At the WWDC 2022 event, Apple officially announced the much-awaited 2022 update to iPadOS, the latest operating system for the iPad. The iPadOS 16 shares some of its new features with the iOS 16 and macOS 13 Ventura, however, there are some added features that are exclusively for compatible iPads.
Here’re some of the major announcements and features in iPadOS 16, take a look!
iPadOS 16 revolves around multitasking
Stage Manager: Multitasking like never before
Multitasking was the center of attraction with this year’s iPadOS update. The Stage Manager feature announced for macOS Ventura is coming to the iPadOS 16. For anyone unaware, the Stage Manager feature allows access to apps that are shown as windows and tiles and can overlap with one another. They can even be dragged and dropped across the display. You can view 8 different apps simultaneously (four on the iPad screen and four on the external display. You can understand this by taking a glance at the screen grab below. Yes, iPad OS 16 takes advantage of wide-screen external displays now. Users can finally take full advantage of USB-C adapters and displays, especially for iPad Pro.
Please note some features might not be available for all devices like the Stage Manager as it is powered by the
Also read: 13″ MacBook Pro (M2): All you need to know
Collaboration features on iPadOS 16
The tech giant invested a long time demonstrating the collaboration feature. The collaboration feature is an absolute must-have, especially with people working remotely. With this iPadOS 16 feature, you can collaborate directly from a shared sheet in a productivity app, allowing others to jump in and edit the same document in real-time. If you want to get an idea, just look at the Share feature on Google Docs and Sheets app but with Apple ecosystem integration with iMessage and FaceTime. Apple confirms that a message thread will be alerted whenever a change is made in the shared file. You can use this feature in apps like Files, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, Notes, Reminders, and Safari. The Collaboration feature’s API kit will be available to app developers for seamless integration across 3rd party apps.
Also read: Apple announces the M2 Processor at WWDC 2022
All-new whiteboard app on iPadOS 16: Brainstorming the right way!
Apple showcased a new whiteboard app called Freeform, which is designed to plan things or brainstorm ideas when you are collaborating with a team. It is basically a shared canvas that comes with the support of Apple Pencil and supports a variety of file types such as PDF, images, links, etc. It lets you create a digital whiteboard where users can create beautiful and functional notes. It will work across iOS 16, macOS 13, and iPadOS 16. Freeform will be released later this year.
Also read: Apple announces an all-new MacBook Air with the M2 chip
iPadOS 16 Availability
The new update will be available to developers as a preview starting today. The public beta will be released next month (July 2022) and a full release is scheduled for this fall.
iPadOS 16 Supported Devices
The following iPads will receive the new iPadOS 16 updates, please check if your iPad is compatible with iPadOS 16:
- iPad Pro 12.9 (5th gen)
- iPad Pro 11 (3rd gen)
- iPad Pro 12.9 (4th gen)
- iPad Pro 11 (2nd gen)
- iPad Pro 12.9 (3rd gen)
- iPad Pro 11 (1st gen)
- iPad Pro 12.9 (2nd gen)
- iPad Pro 12.9 (1st gen)
- iPad Pro 10.5
- iPad Pro 9.7
- iPad (9th gen)
- iPad (8th gen)
- iPad (7th gen)
- iPad (6th gen)
- iPad (5th gen)
- iPad mini (6th gen)
- iPad mini (5th gen)
- iPad Air (4th gen)
- iPad Air (3rd gen)
Also read: Galaxy S22 and S21 get Vo5G support
