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iPadOS 16 will take your iPad to the next level, finally

Updated: Jun 06, 2022, 2:41 PM

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iPadOS 16 will take your iPad to the next level, finally

Last year's iPadOS 15 might have been disappointing, as many of us iPad fans were expecting stronger multitasking capabilities, namely windowed apps and the likes... They didn't come to fruition, but some of us remained hopeful for "next year", and here we are – it's 2022.

At today's WWDC 2022 developer event, the Cupertino company unveiled iPadOS 16, which is coming to supported iPads later this year. What will this software update bring? Finally the fabled desktop-class multitasking, but there's a catch we saw a mile away – it appears that this particular feature is coming only to M1 iPads.

In any case, here are the most notable features coming to your iPad this September...

Stage Manager takes iPad multitasking to the next level

Nope, this isn't MacOS, it's iPadOS 16!

A new feature Apple additionally announced for the Mac today, called Stage Manager, will finally bring true desktop-class multitasking to M1 iPads running iPadOS 16. When working with windowed apps, the user will have access to a fixed, Mac-like dock, and their open app windows will be visible in a vertical row to the left. And yes, overlapping windowed apps are now going to be a thing on the iPad, starting with iPadOS 16!

This power user feature will be particularly welcome to those who have always wanted to replace their laptop with an iPad. Now, with a connected keyboard with a trackpad, mouse, or an Apple Pencil, the M1 iPads are truly shaping up to be all they can be.

True external display support

Finally iPads will no longer mirror their screen at a 4:3 aspect ratio, when connected to an external display. Pro iPad users who always wanted dual screen support are finally going to get it, with up to 8 apps running simultaneously, split across the two separate displays, at up to 6K resolution on the external one.

But like the Stage Manager feature above, true external display support is also going to be available only on the M1 iPad Pro and iPad Air models.

New display scaling option / Display Zoom

With iPadOS 16 comes a display scaling option, which essentially makes text and other content in apps that are open in split screen smaller, in order to fit more information at a glance.

Up to 16GB of memory delivery for the heavy apps

In order to let iPad game developers deliver better, more visually spectacular experiences, and pro app developers to allow users to do more with their apps, iPadOS 16 will finally be able allocate more RAM to individual apps – up to 16GB.

Of course, this is yet another feature that only applies to the more powerful M1 iPads. It's also a developer feature, and not something that the average iPad user who does not create content on their tablet will notice or have use for, but it's still noteworthy nonetheless. In theory, pro users will eventually see the results from this change by being able to create bigger drawings or videos, with even more layers, for example.

Reference color / Reference Mode

iPadOS 16's Reference Mode is a color-grading feature for professionals who use the iPad Pro as a standalone content creation machine, or as an accessory to the Mac. As is hinted below, this feature will only come to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

"Reference Mode enables the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Liquid Retina XDR display to match the color requirements in workflows like review and approve, color grading, and compositing, where accurate colors and consistent image quality are critical." - Apple

Updates to the Files app

Files on iPadOS 16 will be getting some much-needed desktop-class features. Those most notably include the ability to change file extensions, and view a folder's size.

A new Freeform app / collaboration tools

While on a FaceTime call, everyone in that call will be able to draw and write on a virtual whiteboard together, sharing their ideas live.

"Collaboration is easier than ever with new ways to start working with others in apps across the system using Messages, and the new Freeform app provides a flexible canvas to brainstorm on together." - Apple

Even more new collaboration tools on iPadOS 16 include the ability to "manage shared content across Files, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, Notes, Reminders, and Safari, as well as third-party apps".

The Weather app comes to iPad

It only took forever, but the Weather app from the iPhone is finally coming to the iPad, with iPadOS 16. Still no Calculator app, though.

Safari gets shared Tab Groups and passkeys

While the Safari browser already got a visual upgrade last year, this year the updates it'll be getting with iPadOS 16 are less noticeable, but still useful. Shared Tab Groups will let users "browse the web with others", while passkeys is Apple's vision of a password-free future.

It's basically using biometrics, such as Touch ID and Face ID, in order to generate and authenticate accounts for the user on different websites, negating the need to manually register, think of a password, confirm an email and so on.

"Browsing in Safari is even more secure with passkeys, an easier and safer sign-in method designed to replace passwords on the web and in apps. Passkeys are kept on iPad and are specific to the sites users create them for. And since passkeys are unique digital keys that stay on device and are never stored on a web server, hackers can’t leak them or trick users into sharing them. Users can sign in to websites or apps on Apple and non-Apple devices with their saved passkey by scanning the QR code with iPad, and using Face ID or Touch ID to authenticate." - Apple

Live Text now works on videos too

According to Apple, "Live Text now interacts with text in video", meaning the same feature that can detect, translate and copy text from your photos will now be available to videos as well. Starting with iPadOS 16, users will be able to pause a video, select text from the individual frames, and further interact with it just like it's possible with photos.

The Game Center dashboard will be getting a redesign

A update specifically for the iPad gamers will bring a new look to Game Center, showing which games their friends are playing, plus their achievements and high scores, in one place. Additionally, SharePlay will allow gamers to start playing multiplayer games with their friends automatically on a FaceTime call.

Which iPads will support iPadOS 16?

According to Apple, iPadOS 16, which is most likely coming in late September, 2022, will be supported by the following iPads:

iPad Pro (all models)
iPad Air (3rd generation and later)
iPad (5th generation and later)
iPad mini (5th generation and later)

It's important to keep in mind that some features might come later on, and Stage Manager in particular is only going to be available on M1 iPads.

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Rado, a tech enthusiast with a love for mobile devices, brings his passion for Android and iPadOS to PhoneArena. His tech journey began with MP3 players and has evolved to include tinkering with Android tablets and iPads, even running Linux and Windows 95 on them. Beyond tech, Rado is a published author, music producer, and PC game developer. His professional work on iPads, from producing songs to editing videos, showcases his belief in their capabilities. Rado looks forward to the future of mobile tech, particularly in augmented reality and multi-screen smartphones.