iPadOS 16 preview

The iPadOS 16 public beta is live and packed with tools that expand the functionality of your iPad. If the beta is any indication, Apple aims to deliver powerful features that take advantage of the robust M1 chip found in the newer iPads, elevating the tablets to laptop par in terms of versatility and utility. With this M1 focus, however, Apple is sharing its user base by excluding older models from some of iPadOS 16’s most interesting features. You’ll still enjoy a handful of improvements if you download iOS 16 on an older model, but the exclusive M1 versions are game changers for work-oriented iPad users.

(Image credit: PCMag)

What iPadOS 16 shares with iOS 16

Of course, there’s some overlap between iPadOS 16 and iOS 16, which is to be expected given the similarities between the platforms. For example, both iPads and iPhones get enhanced iMessage capabilities. You can now edit a message within 15 minutes of sending it, which is a welcome feature. Additionally, you can undo a message within two minutes of sending it (up from 15 minutes at the start of the beta). Note that these features only work if you’re sending a message to someone who also uses iMessage. For more information, see Clear embarrassing typos: How to edit texts on your iPhone and stop sending them.

You can trust our reviews

iOS 16’s Live Text improvements are coming to iPadOS too. This feature allows you to highlight text in a photo for copy, paste, translation, or search. Both iOS and iPadOS 16 extend this functionality to video. You can pause video and AI recognition can accurately identify text you hover over in a frame. Additionally, with this update, Live Text is recognized in Japanese and Korean.

Live Text AI is able to identify and isolate objects in specific images, allowing you to highlight, copy, and paste the subject of a photo, much like Live Text does with text. This is an excellent advancement in technology and a feature that iPad users will surely enjoy. It’s extraordinarily easy thanks to Apple’s intuitive point-and-hold controls. As someone who frequently uses image editing software for this purpose alone, having this feature built into the operating system is a huge benefit. My family hasn’t stopped receiving stickers of my cat since the beta launched in July, much to their chagrin.

The critically acclaimed overhaul of the Focus system also makes its way to iPadOS 16. You can tailor Focus to your task or goal, allowing you to customize how apps behave while Focus is active. For example, you can turn off email notifications when your personal focus is active and never see an after-hours email again. It takes discipline to break away from the dreaded sense of obligation that comes from ignoring work-related communications, but Focus helps drown out the noise.

If you use your iPad for work, you’ll be pleased to know that collaboration has received sweet improvements with iPadOS 16. Previously, you could share files with other people by sending them a copy to view. However, any changes made to these files would only affect their own respective system or device. iPadOS16 changes that by giving you the ability to send a copy or share collaborative permissions. With this new feature, anyone with access to the project can edit, add, or delete items in the file. If you’ve worked with Google Docs before, this should sound familiar.

Other features, like expanded Family Sharing features for parental controls and access to shared libraries, are also making their way to iPadOS 16.

(Image credit: PCMag)

Stage manager and hardware support

Apple is making some impressive and exclusive improvements to iPadOS 16 designed for newer iPad models, including Stage Manager. Stage Manager is a multitasking tool that revolutionizes the way you use your iPad. Compared to the iPad’s simple Slide Over feature, this is a far richer and more intuitive feature, bringing Mac-like windows and window customization to your tablet. Unfortunately, the feature is currently also blocked for iPads with Apple’s M1 chip (including the 5th generation iPad Air, 11-inch iPad Pro 3rd generation and 12.9-inch iPad Pro 5th generation) .

Stage Manager is not active by default and must be activated via the Control Panel. Once active, your iPad’s display shows a tiled view of your apps on the left side of the screen, with your main app appearing in a window in the middle of the screen. Note that only four apps can exist in a Stage Manager workspace. Still, it’s an excellent tool for organizing frequently used apps and brings some MacBook-like functionality to the iPad.

The second major change concerns external monitor support. This allows you to use one monitor as a second iPad screen and add four more apps to a Stage Manager workspace. Unfortunately, if your iPad doesn’t have an M1 chip, you won’t be able to use this feature.

Handy keyboard and right-click tweaks also add laptop-like functionality to your iPad. Previously, a right click would open the same menu as a tap or long press (a simple cut, copy, or paste tab). With iPadOS 16, right-clicking on an empty area of ​​the screen allows you to create a new folder or app-specific functions, depending on what you’re using. In some cases, the new input doesn’t change functionality, but the menu does change to a more Mac-like look. For example, Notepad now has Replace, Format, Lookup, Translate, and Share options. There are even new keyboard shortcuts like CMD+M (minimize) and Globus+F (full screen/zoom).

Since iPadOS 16 is still in beta, the operating system has the expected bugs that need to be ironed out before launch. Such a problem? Not all apps are displayed correctly when using Stage Manager. They’re not really resizable either; You can zoom to some preset sizes. Stage Manager allows you to use apps much more freely, but there are still limitations.

(Image credit: PCMag)

Exciting new developments

There are many subtle tweaks and improvements for iPadOS 16 that combine to create a far more user-friendly experience. The new keyboard and trackpad functionality alone gives the iPad a satisfying laptop feel, for example. There’s more to come. Developers can now use Apple’s new DriverKit to create specialized drivers for the macOS and iPadOS platforms. For example, these drivers may improve Thunderbolt by expanding the range of supported tablet accessories (and allowing developers to enhance the functionality of existing devices).

You can now better adjust the display scaling on your iPad. Previously, you could only switch between standard and zoomed views. With iPadOS 16, you have a “More Space” option that streamlines the user interface, icons, and fonts to provide a spacious, desktop-like screen to work on. This is especially useful when using Stage Manager.

Virtual memory swap is now a feature for M1-powered iPads. When your device runs out of RAM for apps and other projects, iPad essentially uses empty space for RAM functions. The M1 chip houses both RAM and storage on the same chip, allowing memory types to communicate efficiently and quickly. However, there are limitations with this new technology. For one, it’s exclusive to M1 iPads. Also, this feature requires 128GB of storage space, so you cannot use it with 64GB iPads.

Should You Download the iPadOS 16 Beta?

The iPadOS 16 beta offers a fantastic new feature set, especially if you use your iPad for work and multitasking. Unfortunately, if you have an older iPad model, you’re missing out on some of the mobile operating system’s best new tools.

Still, iPadOS 16 gives your iPad the coveted laptop and Mac functionality, making it a really satisfying middle ground between Apple’s MacBook series and the iPhone. If you’d rather wait for the official release, iPadOS 16 is expected to launch in the fall alongside iOS 16 and macOS Ventura.

If you’re experimenting in the public beta, head over to our comments section and let us know what you like about iPadOS 16. For more information on Apple software, see our hands-ons with Apple’s WatchOS 9 beta and our macOS Ventura preview.