New features
available with iPadOS.

Redesigned widgets

Widgets have been redesigned to be more beautiful and data rich, so they can provide even more utility throughout your day.

Widgets in different sizes

Widgets now come in small, medium, and large sizes so you can pick the information density that’s right for you.

Widgets for everything

Redesigned Apple widgets for Weather, Clock, Calendar, Notes, Maps, Fitness, Photos, Reminders, Stocks, Music, Podcasts, Tips, Batteries, Screen Time, Files, Shortcuts, and App Suggestions.

Widget gallery

The central place for all your widgets from Apple and third parties. The gallery shows the top widgets based on what users are installing and using most.

Smart Stack

In the Widget gallery, you can select the Smart Stack, a set of widgets you can swipe through that uses on-device intelligence to surface the right widget at the right time based on factors like time, location, and activity. For example, you might see Weather in the morning, Calendar events during the day, and your Activity summary in the evening.

Siri Suggestions widget

The Siri Suggestions widget uses on‑device intelligence to show actions you might take based on your usage patterns, such as ordering a coffee or starting a podcast. Tap the suggestion to perform the action without launching the app.

Developer API

Developers can create their own widgets using a new API that lets them take advantage of the redesigned widgets, including the ability to put them on the Home Screen and show them at the right time.

Redesigned sidebars

Sidebars have been redesigned with a new look that delivers even more information while showing more of the app’s functionality in the main window. Photos, Music, Shortcuts, Voice Memos, Calendar, Notes, Files, Mail, and Contacts have redesigned sidebars for a consistent experience across iPadOS.

Toolbars

Streamlined toolbars in Calendar and Files let apps consolidate buttons and menus into a single bar across the top of the app, making it easy to get to all the controls for an app.

Popovers

Popovers automatically dismiss when interacting with other parts of an app.

Pull-down menus

New pull-down menus throughout built-in apps such as Files let you access app functionality from a single button.

Date picker

A redesigned date picker makes it quick and easy to choose dates in Calendar and Contacts. It’s displayed as a calendar, so you can simply tap the date you want.

Top Hit results

The most relevant results, including apps, contacts, knowledge, Maps points of interest, and websites, are shown right at the top, making it easier to find what you need.

Quick launcher

Type a few characters and you can quickly launch apps and websites by tapping Go.

Compact UI

A new compact design uses only as much space as needed and enables you to search from anywhere, like the Home Screen, or over any app so you don’t lose track of what you’re doing.

As-you-type search suggestions

Just start typing and search suggestions appear below the search field.

In-app search

Start a search within apps like Mail, Messages, and Files.

Web search

Searching the web is now easier than ever. Start typing and see relevant websites and web search suggestions displayed at the top, making it easy to quickly launch Safari for a full web search.

Phone calls

When you receive a call from your iPhone, it appears as a banner instead of taking over the entire screen, so you won’t lose track of what you’re doing. Swipe up on the banner to dismiss it or swipe down to access extended phone features.

Third-party VoIP calls

A developer API is available so that apps like Skype can support compact incoming calls.

FaceTime calls

When you receive a FaceTime call, it appears as a banner instead of taking over the entire screen. Swipe up on the banner to dismiss it or swipe down to access extended FaceTime features.

Shape recognition

Shape recognition allows you to draw geometrically perfect lines, curves, and shapes, including hearts, stars, and arrows. Simply start drawing and pause slightly at the end, and your imperfect shape snaps into a perfect one. Shape recognition is great for drawing diagrams and quick sketches.

