple has expanded Wi-Fi 6E support so that devices running the updated software can now achieve wider channel bandwidth on common 5GHz networks. This change offers a significant step toward faster wireless speeds for users who connect outside of the newer 6GHz bands that Wi-Fi 6E introduced.
For years, the benefits of Wi-Fi 6E have included the opportunity for higher throughput and lower latency by using the 6GHz frequency band. However these networks require specific routers and compatible hardware, which many households and businesses do not yet have.
Prior to this update, Apple devices that supported Wi-Fi 6E could use the 6GHz band when available, but were capped at an 80MHz channel width when connecting to the more widespread 5GHz signals. With the software enhancements in macOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Apple doubled that limit to 160MHz for supported devices on 5GHz networks.
This change means that users on compatible Macs and iPads might see faster file transfers, quicker uploads to cloud services, and smoother high-definition video streams even when their router does not have a 6GHz band.
People with modern Wi-Fi environments that already support 160MHz channel widths on 5GHz should notice the improvement right away once they update to the latest software. However, the benefits depend on the capabilities of the router itself. If a network is still limited to the older 80MHz width on 5GHz, devices will not be able to make the most of the update until the router is upgraded as well.
The devices set to benefit from this software improvement include Apple’s recent iPad Pro models with M4 chips as well as iPad Air models with M3 chips and the latest iPad mini with an A17 Pro chip.
On the Mac side, users with MacBook Pro models running M2 through M5, along with recent MacBook Air systems, now enjoy the broader channel bandwidth on 5GHz networks. These devices already supported Wi-Fi 6E on 6GHz networks.
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