Apple launches iPadOS 17 at WWDC on June 5, introducing exciting customization features for their latest iPads.

The new software enhances the already impressive capabilities of these tablets, with optimized native apps and OS-level features like Stage Manager. iPadOS 17 is set to be released later this year, promising an improved user experience for iPad users.

Let us have a look into the latest features of iPadOS 17.

Exciting Features of iPadOS17

Experience the enhanced capabilities of iPad with iPad OS 17. This update brings a new level of personalization, stunning custom Lock Screens, and productivity features designed to empower the users.

With a focus on helping users accomplish more, iPad is now even more capable than before. Let us have a look at all the amazing new features that Apple has added to iPadOS 17.

Personalized Lock Screens

Custom Lock Screen

Customize your iPad with a captivating Lock Screen that reflects your personal style. With iPadOS 17, you have the power to create a stunning look personalized to your preferences. You get to choose from a variety of breathtaking wallpapers ideal for the large display or dynamic options that animates as you rotate your iPad. 

Want to know what’s more exciting?

Motion effect for Live Photo wallpaper

The all-new motion effect for Live Photos on your iPad’s Lock Screen. With iPadOS 17, your Lock Screen comes to life with dynamic motion as you wake your device, creating a more immersive and captivating experience. As soon as you unlock your iPad, the motion effect smoothly transitions to your Home Screen, providing a seamless and visually pleasing interaction. Enjoy the enhanced dynamism of your Lock Screen with the new motion effect feature.

Live Activities

You can now pin live activities that are on-going, right in front at your lock screen. Weather it is a food order you’re waiting for or a flight scheduled or a score you want to keep checking you can set that to your lock screen.

Widgets on your Lock Screen

Widgets can also be added on the lock screen for information like the weather, battery levels, time, date, or event updates at a glance.

Engage with Interactive Widgets for Enhanced Functionality

Effortlessly manage your entertainment and smart home devices with the convenience of widget controls. Enjoy instant access to functions like playing music, adjusting lighting, and more, all from the convenience of your Lock Screen or Home Screen.

iMessaging

iMesaaging apps available at one place

Get all your iMessage apps in one place by simply tapping the new plus button. Easily find and send your most frequently used items, including photos, audio messages, and location sharing. You can just swipe to access all your imessaging apps.

Catch-up & Swipe

Catch up on conversations with the new catch-up arrow, allowing you to jump directly to the first unread message in a conversation. Enhancing your messaging workflow, you can now swipe right on any message to swiftly send a reply, ensuring seamless and convenient communication. Stay connected and engaged with these intuitive messaging features on your iPad.

Combined Search filters

Combined search filters will allow you to search for messages quicker.

Voice Message to Text

Now iPad OS 17 Allows Users to read an audio clip

Transcriptions for Audio Messages are now available. Yow can Read Now, Listen Later.

Unified Stickers Drawer: Access All Your Stickers in One Place

Introducing the new stickers drawer, a game-changer in convenience. Now, all your favorite Live Stickers, emoji, Memoji, and other sticker packs are consolidated into a single location. With seamless synchronization through iCloud, your stickers will be available on all your Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Express yourself effortlessly with a diverse range of stickers, easily accessible from one centralized hub.

Stickers

Latest update of iOS 17 has the feature that allows us to make stickers through pics from our gallery.

Use Stickers Anywhere You Can Access Emoji

With iPadOS 17, your stickers drawer is now seamlessly integrated into the emoji keyboard. This means you can use your stickers in a multitude of places, including apps from the App Store. Expand your creativity by adding stickers to photos, documents, screenshots, and more using the Markup feature. Enjoy the flexibility of expressing yourself with stickers in various contexts and unleash your imagination like never before.

FaceTime

Personalized Messaging with FaceTime: Leave Video or Audio Messages

With the latest FaceTime update, you can now leave video or audio messages for recipients who miss your call. If someone is unavailable to answer, simply record a message to let them know you reached out.

Expressive Reactions with Hand Gestures: Engage in FaceTime with AR Effects

Users can enhance their FaceTime calls with interactive hand gestures, triggering 3D AR effects like hearts, confetti, and fireworks. And share their reactions effortlessly for a fun and immersive experience.

