iPadOS builds on the same powerful foundation as iOS, while offering distinct experiences designed just for the capabilities of iPad. And now iPadOS 14 pushes the platform even further, with powerful and intuitive updates to Apple Pencil, apps, augmented reality, and so much more.
To take full advantage of the large canvas iPad offers, core elements of the iPadOS experience have been redesigned and streamlined. So you can get more done, more easily than ever.
New enhancements like sidebars and pull-down menus let you quickly and easily access more app functions from a single location, without switching views.
A more compact search design lets you stay focused on your main task and open apps or search the web with just a tap. And a new as-you-type experience delivers faster, more relevant results.
Calls from your iPhone, FaceTime, and third-party apps display in an all‑new compact design that doesn’t take up the full screen.
With Scribble, you don’t have to put Apple Pencil away to do other things. You can write by hand in any text field across iPadOS, and your words automatically convert to text.1 Now available in even more languages.
Use Apple Pencil to write a quick message or search for something in Safari. Your handwriting will automatically transform to typed text, so you can get back to what you were doing without interrupting your flow.
Circle a word to select it so you can easily copy or move it.
Handwriting is a natural and fluent way to capture thoughts and ideas on the fly. With Apple Pencil and Notes, your handwritten notes are as powerful as typed text. Now available in even more languages.
Powered by advanced machine learning that distinguishes writing from drawing, Smart Selection lets you select handwritten text using the same gestures you’ve always used for typed text.2
Simply select your handwritten notes and copy them as text. When you paste them into another app, like Pages, they’ll be converted to typed text.2
Draw geometrically perfect lines, arcs, and shapes as easily as you draw freehand ones. Just pause at the end of your drawing, and it snaps to its ideal form.
Built-in intelligence recognizes addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and other data in handwritten text. Just tap to take action on them.2
AR is the perfect way to visualize experiences that would be impossible or impractical to see otherwise. With ARKit 4 and the LiDAR Scanner on the new iPad Pro, the world’s best AR platform gets even better.
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.
Maps is the best way to navigate and explore the world, all while protecting your privacy. With Maps in iPadOS, it’s easier than ever to discover new places to go and environmentally friendly ways to get there.
Apple Maps editors have worked with trusted brands and partners to offer Guides for great places around the world to eat, shop, and explore.5 You can save Guides, and they automatically update when new places are added, so you always have the latest recommendations.
The Home app helps you manage your smart home more intelligently — and most important, more securely. And now it’s even easier to take advantage of the broad selection of HomeKit accessories.
When you add a new HomeKit accessory, the Home app suggests useful automations so you can put it right to work.
A new visual status in the Home app prioritizes the accessories that most need your attention and allows you to easily control them.
Set your lights to change color temperature throughout the day.
Define Activity Zones that focus on the most important areas of what your camera sees, so you can be alerted only when there’s motion in the zone you set.6
Video cameras and doorbells can now identify people you’ve tagged in the Photos app.6 Easily tag people, and choose to be notified based on the person.
Browsing the web should feel fast, powerful, and private. So with iPadOS, Safari is more responsive and capable than ever, while giving you new ways to help protect your privacy.
Safari can now translate websites in seven different languages.7 When you come to a website that Safari can translate, an icon appears. Just tap and read.
Now you can tap the Privacy Report button to better understand how websites treat your privacy.
Safari warns you if a password you’re using is not secure.
AirPods deliver a magical listening experience. With iPadOS, that magic has a few new tricks, whether you’re listening to music, catching up on a podcast, or taking in a movie.
Bring surround sound wherever you go.
New battery notifications conveniently let you know when you need to charge your AirPods.
Seamlessly move between devices without manually switching your AirPods.10 If you finish a phone call on your iPhone and pick up your iPad to watch a movie, AirPods automatically switch over.
Adjust your AirPods audio to
account for hearing differences. Headphone Accommodations amplifies soft sounds and can tune for your individual hearing, to help music, phone calls, and more sound crisp and clear.11
Connect two sets of AirPods to your Apple TV 4K so you can enjoy movies and shows with someone else without disturbing others.12
Privacy is a fundamental human right and at the core of everything we do. That’s why with iPadOS, we’re giving you more control over the data you share and more transparency into how it’s used.
Receive a prompt when an app wants to track you across apps or websites owned by other companies, or share your information with data brokers, and decide if you’ll give permission.
You can now get information on the App Store to help you understand the privacy practices of every app before you download it.13
An indicator appears at the top of your screen whenever an app is using your microphone or camera. And in Control Center, you can see if an app has used them recently.
Easily switch to Sign in with Apple when logging in to participating apps. You’ll keep the account you already use, but have one less password to keep track of.
Share only your approximate location rather than your exact location — perfect for apps like local news or weather.
Now there’s a faster way to take advantage of apps. An App Clip is a small part of an app that is discoverable the moment you need it and is focused on a specific task.
The App Store is a safe and trusted place to discover an amazing catalog of apps, games, and services. Improved app product pages mean important app details are more glanceable. And now you can see the games your Game Center friends are playing from within every Game Center-enabled product page.
Discover and play your next game with new browsing features in Apple Arcade. Now you can see what games are popular with your Game Center friends. And easily take your games across iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV with the Continue Playing feature.
A beautifully redesigned Game Center makes it easy to discover and experience games with friends. Quickly access achievements, leaderboards, and your Game Center profile right from the App Store and within your Game Center-enabled games.
Now you can follow along to your favorite music with perfectly timed, full-screen lyrics. A redesigned queue makes managing your music even easier, and Autoplay keeps the music playing. New features like Listen Now, the new home tab in Apple Music, along with enhanced search and library filtering, make it easier to find and play music you love.14
In addition to Scribble and better note-taking, on-device intelligence helps you do everything from finding your notes faster to capturing sharper document scans. And design updates across the app help focus your attention on your content and on the most important actions you can take.
Organize your photos and videos with new options to filter and sort, and easily navigate using pinch and zoom in more views throughout Photos.
Quick entry and smart suggestions can help you capture new reminders effortlessly. Members of a shared list can now assign reminders to each other so splitting up tasks is easier than ever.
With iPadOS, you can set a third-party app as the default email or browser app systemwide.
The most popular audio recording app in the world gets new tools for organizing recordings. An all‑new Enhance Recording feature lets you improve the sound quality of your recordings with a single tap.