Apple has released a major update for your iPad! With iPadOS 18, many changes are coming to the tablet. We have listed the most important ones for you.
iPadOS 18 is available
It’s time to update again! Apple released iPadOS 18 on Monday, September 16, which is the update for the iPad this year. Many features of iOS 18 are also coming to the new software version of the tablet. For example, you can customize the home screen and Control Center to your liking. On the home screen, you have more freedom in placing apps and you can customize the icons of the applications.
In Control Center, you can choose which controls you add and where you place them. Do you use iMessage regularly? Then from iPadOS 18 you can add more text effects and format words. It is also possible to schedule messages later. And that’s not all, because Apple has developed a number of features specifically for the iPad. Here they are:
1. Calculator
The iPad finally got a calculator in iPadOS 18. While the iPhone has had a calculator for years, the tablet always had to do without. That has now changed, so you can solve both simple and scientific formulas with the iPad. In the history you can easily find previous calculations and with the conversion function you can quickly convert length, weight and currencies, among other things.
2. Tab bar
iPadOS 18 brings a “tab bar” to the iPad. This new floating bar is already present in some apps, such as Apple TV. In the new iPadOS version, any other app can use the new feature. This makes it easier to switch between certain menus in third-party apps. The floating tab bar contains multiple menu options, which you can customize to your liking.
3. Notes
Apple has expanded the Notes app in iPadOS 18. It is now possible to add audio recordings to your notes. Do you regularly use the Apple Pencil? Then you get a handy function, because Apple has introduced Smart Script. This improves your handwriting, so that it is more readable. Unfortunately, the feature is not yet supported in Dutch.
Also new to the Notes app are Math Notes. In these notes, you can – as the name suggests – make mathematical notes. With the Apple Pencil (or with your finger) it is possible to write down calculations, which are then calculated automatically. Very handy, because from iPadOS 18 you no longer need a special app to write down more complex calculations.
4. More features
Apple has made many more changes in iPadOS 18, which we also see in iOS 18. Curious about what other features are coming to your iPad? These are features that are immediately available after installing the update:
- New passwords app to store all your passwords;
- Improved game mode;
- Accessibility has been expanded with eye tracking;
- Safari has an improved Reader Mode and ‘Hide distracting parts‘ is available;
- Improved document selector;
- Freeform gets new features;
- New layout for the Photos app;
- Securing apps with Face ID or Touch ID.
iPadOS 18 now available to install
Later this year or early next year, the iPad will get many more features, because then Apple Intelligence will appear. With the new technology, almost all Apple apps will be expanded with artificial intelligence. For example, you will get a handy writing aid, you can edit photos with AI and Siri will become much smarter. These features will appear in a later version of iPadOS 18, the exact release is not yet known.
Apple has released iPadOS 18, so the update is now available for all users to install. You can find the new software version in the settings of your iPad under ‘General > Software Update’. There you will probably find two updates, because iPadOS 17.7 and iPadOS 18 are available. Not sure which software version to install? Read here why Apple released iPadOS 17.7.
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