iPadOS

For better or worse, my iPad Pro is my main computer. Since Apple released its 2018 iPad Pro alongside the newly rebranded iPadOS 13, I have been using it as my main form of computing. The reason I went this route was purely because of the look and feel. It was the first time I ever felt like I was in the future when it came to a consumer product. Clearly, the hardware for the 2018 iPad Pro was ahead of its time. It could go from a leisure tablet to a split screen workhorse, to a digital notepad, to a gaming console. I was willing to live with the software restrictions it was plagued with.

Dark Mode on iPhone, iPad, and Mac is fairly flexible. You can toggle it on or off from Control Center or Settings, automatically switch based on time of day, or use local sunrise and sunset time to switch.

There’s one method for invoking dark mode that’s still missing, however, and watchOS 10 on the Apple Watch Ultra shows how it could work.

Apple released iPadOS 16 at the end of October 2022, one full month after iOS 16 was released to the public; there was good reason for this. Apple finally made some worthwhile features available to the iPad like Stage Manager, secondary monitor support, a new weather app, and much more. After finally giving iPad users some sort of external monitor support, what else could Apple be working on for this amazing tablet? Parker Ortolani created a concept that illustrates how Apple could approach iPadOS 17, with a focus on simplicity, ease of use, and leveling up the features that iPadOS 16 brought!

Plugable has been known to make some high-quality USB-C and Thunderbolt docking stations, ranging from smaller on-the-go solutions to more robust and stationary desktop solutions. I personally used their 13-in-1 Docking Station for years with MacBooks, iPads, and even Windows computers. They are compact, well-built, and most importantly, reliable. But now that some iPads have secondary monitor support, they came up with a docking solution that allows you to use your iPad as a tablet while also giving you the freedom to use a secondary display and treat it as a computer!

If you’re anything like me, then you might have gone through your fair share of task management or to-do list apps. I have tried them all, from simple to-do list managers in my notes app all the way to the big hitters like Monday, Todist, Asana, ClickUp & Notion. They all did what I needed them to do, but there was always something that made me stop using them, whether it was just offering too much or not enough.

Apple released the first beta of iPadOS 16.2 to developers today and the update includes a couple of notable additions. The Freeform collaboration app first announced at WWDC in June is now included in iPadOS 16.2. Meanwhile, Stage Manager is also once again supported with external displays.

Apple yesterday shipped the final public versions of iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4. The releases include many iOS 15.4 changes and features, along with several noteworthy updates. Included is the ability to unlock your iPhone while wearing a mask, support for Universal Control on the iPad for those running the macOS 12.3 beta, brand new emoji, a new Apple Wallet widget, and tons more.

In this hands-on video walkthrough, we take a look at over 40 new iOS 15.4 changes and features. Be sure to subscribe to 9to5mac on YouTube for more hands-on videos.

Yesterday Apple released another feature-filled update for iPhone and iPads in the form of iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2. In beta since the later part of October, iOS 15.2 comes bundled with numerous enhancements, headlined by features like App Privacy Report, which first came on the radar back at WWDC 2021.

In addition to App Privacy Report, there and many more changes and features to be found in iOS 15.2. Users can look forward to an updated Mail app with integrated Hide My Email, the implementation of Digital Legacy Contacts, Apple Music Voice Plan, and a whole lot more. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough of iOS 15.2 for the details.

Two days after releasing iOS 14.7 to the public, Apple today has released iPadOS 14.7 as well. This update includes enhancements to the Podcasts app, bug fixes for Apple Music, and more.

Despite the evolution of iPad hardware, the multitasking features are pretty much the same since Apple introduced the first iPad Pro in 2015. This year, although we still have pretty much the same limitations, Apple has added some new multitasking features to iPadOS 15 to make Split Screen and Slide Over more intuitive.

Now we want to know if you like the new multitasking features in iPadOS 15.

It’s been a week since Apple introduced iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 at WWDC 2021, but we’re still discovering some new features that weren’t mentioned on stage or on Apple’s website. In addition to having widgets on the home screen and new multitasking shortcuts, iPadOS 15 enhances the Files app with a progress bar, NTFS support, and more.

iPadOS 15 introduces a new Quick Note feature that lets you instantly create and compose a note in a floating window from anywhere. Apple markets Quick Note as an Apple Pencil trick, but all iPad users can take advantage of Quick Note after setting up the feature.

Apple is showing off iPadOS 15 for the first time. Follow along as we detail everything new coming to iPad.

We’re a week away from Apple previewing iPadOS 15 at WWDC, and we’re all hoping for a substantial software upgrade for the iPad. Not just the low-hanging fruit from iOS 14 that didn’t come to the iPad, but a significant leap forward for pro users on the iPad Pro.

I’ve spent the first week using the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2021) with my MacBook Air shutdown and set aside, and the versatility of using a portable screen as a tablet, laptop, and desktop has been really great. It’s not that the iPad Pro can’t already get the job done for me. It’s more that the quality of life accomplishing the same tasks just isn’t as high on iPadOS as macOS. Here’s what I’ll be watching for at WWDC 2021 on June 7:

Buying a new iPad always brings me to the same gigantic question: What do I do with it? My work life can fit on a MacBook Air, and my personal life fits on an iPhone. If the iPad Pro can’t completely replace at least one of those for me, then where exactly does it fit?

Since the Files app was released with iOS 11, it’s become a staple of how I use the iPhone and iPad. I don’t think it gets enough credit for helping bridge the gap between macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. Between the ability to access all my iCloud Drive documents on top of integration with Google Drive, it’s one of the most used apps on my iPhone and iPad.

One of the main complaints about Apple keyboards designed for iPad is that they don’t have function keys, so users need to access the Settings app or the Control Center to adjust things like screen brightness. However, this may change soon, as 9to5Mac has found references in iPadOS 13.5.5 beta code that points to new keyboard shortcuts that replace some of the function keys.

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A new app called Hyperdeck has launched today in beta for iPad that comes with a compelling list of features. In addition to support for creating presentations with Markdown, it also features a clean UI for the times you want a more traditional Keynote-like experience. Music to programmers’ ears, Hyperdeck can understand 121 coding languages making it seamless to include and edit code, highlight specific lines, and more.

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9to5Mac is brought to you by Concepts App. Sketch and design your ideas on an infinite canvas with flexible vector ink. Available on iPad and iPhone. Try it for free.

The iPad just got quite a bit better thanks to iPadOS 13.4, which added full support for trackpads. Now, attention has shifted to iPadOS 14, which is expected to be announced next month during Apple’s virtual Worldwide Developers Conference. What new features can we expect in iPadOS 14? I have a few suggestions…

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Facebook has finally added multitasking support to its official iPadOS app in the latest update available. While users can have two apps running simultaneously side by side on iPad since iOS 9, the Facebook app wasn’t compatible with these features until now.

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Update: Federighi is also interviewed on the same topic in a special episode of the AppStories podcast.

Creating the iPadOS cursor without compromising the touch-first nature of the iPad was no easy task, says Apple SVP Craig Federighi in a new interview.

He says that the project leaned significantly on what the company had learned from Apple TV …

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