However, certain features will only be available to iPads that are powered by either the M1 or M2 chips, as opposed to the A15 Bionic processor, or lower.
Stage Manager is here to shut us up about the iPad lacking desktop multitasking
Stage Manager is undoubtedly the biggest and most anticipated new feature that comes with iPadOS 16, as it completely revamps the multitasking experience on Apple’s tablets.While the old, basic Split Screen and Slide Over features are still available for anyone who prefers them, on iPadOS 16 we get a Stage Manager toggle, which, when enabled, replaces those with something vastly different.
With Stage Manager on, all iPad apps open in resizable and moveable windows, and can be grouped to the left of the screen for easy “stage” switching. On the bottom, we finally get a fixed taskbar (similar to the MacOS one), with favorite and recent apps, for easily accessing and switching between those.
Full external display support, no more simple 4:3 screen mirroring
This feature isn’t out yet, but coming “later this year” and is only going to be available on M1 and M2 iPads. If you’ve ever tried to hook up your iPad to an external display, you may have been disappointed with the result being a simple (usually wrong-aspect) screen mirror.Well, when this feature arrives, Stage Manager will unlock full external display support at the correct aspect ratio for your display, at a resolution of up to 6K. Not only that, but if employing an external display, the user will be able to run up to eight windowed iPad apps simultaneously, four on the iPad display, and four on the external display.
Additional iPadOS 16 features: updates to Messages, Safari, new Freeform tool
The Messages app has notably been updated to support marking conversations as unread, along with the ability to edit sent messages, or undo sending them.
SharePlay has been expanded to the Messages app, allowing for the user to invite friends and familiy to watch a movie or a show together, while hanging out in a Messages thread.
The Safari browser now has Apple’s passkeys feature, which the Cupertino company claims is here to replace passwords, instead just using your iPad’s Face ID or Touch ID for authentication.
Freeform is a new collaboration tool, which, like true external support, is “coming later this year.”
“Freeform — a powerful productivity app with a flexible canvas — will give users the ability to see, share, and collaborate all in one place without worrying about layouts and page sizes, and with full support for Apple Pencil. Users will be able to view others’ contributions as they add content or make edits, all while enjoying a real-time collaboration space. Freeform will allow collaborators to add virtually any kind of file — images, video, audio, PDFs, documents, and web links — to the canvas and preview it inline, without leaving the board.”
Updating to iPadOS 16
iPadOS 16 is now available to download for all supported iPads. To download it on yours, navigate to the Settings app, then tap General, then Software Update. After that, simply follow the on-screen instructions. Your iPad will need to have enough free storage and over 50% battery charge to begin the update, after downloading it.Check out our iPadOS 16 preview for more details on all the new and noteworthy features.
Also, check out our previews for Apple’s newest iPad Pro (2022) and fully redesigned base iPad (2022). Full reviews coming soon!
