Longtime iPad users will have noticed the absence of an essential iPad app: a calculator. While a calculator seems basic to any operating system, Apple never made an official calculator app to take advantage of the extra screen size offered by the iPad.

Thankfully, that seems to be changing, as MacRumors has learned from sources that Apple plans to include an iPad-specific calculator app in iPadOS 18.

The new iPad app is expected to be unveiled at Apple's annual developer conference, WWDC, on June 10. That means we won't have to wait long to see if this app actually works and if the app Apple has spent years building is the right one.

According to another AppleInsider report, Apple is planning to refresh its Mac calculator app for the first time in a decade. The two apps could be built on top of each other. The timing certainly fits well, and the fact that the Mac calculator is reported to have a resizable window with rounded buttons also bolsters that possibility.

If Apple releases an official iPad calculator app, it could put an end to the social media memes that mock the app's absence. It could also be a blow to the many third-party iPad calculator apps that have found a place thanks to Apple not releasing an official app. Of course, some users will be familiar with the additional apps and will want to continue using them, but many users are expected to flock to the apps that are native to the OS. This may be especially true for new users who purchase the 2024 iPad.

In June 2020, an Apple engineer told popular tech YouTube personality Marques Brownlee that the company "never got around to" releasing a calculator app. The engineer added that "that day may come." iPadOS 18 is expected to be released in September 2024, possibly along with iOS 18 for the iPhone 16. The first beta version of iPadOS 18 is also expected to be announced shortly after Apple's WWDC keynote.