Shape recognition supports these shapes:

• Line
• Curve
• Square
• Rectangle
• Circle
• Oval
• Heart
• Triangle
• Star
• Cloud
• Hexagon
• Thought bubble
• Outlined arrow
• Continuous line with 90‑degree turns
• Line with arrow endpoint
• Curve with arrow endpoint

ARKit: Depth API

The Depth API provides precise depth measurements captured by the LiDAR Scanner to allow virtual objects to interact with the real world exactly as you’d expect. This depth information also unlocks new use cases in AR apps — like precise body measurements for accurate virtual try-on or advanced photo and video editing effects.¹

ARKit: Location Anchors

AR experiences can be placed at specific geographic coordinates so you can view them in some of your favorite places around the world — throughout cities, alongside famous landmarks, and even in your neighborhood.²

ARKit: Extended face tracking support

Even more users can delight in AR experiences accessible only via the front camera, with expanded support for face tracking on iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) and later, iPad Pro 11-inch and later.

RealityKit: Video textures

Video textures can be added to any part of a scene or virtual object in RealityKit, bringing objects, surfaces, and even characters to life.³

RealityKit: Improved object occlusion

Using information from the LiDAR Scanner and the improved edge detection built into RealityKit, virtual objects in AR Quick Look and RealityKit experiences interact with your environment exactly as you’d expect and can be realistically occluded by physical objects for the first time.¹

Pinned conversations

Pin your favorite conversations to the top of your conversation list so you can always get to them. Recent messages, Tapbacks, and typing indicators animate in above the pin. And if a group conversation is pinned, you’ll see three recent participants circle around the pin when they send a message.

Up to nine pins

You can have up to nine pinned conversations that sync across Messages in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

Mentions

Direct a message to an individual in a group conversation by typing the person’s name. You can customize a particularly active group so you receive notifications only when you are mentioned.

Inline replies

Now you can reply directly to a specific message in a group conversation. See all related messages in their own view to easily keep track of a thread.

Set group photo

Set an image for your group conversation using a photo, Memoji, or emoji that is shared with all members of the group.

New hairstyles

Customize your Memoji with 11 new hairstyles, including man bun, top knot, and simple side part.

New headwear styles

Show off your hobby or profession with 19 new headwear styles, including cyclist helmet, nurse cap, and swim cap.

New Memoji stickers

Three new Memoji stickers let you send a hug, a fist bump, or even a blush to your friends.

More expressive Memoji

Revamped facial and muscle structure makes Memoji and Memoji stickers even more expressive.

More age options

Six new age options let you customize your look whether you’re baby‑faced, in your golden years, or somewhere in between.

Hairstyles with fades

Thirteen hairstyles now include fades, where hair gradually tapers on the side of the face, letting you reflect your style.

Face coverings

Customize your Memoji with a new face covering, including the color, to match your look.

Guides

Get recommendations for the best places to visit in a city with Guides created by a selection of trusted brands. Guides help you discover great places to eat, shop, meet friends, or explore in cities around the world. You can save Guides so you can easily get back to them later, and they automatically update when new places are added so you always have the latest recommendations.⁴

Congestion zones

Major cities like London and Paris have congestion zones to help reduce traffic in dense areas. Maps lets you see congestion zone tolls on the map and can route you around them if you like.⁵

New maps available in more countries

Detailed new maps are coming to more countries later this year, including Canada, Ireland, and the UK. The new maps offer more detailed roads, buildings, parks, marinas, beaches, airports, and more, giving you a more realistic view of the world.

License plate access

For cities in China that limit driving through dense urban areas, you can see if you have access based on your vehicle’s eligibility.⁶ Enter your license plate number in Maps to determine if you have permission to go through the area or if you need to go around it. License plate information is stored securely in Maps and never leaves your device.

Suggested automations

When you add a new accessory, the Home app will suggest useful ways for it to run automatically. You can do things like enable your porch lights to turn on each evening, open the garage door as you arrive home, and more.

Home status

A new visual status at the top of the Home app gives you a summary of accessories that require your attention, have important status changes to share, or can be quickly controlled.

Home controls

Home controls in Control Center now dynamically suggest the most relevant accessories and scenes you’ll likely want to control based on the time of day and how often you normally use them. For example, you may see controls for bedroom lights and a good morning scene in the morning, or controls for the door lock and outdoor lights when you arrive home in the evening. You can tap the Home icon to see other accessories and scenes as well.

