With iPadOS 15, you can create new experiences for all of your users. Widgets go even bigger, with a new extra-large widget size, and new widget suggestions in Smart Stacks surface useful widgets — even if the user hasn’t manually added them yet. SharePlay lets you create new shared experiences in all kinds of apps. And ARKit and RealityKit deliver even more power and customization for incredible AR experiences.
Widgets become even more powerful on iPad. They can now be placed among apps right on the Home screen, and the new extra-large size gives you even more design flexibility. Widgets also become more discoverable. Even widgets that haven’t been manually added are suggested in Smart Stacks based on past user behavior and on intent donations for new events. And you can continue using TimelineEntryRelevance to rotate your widget to the top of the stack when it’s relevant to the user.
SharePlay offers a new way for people to share your app. Media streaming apps can let users share content through the new GroupActivities API with full-fidelity video and all syncing handled by the system. And for shared experiences beyond media streaming, the GroupSessionMessenger API offers a secure data channel that syncs information between multiple instances of your apps across multiple users.
Enhance your apps with new features, such as improved list views, better search experiences, and support for control focus areas. Gain more control over lower-level drawing primitives with the new Canvas API, a modern, GPU-accelerated equivalent of drawRect. And with the new Accessibility Representation API, your custom controls easily inherit full accessibility support from existing standard SwiftUI controls.
Use the latest capabilities to improve the discovery of your app on the App Store, and deliver high-quality app and in-app purchase experiences. Showcase your in-app events right on the App Store. Create additional versions of your product page, each with a unique URL. Try different metadata on your product page and compare performance to understand what users like most. Provide even better in-app purchase and subscription support with StoreKit 2, and powerful new server APIs and notifications. And much more.
ARKit 5 introduces new features and improvements that make the AR experiences in your apps better than ever. You can now place Location Anchors in even more cities, pin virtual content within your App Clips or ARKit apps to a printed or digital App Clip Code, take advantage of Face Tracking in the Ultra Wide camera on iPad Pro (5th generation), and more.
Apply custom Metal shaders, add post rendering effects, and build more immersive AR experiences with RealityKit 2 — Apple’s 3D rendering, physics, and spatial audio engine built from the ground up for AR.
The power of Create ML is now also available as a Swift framework on iPadOS. Programmatically experiment and automate model creation in Swift scripts or playgrounds. Build dynamic app features that leverage Create ML APIs to train models directly from user input or on-device behavior, allowing you to provide personalized and adaptive experiences while preserving user privacy.
Metal provides a platform-optimized, low-overhead API for developing the latest 3D pro applications and amazing games using a rich shading language with tighter integration between graphics and compute programs. To help you do more while managing ever more complex shader code, Metal adds an unparalleled suite of advanced GPU debugging tools to help you realize the full potential of your graphics code.
Safari Web Extensions use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to offer powerful browser customizations and new functionality across the web. With iPadOS 15, Safari Web Extensions are now available on all Apple devices that support Safari.
Easily bring your controller-based games to iPad by using the prebuilt, onscreen touch controls that function as a game controller.
Apps with parental controls can support a wider range of tools for parents with the Screen Time API. Learn how you can use key features, such as core restrictions and device activity monitoring, in a way that puts privacy first.
Enrich your app experience with audio recognition. Match music to the millions of songs in Shazam’s vast catalog or make any prerecorded audio recognizable by building your own custom catalog using audio from video, podcasts, and more.
HomeKit APIs in iPadOS 15 automatically work with Matter-enabled accessories. Start testing your smart home apps with Matter, the unifying open-connectivity standard designed to increase the compatibility of smart home accessories so they work seamlessly with your devices.