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Back in late 2022, Apple released iPadOS 16, along with iOS 16 and macOS Ventura, to the public. When compared to iPadOS 17, version 16 of the iPad's operating system introduced plenty of major features and additions, including some advanced multitasking offerings. Wondering what else you should know about this OS release?

Below is everything you need to know about iPadOS 16 and its subsequent minor updates: release date, compatibility, new additions, changes, and more.

iPadOS 16 release date and availability

iPadOS 16

Apple released iPadOS 16.1 to the public on Oct. 24, 2022. The company skipped iPadOS 16.0 and delayed the initial public release as it worked on stabilizing the performance of the operating system. Users with new iPad models can go ahead and download the latest iPadOS version.

The following iPad devices support iPadOS 16:

  • All iPad Pro models
  • iPad 5 and later
  • iPad Mini 4 and later
  • iPad Air 3 and later

The company recently announced iPadOS 17 at WWDC23, and we expect it to be available to the public sometime this fall.

What's new in iPadOS 16

iOS and macOS enhancements

Apple photo sharing showing multiple family member icons.

First and foremost, Apple pointed out that many of the same features that it introduced in iOS 16 and macOS Ventura are also available on iPadOS 16. These include a shared photo library, shared tab groups, and passkeys in Safari. The shared photo library is an automatic library of photos shared between members of your family group that all family members have access to add, edit, or remove photos. Photos can be added automatically by date range or by identifying who is in the photos.

Additionally, iPadOS gets shared tab groups and password-less sign-in. As previously reported, Microsoft, Google, and Apple are all working together to eliminate passwords where possible. Apple is fully embracing the concept in the newest versions of all its platforms.

Weather app

Weather app on iPad running iPad OS 16 on gray background

Apple also introduced a brand new Weather app to the iPad. The new app takes full advantage of the large display and includes animated backgrounds reflecting current weather conditions. Each module in the weather app can be tapped to provide additional data. Apple has also built WeatherKit APIs for developers to build Weather into their iPad apps.

Collaboration in iPadOS 16

A man's hand interacts with an iPad.

Collaboration is the real-time sharing of an original document, so everyone can work on it simultaneously. It's rather like Google Docs, but what's neat is that you can initiate a collaboration through Messages or FaceTime directly from the share sheet. Just select Collaborate and select the conversation where you want to share it.

You can also share tab groups from Safari with the group. When you do, you'll see icons of who is looking at what tab in real-time. Additionally, Apple is opening up APIs to allow third-party developers to utilize collaboration if they want.

Freeform

Freeform board on iPad

Freeform is a large, whiteboard-like collaborative space where a group can all work together using tools similar to those found in Notes with different brushes and sticky notes, photos, etc. It's an infinite space in which you use touch to drag the interface around and pinching to zoom in and out. We've prepared a complete guide on how to use the Freeform app.

Metal 3 and other gaming enhancements

For the first time, iPadOS 16 is bringing Metal 3 APIs to the iPad. Apple is looking for iPads to be gaming machines with Metal 3-enabled, hardware-accelerated 3D graphics. Additionally, Apple has a new API that allows larger asset packs to download in the background while you play the game.

With your Game Center account, you can find friends, track progress in various games, and view leaderboards for various games. Gaming on iOS has largely been the domain of phones. However, Apple is pushing to get more gamers onto the iPad. It has designed these moves to do just that.

Desktop class apps and system-wide features

Craig Federighi stands in front of a presentation board.

Apple is rolling out a number of desktop-class apps and features system-wide on the iPad. It's an extensive list, but some of the featured ones included Undo/Redo across the system, availability view in Calendar, and the ability to find and merge cards in Contacts. You can also change file extensions and view folder sizes in the Files app.

Apple also rolled out a system-wide find and replace that works in-line. It additionally added a document menu in Files, Pages, and Keynote that allows you to perform common actions. Finally, it has added the ability to customize your toolbars in some apps, which allows you to access your most-used tools.

Stage Manager

Stage Manager is Apple's new multitasking interface for macOS, and it's here on iPadOS 16 as well. The OS allows you to create workspaces with overlapping windows that you can move and resize. Then, Stage Manager will organize your apps into different groups and move them off to the side so you can interact with your main task front and center. It's a quick way to move between tasks, which will make your compatible iPad that much better at multitasking.

Federighi called it the "foundation for a big leap forward in user experience. One that can change how our pro users get work done on iPad."

Reference Color

Reference mode is only available on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Pro users need accurate colors to complete their work. According to Federighi, "Reference mode meets the color requirements in workflows like review and approve color grading, and compositing. Where accurate colors and consistent image quality are critical."

M1/M2 enhancements

More improvements take advantage of the M1/M2 processor in higher-tier iPads. You can use display scaling to increase the density of pixels in the display and give you more room to work. You can also use virtual memory swap, which means you can use iPad memory as virtual RAM for up to 16 GB of virtual memory for demanding apps.

Apple Music Sing

Apple-Music-Sing

iPadOS 16.2 introduces Apple Music Sing, a feature that allows subscribers to enjoy a karaoke experience on their iPads. This addition uses AI to de-emphasize the vocals and turn the track into an almost purely instrumental one. It supports beat-by-beat lyrics views, duets, and much more.

Advanced Data Protection

Additionally, iPadOS 16.2 allows users to end-to-end encrypt 24 iCloud data types, such as notes, photos, and device backups. Thanks to Advanced Data Protection, users can now depend on E2E encryption to safeguard almost all of their cloud-stored file types instead of being limited to just 14.

FIDO security key support for Apple ID

In addition to the previous features, users running iPadOS 16.3 and later can protect their Apple IDs by pairing a FIDO security key. This protective layer would replace the traditional two-factor authentication, requiring you to have the physical key every time you need to sign in to your account on a new device. Since all iPads so far lack an NFC chip, the FIDO key would work by plugging it into the tablet's Lightning or USB Type-C port.

Safari push notification support

As part of iPadOS 16.4, Apple finally brought push notification support to its mobile version of Safari. However, unlike on macOS, you need to add a web app to your Home Screen to receive push notifications from it. There's no way for a website to use the Notification API if you're browsing it as-is.


With iPadOS 16, Apple truly brought the iPad a step closer to becoming a laptop replacement. After all, users can now utilize a proper multitasking feature with support for realizable windows and external displays. That's not to mention the improved collaboration, virtual memory swap, and desktop-class apps.