Apple unveiled iPadOS 16 during WWDC 2022 and released the iPadOS 16 developer beta shortly thereafter. Now, the company has released a public beta for the operating system that anyone can try out.
Not only does this give regular people a chance to check out new features coming to iPads, but it also allows Apple to make changes based on user feedback. If all goes as planned, we should get the full launch of iPadOS 16 sometime during the fall of 2022.
I’ve been testing iPadOS 16 since the developer beta launch and I’m satisfied with it so far. However, if you’re like me and use iPads mostly for watching YouTube or reading comic books and novels, the new multitasking features might not seem that important. But if you’ve been longing to turn your iPad into a desktop alternative, you’ll appreciate features like Stage Manager. If nothing else, iPadOS 16 gives us a glimpse into the future — specifically, the growing diversity of the iPad.
Below, I’ll go over some of the new iPadOS 16 features that caught my eye. Note that this is not an exhaustive review, just my impressions of the operating system in development. And since this is a beta version, what I’m discussing here doesn’t necessarily indicate what we’ll see in the final version.
This is what I think of the iPadOS 16 public beta so far.
iPadOS 16 public beta: Release date
iPadOS 16 public beta is now available. If you want to test the operating system yourself, check out our how to download iPadOS 16 beta article, but here’s a brief guide.
First, you’ll need to make sure your iPad is backed up. You can easily do this via iCloud Backups. Next, head over to the Apple demo page on your iPad and sign in with your Apple ID.
Next, you’ll need to enroll your device in the software, then install the iPadOS 16 public beta profile from the link provided by opening the Settings app on your device and downloading and installing the trial from the Software Update section.
Apple usually releases developer betas for its operating systems shortly after WWDC, which are public betas during the summer and the final release around September. However, we have seen reports of Apple delaying iPadOS 16 until October.
iPadOS 16 Public Beta: Compatibility and Supported Devices
According to Apple, iPadOS 16 will work with iPad (5th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), and all iPad Pro models. Based on iPadOS 15 Compatibility, meaning that the second generation iPad Air and the fourth generation iPad Mini lose support with the new update.
We should note that not all iPads capable of running iPadOS 16 will support every new feature. That’s because features like Stage Manager only work on iPads running the M1 – specifically the latest iPad Air and iPad Pro.
iPadOS 16 Public Beta: Theater Manager
I found the theater director to be very impressive. On the iPad, you can easily enable/disable it from the Control Center and you can only have up to four active apps on the screen at once.
All other apps are placed on the left side, with similar apps going into folders. For example, Chrome and Safari go to one folder and Gmail and Mail go to another. This helps cancel out screen noise and keeps you focused on whatever’s right in front of you.
Stage Manager shows its true potential with two screens, where you can have a total of eight apps on the screens (four on the iPad, four on the other screen). I used the feature with an iPad Air 5 that connected wirelessly to a MacBook Pro 2022. It was easy to move windows and apps across screens after setting up the iPad Air as a secondary display for my MacBook.
You can also connect an external display to your iPad and use it as a secondary display. I’ve found that this works just like the previous example, even if it requires a wired connection. The ability to connect to another screen is critical if your iPad is your primary computing device.
iPadOS 16 Public Beta: Upgrades to Messages
You’ll be able to edit and undo messages on iPadOS 16, a feature that people have requested for years. During testing, I found the job to be easy and fast. Friends I’ve talked to can still see my deleted messages but that’s because they’re on iOS 15. Other than that, editing and undoing messages works as advertised.
You can also mark messages as unread in case you want to come back to them later. This feature is particularly useful, because sometimes I forget to return to a thread if I’m too busy or otherwise distracted.
iPadOS 16 Public Beta: Collaboration
Collaboration is another major feature coming to both iPadOS 16 and macOS 13. It allows you to add and connect with groups on both first-party and third-party apps, and share documents, photos, and videos. Group members can also edit and add notes to these files.
You should see who is joining the session and who is updating documents. Although I was able to share and edit documents during testing, I couldn’t tell who was doing the editing. Perhaps it was because the only people in the session were me, Alex Wauro, the editor-in-chief. Or it could be a mistake. hard to say. Regardless, the feature works, even if it’s imperfect at this point.
iPadOS 16 public beta: Weather app
As crazy as that sounds, the iPad is now getting its own iOS-style weather app. In fact, it’s an iOS app that’s only on a bigger screen. This is good, because it shares the same functionality, including hourly and weekly weather information.
Like the iOS version, the iPadOS weather app also has an animated wallpaper that matches outdoor conditions. For example, you’ll see raindrops crawling on your screen if it’s raining, or a bright blue sky when it’s sunny.
iPadOS 16 Public Beta: AI Features
One of the features that I really like is the ability to create live text for a created video. All you have to do is launch the Camera app, point your iPad at a text from a book or a video (for example) and then take a picture with a button located in the top-right corner of the screen.
Then you can highlight the text as you would in a regular word processor – with the ability to copy, paste and select all. You can also search for definitions and even translate text.
This is a very useful feature and I am sure I will take full advantage of it. Instead of having to manually type text from a physical source or a video, I can instead take a picture and copy the text to my iPad.
iPadOS 16 Public Beta: Other Features Coming to iPadOS 16
As I said above, iPadOS 16 has a slew of new features. We’ll go over each of them in more detail when we review the final version of the operating system. For now, here’s a quick rundown of the other notable features.
Reference mode
Reference Mode allows the iPad to match color reference requirements for workflows such as photo and video editing. This helps you maintain color consistency across all screens you’re working on. Unfortunately, this feature is only available on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro because it has a large Liquid Retina XDR display.
SharePlay Integration Center Game
You’ll be able to play multiplayer games while on a FaceTime call thanks to the Game Center integration in SharePlay. This feature is coming in iOS 16, macOS Ventura, and iPadOS 16, but it won’t be available when these operating systems launch. Apple says we should see it later this year.
Desktop apps
Apple promises desktop-class apps for the iPad, offering features like consistent undo and redo, and better find and replace functionality. You can also view folder sizes in files. This is another step towards making your iPad look like a laptop replacement.
iPadOS 16 public beta: Outlook
While I would rather have one of the best laptops for work and everyday use, I appreciate that iPadOS 16 makes iPads look like legitimate computers. The Stage Manager alone will help increase productivity and may even make some people give up their laptop for the iPad. Other features like Collaboration will also help in this regard.
Putting the Apple M1 chip inside iPads initially seemed like an exaggeration. That decision makes more sense now because iPadOS 16 will take advantage of the additional horsepower that the M1 provides via features like Stage Manager and Reference Mode. Even if the new features don’t quite excite me, I’m curious to see what’s possible on future iPads.
We’ll continue to be testing different betas for Apple’s operating systems throughout the summer, so be sure to come back for the latest versions of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13, WatchOS 9, and more.
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