The iPad is the most popular tablet line in the world. Hence, a lot of people were excited when Apple announced the all-new iPadOS 17.
Much like the new iOS 17 for iPhones, the new iPadOS 17 will come with more visual changes, efficiency, and more importantly, better multitasking features for those who use their iPads for productivity.
There are tons of new things coming to iPadOS 17, so today, we’ve narrowed it down by doing a list of the top best features you should get excited about. Also, we’ve listed its supported devices so you can check if the model you have will get it.
Lock Screen Personalization
iPadOS 17 lets you better personalize your lock screen by selecting from different wallpapers like Astronomy, Kaleidoscope, and others that are animated and look great on a large display that iPads have. There’s also a new motion effect for Live Photo wallpapers.
You can also add widgets on your lock screen to see important information like the weather, battery levels, upcoming events, flight plan, order statuses, timers, and more.
Interactive Widgets
Supported apps now can have an interactive widget that lets you control them without having to open the app itself. It lets you play music, turn on/off home appliances, and more.
Work with PDFs faster
A lot of iPad users use their tablets for work or school, and most of these people use PDFs. Thanks to iPadOS17, you can quickly add important details like names, emails, and addresses from your contacts — all thanks to machine learning that identifies fields within a PDF.
Apple also beefed up the Notes app that lets you better organize, annotate, and collaborate on PDFs. Plus, it shows PDFs in full width so you can play with it easily.
Better Autocorrect, Predictions as you type
The best way to type on an iPad is by using an external keyboard. But if you’re using the on-screen one, Apple has introduced new features to make it easier for you.
There’s the more accurate autocorrect that temporarily underlines corrected words so you know what was changed and revert to the original by just tapping it. Apple also improved the Predictions so you can just tap the space bar to finish words or even entire sentences.
New drawing tools and better collaboration
Take full advantage of your Apple Pencil using the new drawing tools of the iPadOS 17, which lets you simulate a calligraphy pen, watercolor brush, highlighter, and a variable-width pen.
There’s also a new feature called Follow Along so you can see what your collaborators are working on.
Those are the things we like about the new iPadOS 17. Notable mentions include improvements in the Messages app, FaceTime, Safari, Stage Manager, Spotlight, and the Health app finally coming to the platform.
iPadOS 17 list of compatible devices
Are you excited about the new iPadOS 17? Before you do, make sure to check if your tablet will support it with the list below. If you’re not sure what model you have, simply go to Settings > General > About.
- iPad Mini 5th-gen
- iPad Mini 6th-gen
- iPad 6th-gen
- iPad 7th-gen
- iPad 8th-gen
- iPad 9th-gen
- iPad 10th-gen
- iPad Air 3rd-gen
- iPad Air 4th-gen
- iPad Air 5th-gen
- iPad Pro 10.5-inch
- iPad Pro 11-inch 1st-gen
- iPad Pro 11-inch 2nd-gen
- iPad Pro 11-inch 3rd-gen
- iPad Pro 11-inch 4th-gen
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch 2nd-gen
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd-gen
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch 4th-gen
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch 5th-gen
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch 6th-gen
The new iPadOS 17 update will be available on supported devices in Q4 2023.