During WWDC 2022, Apple revealed iPadOS 16, and soon after, the developer beta for the new operating system was made available. The operating system is now a public beta for anyone to test.
This not only enables ordinary people to test out upcoming features for iPads but also enables Apple to modify its products in response to customer comments. If everything goes according to plan, iPadOS 16 should officially launch sometime in the autumn of 2022.
Although it shares many features with iOS 16, iPadOS 16 is the fourth version of the tablet operating system since Apple separated it from its iOS mobile operating system.
What will you see here?
Compatibility and Supported devices
The iPad (5th generation onwards), iPad mini (5th generation onwards), iPad Air (3rd generation onwards), and all iPad Pro devices are all compatible with iPadOS 16, according to Apple. The iPad Air 2nd generation and iPad Mini 4th generation are no longer supported by the new update, according to iPadOS 15 compatibility.
It’s important to remember that not all iPads running iPadOS 16 will be able to use every new function. This is because features like Stage Manager are only compatible with the newest iPad Air and iPad Pro models that are M1-powered.
What is Stage Manager?
Stage Manager is just remarkable. Only four active apps can run simultaneously on an iPad, and you can quickly enable or disable it from Control Center.
The left side is designated for all other applications, and folders are created for related applications. For instance, Gmail and Mail go into one folder while Chrome and Safari move into another. This concentrates your attention on what is in sight of you and helps clear the clutter from your screen.
Two displays, where a maximum of 8 apps can be displayed, are where Stage Manager truly shines.
After establishing the iPad Air as the MacBook’s secondary screen, switching windows and apps between displays is straightforward.
The iPad also can be used as a secondary screen by connecting to an external monitor. If you use the iPad as your main computer, being able to connect to some other monitor is essential.
Collaboration
The upcoming iPad update will put a lot of emphasis on enhanced collaborative tools.
To make it simpler for collaborators to make modifications together, when you share a document with your friends or coworkers, you’ll now share the actual document rather than duplicate it.
By exchanging links and files across the video calling platform on FaceTime, you can also collaborate on these papers with other people. This should make it relatively straightforward to use Freeform, a different feature we’ll discuss later, among other things.
Borrowed Features
Many of the features of iPadOS 16 Beta are primarily found in iOS 16. Changes to the lock screen allow you better control over notifications and other customizing choices.
Another is from Apple Maps: you can plan a trip using the software on your iPad and send it to your iPhone, making it easier to see your path on the smaller screen.
A modification to the Mail app is one of the following macOS enhancements. You may now set reminders for emails you don’t need to deal with immediately, schedule emails to be delivered at a specific time, and retract emails you’ve already sent.
Weather App
As absurd as it may sound, the iPad is only now getting a weather app similar to iOS. In actuality, it is essentially the iOS app on a larger screen. That’s okay because it has the same functionality, including hourly and weekly weather data.
The iPadOS weather app does have an animated background that reflects the current weather, just like the iOS version. For instance, on a wet day, you’ll see raindrops crawling down the screen, and on a sunny day, you’ll see a beautiful blue sky.
Some upgrade to Messages as well
On iPadOS 16, feature users have long wished for will be available: the ability to modify and undo texts. The function is simple and quick. Friends can also access your erased texts, but that was only possible when using iOS 15. Editing and undoing messages functions as described other from that.
If you want to return to a message later, you may also mark it as unread.
AI Features
The option to add live text to a generated video is a feature that will appeal to everyone. Simply open the camera app, position the iPad toward text in a book or a movie, and press the shutter button in the top-right corner of the screen to take a picture.
Following that, you can highlight the text, copy, paste, and select all as you would on a typical word processor. Additionally, it is possible to translate the text and seek definitions.
This tool is quite helpful. One can take a picture and copy the text on their iPad rather than manually writing it down from a physical source or video.
Release Date
The public beta for iPadOS 16 is now available. You must first ensure that the iPad is backed up. The simplest way to do this is through iCloud Backups. Go to Apple’s beta page on your iPad and sign in using your Apple ID.
After that, you must sign up for your device for the program, download and install the iPadOS 16 beta profile from the link given by accessing the Settings app on your device, and then complete the enrollment process.
Following WWDC, Apple typically releases beta versions of its operating systems for developers, followed by public betas in the summer and the final product in late September. It should take the business around two months to release iPadOS 16 if they stick to this schedule.
Upcoming Features
Game Center SharePlay integration
SharePlay now incorporates Game Center, enabling you to play multiplayer games while on a FaceTime conversation. Except for iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, and iOS 16, none of these operating systems will initially support this feature. We will see it later this year, according to Apple.
Desktop-class apps
Apple promises desktop-class iPad apps with features like constant undo and redo and enhanced find-and-replace capabilities. In Files, you can also see folder sizes. This is a further step toward making the iPad comparable to a laptop replacement.
Reference mode
The iPad can match color references in reference mode for workflows like picture and video processing. This aids in preserving color harmony across all of the screens you are using. Unfortunately, due to its huge Liquid Retina XDR display, this functionality is only accessible on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Conclusion
It is commendable that iPadOS 16 gives iPads a more authentic computer feel. Even without a Stage Manager, productivity will increase, and some people may decide to switch from their laptops to an iPad. Additionally, tools like Collaboration will be helpful in this area.
It seemed excessive to put an Apple M1 chip inside iPads at first. This choice makes more sense now that Stage Manager and Reference mode in iPadOS 16 will use the additional power offered by M1.
