Public beta: why it’s worth testing iPadOS 18

After Apple provided a public beta for its new operating system a few days ago, the main focus of many users is iOS 18, followed by macOS 15 aka Sequoia. But it’s also worth taking a look at iPadOS 18. Critics agree that it’s not the greatest breakthrough – when it comes to multitasking, it’s still not at the Mac level. Nevertheless, Apple has made many adjustments and achieved positive changes. You can test these already in the current beta.

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A lot of things from the iPhone end up on the iPad

Apple is introducing the same new configuration functions for the home screen in iPadOS 18 as in iOS 18. Dark mode has new icons, icons can be colored, widgets can be resized more quickly and gaps can be left between icons. Icons in a larger view and without labels are also possible on iPad. The new Control Center has also been brought to the iPad. It offers more pages for a better overview, can accommodate an entire collection of switches through the Library view and allows faster sorting and visual customization. Turning off switches through the Control Center is also allowed for the first time.

Other iOS 18 features that iPadOS 18 brings relate to the security of apps: you can hide them or equip them with Face ID or Touch ID protection. The Files app can format external media and present itself better organized. Apple also finally has an iPhone calculator Ported to iPad – Including various new functions and use of larger screen resolution.

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Handwriting, math notes and more

Of course, there are also features that only the iPad gets in iPadOS 18. These include AI functions such as automatic handwriting correction (“Smart Script”) when using the Apple Pencil and so-called Math Notes for solving handwritten math problems. Of course, Apple also offers Apple Intelligence to the iPad, but only on devices with the M1 SoC or higher. However, it cannot be tested in beta right now. It is unclear when the European launch will take place.

Also new is the Password app, a new game mode with reduced latency for connected controllers and improvements to Safari (including AI summary). Not all new functions are already available in the beta. It should also be borne in mind that this is advanced software. We recommend installing it only on a device that is not in productive use – if you want to be safe, use your own Apple ID so as not to endanger the data in iCloud. You can read more about the new systems in beta practice on heise+.

(B.Sc.)