Skip to main content

Here’s how iPadOS 17 is taking your iPad to the next level

iPadOS 17 overview.
Apple
Promotional logo for WWDC 2023.
This story is part of our complete Apple WWDC coverage

At its annual WWDC 2023 conference, Apple introduced the latest iteration of its tablet operating system.

Say hello to iPadOS 17, which is going to be out in the fall with some notable features updates in tow. For starters, a handful of iOS 17 tricks are also making their way to iPadOS 17.

Recommended Videos

The Health app comes to iPad

Health app in iPadOS 17.
Apple

Starting with the most notable addition, the Health app has finally made its way to Apple’s tablet. In fact, the company is promising that the Health app will make better use of the larger screen real estate provided by an iPad.

Big lock screen and widget upgrades

Apple is also bringing some of the lock screen customization and widget tricks from iOS 16 to iPadOS 17 this year. Just like the iPhone, you can now press on the Lock Screen and customize the wallpaper, widgets, and fonts to your heart’s content.

You can pick between photos from your phone’s library, a selection of Apple’s own dynamic wallpapers, or select a Live Photo with a neat 3D wave effect every time you unlock an iPad. Just like the iPhone, each Lock Screen can be customized with its unique bonding of fonts, date formats, and the imagery to go with it.

Apple has also paid special attention to widgets. Widgets are now interactive, with the ability to perform actions without launching the app, such as tapping reminders, turning on the lights in your room, controlling music playback, and more.

Another important addition to iPadOS is Live Activities, which can be added to the lock screen for tasks like tracking delivery notifications, keeping an eye on sports scores, and more. Just like Google and its Material You design approach with Android, the widgets in iPadOS 17 will play well with the color tone of the wallpapers.

New features for PDFs, FaceTime, and more

PDF autocomplete in iPadOS 17.
Apple

Another major update happens in how the iPad handles PDFs, right in the pre-installed Notes app. To start, you can utilize autofill to fill out PDF fields, including documents scanned with a camera, and even save or draw a signature using an Apple Pencil without any format optimization shenanigans.

The iPad’s camera can now be used for FaceTime calls when the tablet is connected to an external display. Users will also be able to hand off FaceTime calls from the iPad to their Apple TV. Further building up on the FaceTime experience, Reaction support has arrived, allowing users to play with creative effects like balloons, fireworks, and more.

stage manager on ipad
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Freeform collaboration app also gets new tricks such as watercolor and fountain pen tools. Spotlight has also been improved, as it now offers suggestions for the next stage of your text input and can also parse through video search results. Stage Manager also gets more flexibility with window resizing and screen adjustment.

Taking a leaf out of Messages improvements on the iPhone, Apple will allow users to create stickers from their own library of photos, the addition of filters (people, content type, keywords) for search, and automatic transcription for audio messages.
We have rounded up every announcement from WWDC 2023 covering Mac, wearables, iOS, and everything else on the table at the developers’ conference.

Nadeem Sarwar
Nadeem is a tech and science journalist who started reading about cool smartphone tech out of curiosity and soon started…
iOS 26 rumored to go back to basics with four intriguing upgrades
An iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 18, showing its home screen.

In just two days from now, Apple will take the stage at WWDC 2025 and showcase the big yearly upgrades for its entire software portfolio. I am quite excited about the platform-wide design update and a few functional changes to iPadOS, especially the one targeting a more macOS-like makeover for the iPad’s software. 

Of course, analysts will be keenly watching for Apple’s next moves with AI, but it seems some of the most dramatic features have been pushed into the next year. Apple can afford some of those delays, as long as the company serves enough meaningful updates to its user base. Apple won’t exactly be running dry on AI, though. 

Read more
5 rumored iOS 26 features we could see at WWDC 2025
An iPhone 16 laying on a shelf with its screen on.

Apple’s upcoming WWDC 2025 showcase is going to be a busy one, even though the expected AI-powered software rebirth may not land until next year. In the meantime, reliable sources have spilled the beans on what we might expect for the next major iOS overhaul. 

Starting with the name, Apple could skip iOS 19 and could go straight from v18 to v26. We are also expecting a design overhaul, something that could draw inspiration from Vision OS. On the functional side, an AI health coach would be a huge draw for fitness enthusiasts. 

Read more
Why you shouldn’t care what number Apple puts on your iPhone’s software
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max's screen.

One number may change to another number at an important industry event on June 9, and despite some of the headlines that have been circulating around the news, this succinct explanation of what may happen allows you to guage its real importance. Apparently, Apple may use the WWDC 2025 keynote presentation to announce a change from the expected iOS 19 software’s name to iOS 26, and here’s why you shouldn’t worry about it. 

Many people won’t even know

Read more