Apple’s all-new iPad operating system, iPadOS 18, launches today, bringing with it a host of new features designed to improve the experience across all of the best iPads. From new apps to improvements to the Apple Pencil, there’s a lot to like about the new update.
Here, we’ve picked out five of the best upgrades in iPadOS 18 that you’ll want to try out right away. The update is expected around 1pm ET / 10am PT / 6pm BST, so all you need to do is update your iPad (Settings > General > Software Update, if you don’t have automatic updates turned on) and you’re good to go.
The full list of iPads that support iPadOS 18 are the new iPad Pro (M4), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation or later), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation or later), iPad Air (M2), iPad Air (3rd generation or later), iPad (7th generation or later), and iPad mini (5th generation or later).
Keep in mind that while Apple Intelligence isn’t launching until October, you can try out Apple’s artificial intelligence (AI) system in the latest iPadOS 18.1 beta. That said, many of the features aren’t available yet, and some aren’t expected until the new year, so you’ll need to be patient. While you wait, here are the biggest highlights of iPadOS 18…
The new Calculator app
You might think it odd that we’re starting with the new Calculator app coming to iPadOS 18, but it’s a surprisingly big deal. Not only does it work beautifully on the iPad’s big screen, but it adds some handy features that take it to the next level.
The headline feature is called Math Notes (and it works in the Notes app, too). It lets you write math equations in the app using an Apple Pencil. When you draw an equal sign, the Calculator app automatically solves the equation for you. Change the equation and the solution updates in real time.
Better yet, Math Notes supports variables. Change any of the variables on a page and everything that uses that variable will update, including the solution to your problem. You can adjust variables with a slider instead of having to rewrite them, and Math Notes can also graph your operations.
Handwriting in Notes
iPadOS 18 brings a number of changes to existing apps, and one in particular gets a whole bunch of updates: Notes. As with the Calculator app, many of the improvements here focus on the Apple Pencil.
So, there’s a new Smart Script feature that refines your handwriting as you write it, giving it a neater, more consistent look across the page. You can even paste copied text and it will appear in your own handwriting style. There are other improvements, like being able to move text around with the Apple Pencil or erase it by scribbling over it, making for a more enjoyable writing experience.
Elsewhere, Notes has also added highlighting, collapsible sections, audio recording and live audio transcription. It’s a much better place to organise your thoughts, use audio, and get things done with an Apple Pencil.
The floating tab bar
Speaking of apps, Apple added something that works across all iPadOS 18 apps: a new floating tab bar.
This shows a few general controls for an app at the top of the screen, and can also be expanded into a sidebar with more tools. The controls can be customized to your liking: all you need to do is drag a menu item from the sidebar to the tab bar.
Apple has made the tab bar functionality available as an API, meaning third-party developers can incorporate it into their own apps. So you should see this new, handy way to navigate appear in many of the best iPad apps sooner or later.
Style it your way
In iPadOS 18, you can arrange your app icons and redesign your home screen with much more flexibility than before. That’s also something that’s available in iOS 18.
With these new controls, the Home screen can now have blank areas without icons. This is great if you want to leave part of your background image uncovered or simply want to create a cleaner, more minimalist look. Additionally, there are now options to color your app icons so that they all have a similar look, giving your iPad a uniform look for more visual consistency.
And the ability to customize iPadOS extends to Control Center, where you can add, remove, and rearrange tools to make Control Center more useful to you. Tools can be spread across multiple pages, which is handy if you want to make things a little more organized.
Game Mode
The iPad is a great gaming device, thanks to its large, high-quality display and powerful chip. iPadOS 18 takes that even further with Game Mode, which automatically optimizes the operating system to dedicate more resources to your games.
When you launch a game, Game Mode kicks in. When in use, it gives your game high-priority access to your iPad’s chip, giving it the resources it needs to ensure smooth gameplay and high framerates. It also doubles the Bluetooth sampling rate, which in turn reduces input latency for connected devices like game controllers and AirPods. It should all help to make playing the best iPad games a better all-round experience.