iPadOS 16.1: new features, supported iPads, everything we know
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If you have a recent iPad, iPadOS 16.1 is something you’ll want to learn more about — it’s the next version of Apple’s iPad software, and it’s coming to most iPads later this year.
This new version of iPadOS was launched at Apple’s annual WWDC 2022 conference, where the company showcased its new operating systems – iOS 16 was the biggest upgrade shown with a new lock screen and more.
iPadOS 16.1 is the fourth generation of the tablet operating system since Apple split it off from the iOS smartphone operating system, although iPadOS 16.1 shares many features with iOS 16.
Apple recently announced that iPadOS 16.1 would instead launch later in 2022, with more time needed to improve Stage Manager, the new take on multitasking on the tablet. The release date is rumored to be October 24, but we’ll be sure to update you if this is true.
Upgrades include improved collaboration tools, including a new collaborative markup app, and new features to make the iPad experience closer to that of working on a computer. The public beta is still available, but keep in mind that it’s an early version, so it may be prone to bugs.
Below, we’ve covered all the features Apple announced on stage, as well as details on when iPadOS 16.1 is rolling out and who can get it.
iPadOS 16.1: finished to perfection
- What is it? The last major update for iPads
- When would be a good time? Reportedly October 2022, but the public beta is available
- How much is it? It is free
iPadOS 16.1 release date
The beta version of iPadOS 16.1 for developers and public betas is already available, but the full rollout will take place later this year. In a rare move, Apple has delayed iPadOS 16.1 to October to give it more shine — especially the new Stage Manager feature that needs attention.
iPadOS 16 Compatibility
So which iPads will get iPadOS 16? Here is the official list provided by Apple.
To check which iPad you have, go to the Settings app, select the About option then find Model name.
- iPad (5th generation) and later
- iPad Mini (5th generation) and later
- iPad Air (3rd generation) and later
- Any iPad Pro model
It should come as no surprise that Apple’s current iPad portfolio makes up some of the best tablets in the industry, but thanks to entries like the iPad 10.2 2021, even some of the best budget tablets are taking advantage of the latest and greatest features iPadOS 16.1 has to offer. .
iPadOS 16.1 Features
Here’s what you need to know about the iPadOS 16.1 update:
iPadOS 16.1 borrowed features
Many iPadOS 16.1 features are mainly iOS 16 features and extended.
Another comes from Apple Maps — you can create a route in the app on your iPad and then send it to your iPhone — making it easier to plan a trip on the big screen before hitting it on the smaller one.
You can also schedule emails to be sent at a specific time, revoke emails you’ve just sent, and set reminders for emails you don’t want to deal with right away.
Apple’s new Weather app is also coming to iPad and macOS Ventura, an extension to its iOS 14 debut. It shows an expanded layout so you can view more information on the tablet screen, such as rain forecast, detailed temperature maps and more.
Another new app coming to the iPad is Reference Mode, which is designed to keep your iPad’s screen colors in sync with those of monitors and other displays, which would be useful for color graders, although Apple didn’t go into much detail.
iPadOS 16.1 Collaboration Features
Improved collaboration features are a key focus for the next iPad update.
Now when you share a document (from certain apps) with your friends or colleagues, you’re sharing the actual document rather than a copy of it – this makes it easier for collaborators to make edits together.
You can also use FaceTime to work with other people on these documents by sharing links and files through the video calling platform. Among other things, this should make it super convenient to use Freeform, another feature we’ll get to later.
iPadOS 16.1 desktop focus
A new multitasking approach is coming to iPadOS in the form of Stage Manager, which gives you desktop-like functionality – you can have overlapping windows, you can set all your background apps aside to see them in one list, and you can resize windows.
This feature is available for iPads released from 2018, excluding the iPad mini.
Apple has also promised to upgrade more first-party apps to make them “desktop class,” although this seems to require hundreds of minor tweaks, such as different ways of displaying files or viewing folders with different icons.
Thanks to Stage Manager, you can finally connect your iPad to an external monitor. For example, it allows you to use Ulysses on your iPad while viewing the Photos app on a connected monitor, but this feature has been deferred to a later release.
iPadOS 16.1 Freeform
An upcoming app called FreeForm was announced, coming to iPadOS 16.1 and macOS Ventura later this year. It’s basically a collaborative digital bulletin board or a shared version of the Notes app, allowing multiple users to sketch and jot down ideas.
In its presentation, Apple showed a lot of people drawing lots of different mind maps with sticky notes, colored lines and annotations – the Apple Pencil was shown as a useful tool for contributing to these types of documents.
If you’ve used Google Jamboard, it feels like Apple’s equivalent, although it should be a little more convenient to use, as it works on a tablet with a stylus.
Gaming improvements in iPadOS 16.1
After detailing Mac’s gaming prowess at WWDC 2022, Apple revealed that the iPad will get many of those features as well.
This includes a feature called Metal 3, which automatically upscales game footage (basically increasing framerate and resolution), and it should make iPadOS games feel a bit more like console alternatives. Now we just need Fortnite back!
However, this also means that other games that were previously exclusive to the PC and Steam Deck are coming to Apple’s platforms, and No Mans Sky is coming to iPadOS and macOS Ventura soon.
Game Center gets an activity list so you can see what your friends are up to – it’s similar to the features that exist in many other game networks such as Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, so you can, for example, see if someone is getting an achievement in a game or played a particular title for 20 hours.
Finally, it is now easier to share links directly with your friends so that they can join you in a multiplayer game.