Enhanced FaceTime Integration with Apple TV: Seamless Calling Experience

With iPadOS 17, you can use your iPad as a camera for Apple TV during FaceTime calls. Start calls directly from the FaceTime app on Apple TV or transfer ongoing calls from your iPad to the TV for a larger, immersive conversation.

Health Feature

The Health app on iPad offers an optimized design for the larger display, providing rich details, trends, and interactive charts. It enables you to create medication reminders, track your menstrual cycle, and log symptoms directly from your device, enhancing your health management experience.

New Features for Mental Health in iPadOS 17

n iPadOS 17, Apple introduces powerful features designed to support mental health and provide valuable insights into one’s state of mind. These features enable users to gain a deeper understanding of factors that may contribute to their well-being. With access to standardized assessments commonly used in clinics, individuals can assess their current risk for depression and anxiety.

Prioritizing Vision Health: Promoting Healthy Viewing Habits with iPadOS 17

iPadOS 17 introduces a focus on vision health, encouraging users to maintain healthy viewing habits to protect their eyesight. iPadOS 17 offers features and guidance to help users establish and maintain healthy habits when using their iPads. By incorporating these practices into their daily routines, individuals can mitigate the risks associated with prolonged screen time and safeguard their vision for years to come.

PDFs and Notes

Enhanced AutoFill

Use saved information from Contacts to fill out PDFs and scanned documents faster.

Collaborate on PDFs

Get real-time updates when sharing notes with others, allowing for simultaneous collaboration.

Linking Related Notes in iPadOS 17

With the new feature in iPadOS 17, users can now easily link related notes, such as a trip itinerary and a list of recommended restaurants. This seamless note organization allows for better organization and quick access to relevant information.

Safari and Passwords

Protect your privacy and stay organized with Safari profiles in iPadOS 17. Create separate profiles for Work and Personal, keeping your browsing history, extensions, Tab Groups, cookies, and favorites separate. Effortlessly switch between profiles and enjoy a secure and streamlined browsing experience on your iPad.

Faster Search and Enhanced Privacy in Safari

Enjoy faster, more relevant search results in Safari with iPadOS 17. Experience a responsive search experience with improved suggestions.

Also, enhance your privacy with locked private browsing windows, complete tracker blocking, and removal of tracking elements from URLs. Upgrade your browsing experience on iPad with Safari in iPadOS 17.

Keyboard

Enhanced autocorrect feature in Keyboard

Enhanced autocorrect in iPad OS 17 offers improved accuracy and temporary underlines for corrected words, allowing easy reversion with a single tap.

Predictions in-line while type

Predictive text suggestions appear inline, making it easier and faster to compose your messages, emails, and more. This will increase your typing speed alongside boosting your productivity with this convenient feature.

Freeform

New drawing tools

Tools like tools like a watercolor brush, calligraphy pen, highlighter, variable-width pen, and ruler are added for you to to be more creative. You can also try the convenience of Shape Recognition, effortlessly creating perfect shapes like squares with just a freehand drawing.

See what your collaborators are working on

Collaborate seamlessly with Follow Along, allowing you to work alongside your collaborators in real-time. Stay connected and see their movements on the infinite canvas, enhancing teamwork and productivity.

Stage Manager

Flexible Layouts

Customize your workspace effortlessly with enhanced flexibility in moving and resizing windows, allowing you to create the perfect layout for optimal productivity.

External Camera for FaceTime Calls

With iOS 17 you will get to enhance your FaceTime and conference call experience by utilizing the built-in camera on your external display, ensuring clear and high-quality video communication.

Spotlight

Spotlight now provides convenient app shortcuts within the Top Hit when you search for an app. Quickly access specific actions within the app, such as jumping directly to your Favorites album in Photos, for a more efficient and streamlined experience.

SIRI

Siri activation
Just say “Siri” to activate your voice assistant and get things done quickly and effortlessly.

Back-to-back requests
Effortlessly make back-to-back requests to Siri without having to repeat the wake word. For example, you can say “Siri, text Emma I’m on my way” and then follow it up with “Remind me to water the plants when I get home” without saying “Siri” again.