Adaptive Lighting for smart light bulbs

Light bulbs that change color can be automatically adjusted throughout the day to maximize comfort and productivity. You can ease into morning with warmer colors, stay focused and alert midday with cooler colors, and wind down at night by removing blue light.⁷

Face Recognition for video cameras and doorbells

In addition to person, animal, and vehicle detection, security cameras can identify people you’ve tagged in the Photos app for richer activity notifications. Easily tag people, and choose to be notified based on the person.⁷

Activity Zones for video cameras and doorbells

With HomeKit Secure Video, you can define Activity Zones within a camera’s view to capture video or receive notifications only when motion is detected in those areas.⁷

Favicons in tabs by default

Favicons appear in tabs by default — allowing you to identify your open tabs at a glance.

Beta Web page translation

Easily translate entire web pages in Safari. When you encounter a compatible web page, Safari displays a translate icon in the address field. Just tap to translate into English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, French, German, Russian, or Brazilian Portuguese.⁸

Website Privacy Report

Tap the Privacy Report button for access to a Privacy Report showing you all the cross-site trackers that are being blocked by Intelligent Tracking Prevention in Safari.

Password monitoring

Safari securely monitors your saved passwords, automatically keeping an eye out for passwords that may have been involved in a data breach. To do this, Safari uses strong cryptographic techniques to regularly check derivations of your passwords against a list of breached passwords in a secure and private way that doesn’t reveal your password information — even to Apple. If Safari discovers a breach, it can help you upgrade to Sign in with Apple when available, or automatically generate a new secure password.

Performance

With a blazing-fast JavaScript engine, Safari is the world’s fastest tablet browser, outperforming Windows browsers in benchmark after benchmark.⁹

Spatial audio

Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking brings the movie theater experience right to your AirPods Pro.¹⁰ By applying directional audio filters and subtly adjusting the frequencies each ear receives, spatial audio can place sounds virtually anywhere in space, creating an immersive surround sound experience. Using the gyroscope and accelerometer in your AirPods Pro and your iPad, spatial audio tracks the motion of your head as well as your device, compares the motion data, and then remaps the sound field so that it stays anchored to your device even as your head moves.

Headphone Accommodations

This new accessibility feature is designed to amplify soft sounds and adjust certain frequencies for an individual’s hearing, to help music, movies, phone calls, and podcasts sound more crisp and clear.¹¹ Headphone Accommodations also supports Transparency mode on AirPods Pro, making quiet voices more audible and tuning the sounds of your environment to your hearing needs.

Automatic device switching

AirPods automatically switch between your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac, paired to the same iCloud account, making it even easier to use your AirPods with your Apple devices.¹²

Battery notifications

Battery notifications let you know if you need to charge your AirPods.

AirPods Pro Motion API

The Motion API provides developers with access to orientation, user acceleration, and rotational rates for AirPods Pro — ideal for fitness apps, games, and more.

Privacy information on the App Store

A new section on each product page on the App Store helps you see a summary of the privacy practices of the app before you download it.¹³ Developers self-report their privacy practices, including data collected by the developer and used to track you across companies, in a simple, easy-to-read format.

App tracking controls and transparency¹⁴

Developer will be required to get your permission before tracking you. See which apps you have given permission to track in Settings so you can change your preferences.

Approximate location

A new setting lets you choose to share your approximate location, rather than your precise location, with an app.

Limited Photos library access

You can choose to share only selected items with a developer who asks for access to your photos, or you can give access to your entire library.

Recording indicator

iPadOS displays an indicator whenever an app is using the mic or camera, both in the app and in Control Center.

Upgrade to Sign in with Apple

Developers can offer the option to upgrade existing app accounts to Sign in with Apple so users can enjoy improved privacy, security, and ease of use without setting up a new account.