tips, tricks & secrets
We delve into the latest version of iPadOS and its raft of new features
The iPad’s operating system, iPadOS, had a welcome upgrade this fall, but it’s not as radical an overhaul as the iPhone’s or Mac’s. The tablet’s Lock Screen gained new customization options, including widgets, bringing it up to date with the iPhone which acquired these features last year. The iPad gets a Health app with iPadOS 17, and it’s optimized for the larger screen, allowing developers to better display their data and make it accessible for review.
The Messages app, which has long been a favorite among iPad users, has had an interface overhaul, giving easier access to attachments such as photos, stickers and more. You can also now create Live Stickers by lifting subjects from your photos.
A new AutoFill feature, coming later this year, makes working with PDFs easier than ever. If you have a form to fill in, iPadOS detects text fields and lets you add names, addresses and emails directly from your Contacts app. You can collaborate when annotating PDFs stored in the Notes app too, and link individual notes to make it easy to find related content.
Like the Mac and iPhone, if you make a FaceTime call and the other person doesn’t pick up, you can leave an audio or video message. Safari gains the same Safari Profiles feature as macOS Sonoma and iOS 17, Stage Manager is more flexible, and there’s new Freeform tools and autocorrect features too. Let’s take a look at them all and discover how to make the most of this new update.
New Lock Screen
Apple skeptics might argue Android users have had them for years, but we welcome them anyway. Lock Screen widgets come to the iPad with iPadOS 17, and they add a whole new perspective on what you can see and do on your tablet before you unlock it. By adding widgets for apps such as Reminders, Calendar, the World Clock and more, you can glean information at a glance, and as these widgets are interactive, you can (for example) tick off reminders, turn Home–controlled lights on and off, or play and pause your music, right there from the Lock Screen. Plus, widgets displayed on your Home Screens are interactive now too.
There are lots of widgets to choose from. Open the Settings app on your iPad, and in the left–hand sidebar, tap the Wallpaper option. Alternatively, tap and hold the Lock Screen. Now you can choose a new wallpaper for your Lock and/or Home Screens, or use the Customize button on your current wallpaper to modify the one yo