AirPlay

Smart device suggestions

Experience enhanced convenience with AirPlay as devices in the AirPlay list are now intelligently displayed based on relevance. Additionally, iPadOS proactively suggests connections to compatible devices, taking into account your preferences for a seamless and personalized user experience.

AirPlay in hotel rooms
Supported hotel rooms will now offer AirPlay functionality. Simply scan the QR code on your room TV and enjoy secure sharing of videos, photos, and music from your iPad directly to the TV, enhancing your in-room entertainment experience.

Airpods

Adaptive Audio for AirPods Pro (2nd generation)

Experience the next level of audio with Adaptive Audio. This innovative feature intelligently adjusts the balance between Transparency and Active Noise Cancellation in your AirPods Pro (2nd generation) based on your surroundings and activities.

Unmute/Mute

Just a single press will allow you to mute or unmute yourself from calls.

Swiftly Switch Devices

No hindrance will be caused in communication or connectivity when you try to switch devices in between a call.

Privacy and Security

Improved Communication Safety

Your privacy and security are prioritized with the enhanced Communication Safety feature. Now, in addition to protecting your messages, it also safeguards sensitive videos and photos shared through various channels like AirDrop, FaceTime messages, third-party apps, and more.

Blur Sensitive Content

Take control of your viewing experience with the new sensitive content warning feature. When enabled, photos and videos with potentially sensitive content will be blurred, giving you the choice to view them or not. This privacy-enhancing option is available in various apps, including Messages, AirDrop, Phone app’s Contact Posters, FaceTime messages, and select third-party apps.

Selective Photo Sharing

Share photos directly from within an app while maintaining the privacy of the rest of your Photos library. Choose specific photos to share, ensuring that only the selected images are accessible to the app while keeping the rest of your photos private and secure.

Limited Calendar Access

Grant apps the ability to add events to your Calendar without compromising your personal information. Maintain control over your data by allowing apps to perform specific functions, like adding events, while ensuring they do not have access to view or retrieve any other details from your Calendar. Enjoy the convenience of app integration without sacrificing your privacy.

Security with Lockdown Mode

Experience high security with the expanded Lockdown Mode, now available on all your Apple devices, including Apple Watch. Activate Lockdown Mode to bolster protection against sophisticated cyber attacks, ensuring your devices are safeguarded against potential threats.

How to Install iPadOS 17 Beta without a Developer Account?

To access the iPadOS beta software, follow these steps:

For devices running iPadOS 16.4 or later:

1. Go to Settings ➞ General ➞ Software Update.
2. Tap on “Beta Updates” and select the developer beta.
3. When a new developer beta is available, install it from Software Update.
   Note: Make sure your iPad is signed in with the Apple ID used for the Apple Developer website.

For devices running iPadOS 16.3 or earlier:

1. Download the configuration profile from the download page. 

On your device:

1.Download the configuration profile directly onto your device.

• Follow the installation instructions. On your Mac or PC:
• Save the file to your hard disk.
• Email it to an account on your iPad.
• Tap the configuration profile in Mail and follow the installation instructions.

2. Connect your device to a power cord and Wi-Fi.
3. Tap Settings ➞ General ➞ Software Update.
4. Tap “Download and Install.”
5. To update immediately, tap “Install.” Alternatively, tap “Later” and choose “Install Tonight” or “Remind Me Later.”
   • If you select “Install Tonight,” connect your device to a power cord at night for automatic updating by morning.
6. Enter your passcode if prompted.

Note: The configuration profile only offers iPadOS 16 beta updates. To get iPadOS 17 beta, please follow the instructions for iPadOS 16.4 or later.

Supported Devices for iPadOS 17 Compatibility

The following iPads are compatible with iPadOS 17:

• iPad Pro (2nd generation and later)
• iPad Air (3rd generation and later)
• iPad (6th generation and later)
• iPad mini (5th generation and later)

Here is a table of the supported devices and their respective release dates:

Device	Release date
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th Generation)	March 08, 2022
iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd Generation)	March 08, 2022
iPad Air (5th Generation)	March 08, 2022
iPad (10th Generation)	September 15, 2021
iPad mini (6th Generation)	September 24, 2021