Introducing iPadOS

The original 2010 iPad ran iPhone OS 3.2, renamed iOS later that year with the release of iOS 4. Over time, as the entire family of iOS devices evolved, iOS on iPad gradually gained features not available on iPhone, such as picture–in– picture and multitasking options, such as Slide Over and Split View, added in iOS 9 in 2015, then drag and drop between apps, introduced in iOS 11 in 2017 along with an overhauled Dock.

Optimised for iPad

Now, to formalise the divergence, iOS on iPad has been renamed iPadOS. While it’s built on the same foundation as iOS, it offers apps optimised for iPad’s larger display, multitasking features, and new capabilities such as support for USB flash drives and other external storage.

The first difference you’ll notice is the redesigned Home screen. A tighter grid makes it possible to fit more app icons on one screen, with less space between icons. You can optionally show Today View, and pin useful widgets there, quickly accessing them with a swipe from the left side of the screen.

Multitasking goes to the next level: you can use Split View to see two windows at a time, for the same app or two different apps. With Slide Over, you can quickly pull up an app in a side window over the top of another app, say to quickly check a message or reminder without having to exit the app you’re currently using, and flip between several apps in the Slide Over panel by dragging upward from the foot of the screen. You can work with the same app across multiple spaces, and use a macOS–like App Exposé feature to see all the spaces you have open with a single app just by tapping the icon in the Dock.

You can plug in an external hard drive, SD card reader, or USB drive, and use the Files app to view and manage the data on it, along with data on iPad. iCloud Drive file sharing means you can collaborate on files and documents with shared folders.

Among other enhancements, there are new gestures, Voice Control, and a Dark Mode. If you’re using Apple Pencil, you can access a new set of markup and other tools in a palette you can shrink or move around the screen.