Other goodies + minor changes
How the iPad is better, stronger, faster…
Performance has improved significantly in iPadOS. Apple claims that apps launch twice as fast and that FaceID unlocking on the 11in iPad Pro and the latest 12.9in iPad Pro are 30% faster. App downloads are half the size they were, and updates 60% smaller. iPadOS also gets the privacy and security features that are in iOS, like controlling location data that’s passed to apps, and the anti-fingerprinting protection in Safari. And Sign in with Apple is available in iPadOS, allowing you to sign into apps and websites with your AppleID, and set up a unique email address for confirmation messages.
Text editing is one area where iPadOS users may not benefit as much as iPhone users. Many iPad Pro users use hardware keyboards and so won’t benefit from the easier cursor navigation and text selection. However, for anyone typing on the iPad’s on-screen keyboard, they will be a boon. The same is true of keyboard features, like Quick Path and the floating keyboard. Custom font support, on the other hand, was clearly developed with iPad, and especially iPad Pro, users in mind. Not many iPhone users are likely to use the device to create the kind of documents that will use App-Storebought fonts, but its easy to imagine them used in apps like Affinity Designer.
Support for external games controllers – currently PlayStation 4 and Xbox Wireless Controller with Bluetooth – is also likely to be more of a big deal on iPad.
apps launch twice as fast, with downloads half the size they were
HomeKit-enabled cameras can now detect and record activity like people, animals and vehicles. And recordings are stored in iCloud, with controls allowing you to set when cameras stream and record. This could save money on paying subscription fees to manufacturers’ cloud services. If you have a HomeKit-enabled router, you’ll be able to use the Home app to control which services HomeKit accessories can communicate with. You can add AirPlay 2 speakers to scenes and automations, and Siri shortcuts can be added to automations.
Find My Kit
Of course, the iPad gets the new Find My app that combines Find My iPhone (which has long included iPad, Mac and Apple Watch) and Find My Friends. The new Gallery view in Notes, the new Reminders app and Shortcuts are all in iPadOS.
Mail in iPadOS takes advantage of the multitasking feature, allowing you to, for example, drag a compose window next to your inbox so you can refer to or copy content from another email address. The new photo selector allows you to see your message while you choose a photo to add, and the new format bar has options for formatting and attachments. All the text formatting tools in iOS 13 Mail are here, as are the features for blocking senders and muting threads.
Safari
The biggest news for Safari in iPadOS is that it’s now a full desktop-class browser. That means it will display sites like Gmail and Google Docs as well as your Mac does – a relief for those of us frustrated by their apps. Apple says sites are displayed at their optimal size and scrolling within web pages is faster and more fluid.
Safari also gets the same new features as iOS 13. That means the new start page, Download manager and Website View menu. You can also enable camera, microphone and location access on a per site basis, choose what size photos to upload, and save open tabs as bookmarks. The 30 new keyboard shortcuts will be particularly useful on iPad, as will the ability to email a web page link as a PDF.
Enterprise
Apple has enhanced the enterprise tools in iPadOS, including user Enrolment for Bring Your Own Device environments, which protects corporate data while maintaining user privacy, and Automatic Device Enrolment.
There are a couple more enterprise features now on board too. Managed Apple IDs for business allow admins to manage employee Apple IDs, giving them access to iCloud Drive and Notes. And a single sign-one extension allows them to use FaceID and TouchID.