WWDC22: iPadOS 16 Arrives with Stage Manager

Apple has announced iPadOS 16 at WWDC22, which is quite similar to iOS 16. However, there are also some iPad-specific features coming as well.

iPadOS 16 now comes with the Stage Manager feature, which is the same feature you get from macOS Ventura. There’s a catch though, this feature only works with the M1 chipset only, meaning it’ll only work with the new iPad Pro and iPad Air.

Stage Manager automatically organizes open apps and windows so users can concentrate on their work and still see everything in a single glance. It keeps your currently-opened app in focus and other open windows appear on the left-hand side. You can also group windows together when working on specific tasks or projects that require different apps.

Stage Manager also brings the full external display support with resolutions up to 6K. You’ll be able to work with up to four apps on the iPad and four apps on the external display simultaneously.

iPadOS 16 brings new powerful features that make iPad Pro an indispensable tool for creative professionals. Reference Mode enables the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Liquid Retina XDR display to match the color requirements in workflows like review and approve, color grading, and compositing, where accurate colors and consistent image quality are critical.

Powered by the performance of the Apple-designed M1 chip, Display Zoom now allows users to increase the pixel density of the display so they can view more in their apps, which is especially useful when using Split View. With Virtual Memory Swap, iPad storage can be used to expand the available memory for all apps, and delivers up to 16 gigabytes of memory for the most demanding apps, helping to make multitasking absolutely seamless.

Freeform is a new collaboration app with a flexible canvas that gives users the ability to see, share, and collaborate all in one place without worrying about layouts and page sizes, and with full support for Apple Pencil. Users can view others’ contributions as they add content or make edits, all while enjoying a real-time collaboration space. Coming to iPadOS 16 later this year, Freeform allows collaborators to start a session from FaceTime and see the updates from others right in the Messages thread.

Other features are actually quite similar to iOS 16. For the first time, the Weather app also comes to the iPad. With just a tap, users can see the most important weather information, or explore maps to check precipitation, air quality, and temperature. You can also be notified when a severe weather alert is issued in their area, or check the air quality using a color-coded scale.

The developer preview of iPadOS 16 is available to Apple Developer Program members at developer.apple.com starting today, and a public beta will be available to iPadOS users next month at beta.apple.com. New software features will be available this fall as a free software update for iPad (5th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), and all iPad Pro models. For more information, visit apple.com/my/ipados/ipados-preview. Features are subject to change. Some features may not be available in all regions or all languages.

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