Apple unveiled iPadOS 17, showing off plenty of new and useful features that will undoubtedly change the way we use iPads going forward.
Source: Apple
During WWDC23, Apple gave those curious a glimpse of its future with new software updates like iOS 17, macOS Sonoma, and iPadOS 17. With iPadOS 17, Apple intends to bring more functionality to its popular tablet, like new interactive widgets, an enhanced lock screen with plenty of great customization options, the Health app, and much more. The update will be available to developers starting today and will make its public release later this year.
Source: Apple
Today, the company showed off interactive widgets, giving users a new way to see the information they need and control the things that they want without having to leave the home screen. Just a small sample of things that can be done with interactive widgets will let users check off reminders, control smart home devices, and even play, skip, and pause music. All of this is done without having to once dive into the app. What makes this fascinating is that developers will be able to build interactive widgets themselves through WidgetKit, making every updated widget feel fresh and new.
In addition, the Lock Screen is also getting a nice revamp, bringing more information, customizability, and personalization options. Users will be able to engage with the new enhanced widgets on the Lock Screen, set dynamic Live Photo wallpapers, change the fonts to bring a personal touch, and see Live Activities to get information at a glance with sports scores, food orders, travel plans, flight announcements, multiple timers, and more.
In addition, Apple is also bumping up the iPad’s productivity chops by making PDFs easier to work with in the Notes app. Apple showcased Notes and how it will be able to interact more seamlessly with PDFs, allowing for annotations, sketches, and more.
By utilizing new machine learning models, the Notes app will be able to identify text in a PDF. Users will also be able to collaborate in Notes in real life or do it remotely through FaceTime. Users will also be able to add signatures to PDFs and even sign documents using an Apple Pencil. Safari will also be getting a boost with new Profiles that can keep work and persona browsing separate.
Each profile will hold its own “history, cookies, Tab Groups, and Favorites,” and Apple will make it easy to switch between the two profiles. Furthermore, Apple will bolster Private Browsing, giving users the ability to lock the window with Face ID or Touch ID. The browsing experience will also be improved, giving users faster access to search suggestions and better responsiveness.
Source: Apple
If all of that wasn’t enough, the iPad is finally getting the Health app, giving tablet users an easier way to access their health, fitness, and wellness metrics. As you can imagine, the app will be optimized for the larger display found on iPads, offering more information at a glance — with users easily being able to see Trends, Highlights, Cycle Tracking, and more. Users can also customize the experience by adding what’s necessary to the Favorites panel.
Along with the major changes coming to iPadOS 17, Apple also offered some minor notes, with upcoming changes to Stage Manager, Freeform, Spotlight, Visual Look Up, Keyboard, Siri, and more. All of these changes will be available to those in the Apple Developer Program starting today. The public beta will arrive sometime next month. Those that are looking forward to the public release of this update in the fall can expect the software to arrive to “iPad (6th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2nd generation and later), 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and 11-inch iPad Pro (1st generation and later).”