iPadOS 16 brings weather app, Stage Manager multitasking and much more

Of course, Apple also provided its tablet lineup with a new version of the operating system for the various iPad models at WWDC 2022. iPadOS 16 is the name of the whole thing and includes a weather app for the first time. Much more exciting, however, is the new multitasking mode Stage Manager.

iPadOS 16: The innovations in detail

Besides the new M2 chip, WWDC 2022 was all about the new Apple operating systems. Of course, the tablet world cannot be missing out and will receive an extensive update with iPadOS 16.

The most exciting update is certainly the Stage Manager, which provides the tablets with new multitasking options. Those who followed the keynote might have seen the feature before at the presentation of macOS 13 Ventura.

The Stage Manager allows you to arrange the windows of different apps on the iPad on top of each other and adjust them in terms of size. Apps that are not actively in use are placed on the left edge of the screen and can be brought back to the foreground by tapping on them.

For the first time, there are also overlapping windows on an iPad, so that you can work with the Calendar and Messages app at the same time, for example. The whole thing also works when you connect the iPad to an external display. The Dock is shown on the display, while apps can be opened on the monitor. The apps can also be grouped together, which of course makes even more sense on a large display. In total, up to eight apps can run simultaneously on the iPad and secondary screen, and they work together seamlessly.

This makes it possible to display a presentation on the large screen and continue editing it on the tablet at the same time using the Apple Pencil. Using drag-and-drop, the changes are then simply transferred to the other display.

• Read more: The big iPad test – All models in comparison

iPad gets weather app

It’s hard to believe, but over TWELVE years after the launch of the first iPad, Apple’s tablets are finally getting a weather app. Including dreamy animations like moving clouds, snowflakes and much more.

Otherwise, the tablet operating system gets many innovations that are also inherent to macOS or iOS. For example, the Mail app can be used to retrieve sent e-mails a few seconds after they have been sent, or to schedule them to be sent at a certain time in advance.

Apple also focuses on the collaboration features, which allow sharing documents and the like with other people faster and easier. And that directly from the respective app and automatically with all people who are represented in a corresponding group.

New Game Center and desktop apps

The iPad family also gets the option to copy text from videos via Live Text and reuse it, as well as to cut out elements of photos from the background.

Apart from that, iPadOS 16 comes up with a newly designed Game Center Dashboard, for example, which shows at a glance which games friends are currently playing and which successes they have achieved. You can also participate in a multiplayer game together via SharePlay.

Thanks to Family Sharing, accounts for children can be created and better monitored. For example, you can specify that only apps and content for a certain age group are displayed.

Also coming later this year is Freeform, a new productivity app designed primarily for collaborative work on a project. This is basically a digital whiteboard where all collaborators can share their notes, drawings and the like, as well as add files, web links, documents, videos and audio messages. And all this in real time.

In addition, iPadOS 16 joins several other innovations, which Apple summarized in an overview. The new iPad operating system will launch in fall 2022 for all iPad Pro models, iPad Air (from the 3rd generation), iPad (from the 5th generation) and iPad Mini (from the 5th generation).