Apple releases iPadOS 16, finally turning your iPad into a multitasking beast

After getting delayed this year, Apple's first public release of iPadOS 16 has just finally started rolling out to compatible tablets. Those include all iPad Pro models, the 5th-gen iPad and up, the 5th-gen iPad mini and up, and the 3rd-gen iPad Air and up.

However, certain features will only be available to iPads that are powered by either the M1 or M2 chips, as opposed to the A15 Bionic processor, or lower.

Stage Manager is here to shut us up about the iPad lacking desktop multitasking

Stage Manager is undoubtedly the biggest and most anticipated new feature that comes with iPadOS 16, as it completely revamps the multitasking experience on Apple's tablets.

While the old, basic Split Screen and Slide Over features are still available for anyone who prefers them, on iPadOS 16 we get a Stage Manager toggle, which, when enabled, replaces those with something vastly different.

With Stage Manager on, all iPad apps open in resizable and moveable windows, and can be grouped to the left of the screen for easy "stage" switching. On the bottom, we finally get a fixed taskbar (similar to the MacOS one), with favorite and recent apps, for easily accessing and switching between those.

Full external display support, no more simple 4:3 screen mirroring

This feature isn't out yet, but coming "later this year" and is only going to be available on M1 and M2 iPads. If you've ever tried to hook up your iPad to an external display, you may have been disappointed with the result being a simple (usually wrong-aspect) screen mirror.

Well, when this feature arrives, Stage Manager will unlock full external display support at the correct aspect ratio for your display, at a resolution of up to 6K. Not only that, but if employing an external display, the user will be able to run up to eight windowed iPad apps simultaneously, four on the iPad display, and four on the external display.

Additional iPadOS 16 features: updates to Messages, Safari, new Freeform tool

The Messages app has notably been updated to support marking conversations as unread, along with the ability to edit sent messages, or undo sending them.

SharePlay has been expanded to the Messages app, allowing for the user to invite friends and familiy to watch a movie or a show together, while hanging out in a Messages thread.

The Safari browser now has Apple's passkeys feature, which the Cupertino company claims is here to replace passwords, instead just using your iPad's Face ID or Touch ID for authentication.

Freeform is a new collaboration tool, which, like true external support, is "coming later this year."

Updating to iPadOS 16

iPadOS 16 is now available to download for all supported iPads. To download it on yours, navigate to the Settings app, then tap General, then Software Update. After that, simply follow the on-screen instructions. Your iPad will need to have enough free storage and over 50% battery charge to begin the update, after downloading it.

Check out our iPadOS 16 preview for more details on all the new and noteworthy features.

Also, check out our previews for Apple's newest iPad Pro (2022) and fully redesigned base iPad (2022). Full reviews coming soon!