iPadOS 17, all the news of the Apple operating system. During the introductory keynote of WWDC 2023 which saw, among other presentations, the debut of the Apple viewer, from a software point of view, all the expected announcements on Apple’s operating systems were not lacking.
iPadOS 17 supports built-in webcams on external monitors
If it is true that the most awaited operating system is certainly iOS 17, it is equally true that over the years iPadOS has become an operating system capable of shining in its own light, with exclusive functions of the platform. This year, however, it seems that the most interesting innovations concern the operating system for the Apple tablet.
iPadOS 17, the name
As with iOS, the name was not too difficult to predict for the iPad operating system. Not only because numerically iPadOS 17 comes after iPadOS 16, but because Apple has now unified the numbering of its OS. Therefore, iOS 17 could not fail to be accompanied by iPadOS 17.
iPadOS 17, the most important news
New lock screen
The most interesting news certainly concerns the lock screen. With iPadOS 17 the gap with iOS 16 is closed, which last year brought a breath of freshness to the lock screen. Basically, iPadOS 17 will also have a fully customizable Lockscreen.
First of all, there will be a particular effect whereby the background photo can appear in the foreground with respect to the time, so as to give greater prominence to the wallpaper (the same effect exists on the iOS 16 lock screen). Also, on the screen it will be possible to add widgets, which are becoming increasingly important in the Apple ecosystem. Moreover, these will be interactive as in iOS 17, to be able to perform operations with a tap, without the need to open the related app.
Furthermore, real-time activities will arrive on the lock screen, so as to stay updated, for example, on the result of a sporting event, rather than on a flight, or on an order from your favorite restaurant.
The iPadOS 17 lock screen will also be customizable from a graphic point of view, being able to change the style, fonts and colors of the writing, including the clock numbers. It will also be possible to opt for lock screens with particular patterns, such as kaleidoscope, emoji and more, which users have already appreciated since iOS 16.
Widgets
Widgets were the protagonists of the opening Apple keynote of WWDC23, reproposed on Apple Watch, but also renewed on macOS 14 Sonoma. Also on iPadOS 17 the widgets will be improved, now interactive, so as to be able to carry out some activities with a simple tap, without having to open the reference applications.
Note that thanks to WidgetKit, even third-party widgets can be interactive. We need to understand how this could negatively affect the autonomy of the devices.
Health apps
For the first time, Apple’s Health app is appearing on iPad. It is an application well known to iPhone users, which will now also allow the iPad to view their health data, in a rather detailed way. The app will feature a design optimized for the large iPad screen, with highlighted data and interactive graphics.
iPadOS 17, new and notable
PDF on Notes
iPadOS brings PDFs to the Notes app. These will appear within the notes as full pages, so that the user will already have the entire document on which to take notes at first sight, also being able to use Apple Pencil.
Messages app
The messages app becomes even more fun, thanks to the possibility of creating Live Stickers starting from your own photos: with a single tap, you can extrapolate the shape of the main subject and transform it into an animated sticker.
The Messages app, again, will welcome a new expandable menu to access the most used iMessage apps. Furthermore, among other innovations, the audio messages that will be transcribed, so that the user can decide to read them immediately or listen to them at a later time.
Furthermore, with iPadOS 17, the Messages app also improves the global search: now users will be able to search filters by people, keywords, photos or links.
FaceTime
Thanks to iPadOS 17, FaceTime also welcomes reactions to the iPad, such as hearts, balloons, laser beams, fireworks and more. All these effects can be activated simply with hand gestures (the operating system will take care of calling the corresponding one), and will also be available for third-party conference apps.
Also, considering the arrival of FaceTime on the big screen via Apple TV 4K, iPad will be able to act as a wireless webcam. The basic idea is always to take advantage of the Continuity Camera function already available for macOS: when you start FaceTime on Apple TV, the iPad connected to the same account and the same WiFi network will turn into an excellent quality wireless webcam.
iPadOS 17, more features
- iPadOS 17 integrates support for the built-in camera of the Studio Display and those of third-party monitors, allowing you to take advantage of them with FaceTime calls and other apps that allow the use of the camera, a convenient feature for those who use iPad with a secondary screen.
- Safari improves user productivity with the introduction of profiles, to keep personal browsing activity separate from work;
- iPadOS 17 uses machine learning to identify text fields in PDFs so users can quickly fill them out;
- Stage Manager now allows you to change the position and size of the windows;
- Freeform adds new drawing tools;
- Spotlight has been improved, now allowing you to search for information and take actions even faster with better visual results and search extended to videos;
- Visual Search can now identify food, storefronts, signs, and symbols on things like clothing wash tags;
- Improved autocorrect features for keyboard; more accurate Dictation speech recognition model;
- Ability to invoke Siri without “Hey” and to make multiple requests without having to reactivate the assistant each time;
- Easier and more extensive AirPlay sharing to supported TVs in hotels;
- Reminder offers a new smart shopping list template that makes shopping easier;
- Maps allows you to download maps and use them offline;
- Improved privacy protection with the addition of protections for boys and girls, and a “Sensitive Content Warning” feature for adults;
- New accessibility tools such as Assistive Access which helps the user with cognitive disabilities to use iPad with greater simplicity and independence. Again, Live Speech allows those who cannot speak to express their thoughts in writing and have them spoken aloud during phone calls, FaceTime calls and in-person meetings. Finally, Point and Speak in Magnifier helps blind and visually impaired people interact with electronic devices and other physical objects with small text labels.
Compatibility and release date
The iPadOS 17 beta for developers is already available on the dedicated site, while the public one will be available to Apple TV users in July 2023.
iPadOS 17 will be available to everyone as a free software update iPad (6th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation and later), iPad Pro 10.5-inch and iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later).
Compared to last year, the fifth generation of iPad remains out, which therefore will not be upgradeable, just as the 9.7-inch iPad Pros will not be upgradeable to iPadOS 17. It will almost certainly be released in the fall, coinciding with the release of iOS 17 and the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro series, expected in September 2023.