It’s unlikely to be a forgotten feature — Flow on iPad should connect normally, so what you’re experiencing is either a device-specific permissions issue or the iPadOS network stack blocking the connection. Since it works on Android on the same network, the issue is isolated to the iPad.
Try these steps (in order):
- Reset network permissions for the Flow app
Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network
Make sure Flow has Local Network Access enabled
(This is the most common cause — if disabled, the app cannot discover or connect.)
- Reset Bluetooth + Wi-Fi (without resetting the whole iPad)
Toggle Airplane Mode ON → OFF
Then disable/enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Flow relies on both for discovery.
- Forget and rejoin your Wi-Fi network
Settings → Wi-Fi → Tap your network → Forget This Network → reconnect
This forces a new DHCP + routing assignment.
- Disable Private Wi-Fi Address for testing
Some routers block local device discovery when this is on.
Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the “i” → turn off Private Wi-Fi Address
- Reinstall Flow
Delete → restart iPad → reinstall
This resets the app’s network entitlements.
- If using manual IP connection
Make sure:
Both devices are on the same subnet (e.g., 192.168.1.xxx)
No VPN, DNS filter, or AdGuard is running on the iPad
These can silently block local connections.
Is it a bug?
Not generally — Flow continues to work for most iPadOS devices.
But iPadOS 17+ has been known to block local network discovery when permissions or Private Address settings are wrong, so it can feel like a bug.
If none of the above fixes it
Let me know:
Your iPad model
iPadOS version
Flow app version
Whether the device appears in discovery but fails to connect, or is not found at all