Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2021 saw the unveiling of the next-gen iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. A plethora of new features were announced, with a focus on strengthening an already prosperous ecosystem. iPadOS 15 finally brings with it improved multitasking controls, app widgets on the home screen, and several other helpful features users were looking forward to. However, after a long list of ambitious reveals, some new features went under the radar. So after using the iPadOS 15 beta build for a couple of weeks, we have compiled an extensive list of the best iPadOS 15 features.

Let’s not beat around the bush and directly dive in to check out some cool new iPadOS 15 features that you should try on your iPad. Use the table of contents below to jump to the feature you would like to learn more about.

  • App Library Comes to iPad
  • Add Widgets to the Home Screen
  • New Multitasking Controls
  • Notes Organisation and Collaboration
  • Use Quick Note in iPadOS 15
  • Reduce Distraction with Focus Mode
  • Apple Live Text
  • Major Improvements in FaceTime
  • Safari Gets a Complete Makeover
  • Faster and More Secure Siri
  • Universal Control
  • Translate App Now Available on iPadOS 15
  • Mail Privacy Protection
  • iCloud+ Subscription
  • App Privacy Report
  • Code on Your iPad Using Swift Playgrounds
  • Shared With You
  • Apple Maps Improvements
  • Smarter Spotlight in iPadOS 15
  • Improved Accessibility Features
  • Low Power Mode
  • Progress Bar in iPadOS 15 Files App
  • Click and Drag Selection
  • System-wide Drag and Drop
  • Use iPhone Apps in Landscape Mode
  • Play Audio from Multiple Sources
  • Edit Files Widget
  • New Smart Stack UI in iPadOS 15
  • Improved Magnifying Glass
  • Turn off Quick Note

1. App Library Comes to iPad

Starting with the home screen of the iPad, the newest addition is a crisp app library that many users (including me) had been looking forward to for some time now. It was first introduced with iOS 14 last year, and it has now made its way to iPads. In iPadOS 15, all of your apps will have a new home. The apps will be neatly categorized into folders and classified based on their use case.

2. Add Widgets on the Home Screen

Yeah, you are no longer restricted to the “Today View” to access your favorite widgets. You can now place widgets anywhere on the home screen, and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The aim of widgets is to give a more personalized experience to iPad users by displaying relevant information that they can even customize according to their needs. iPhone users themselves have a collection of widgets they can use to make the most out of their devices.

One of the most talked-about changes in iPadOS 15 has to be the new multitasking controls on iPad. Previously, users had to hold an app, bring up the dock, and then combine it with the second app to multitask. iPadOS 15 introduces a new multitasking menu, which appears at the top of every app and is represented by three tiny dots. By clicking it, you can now go into Split View or Slide Over mode with ease.

Apple is trying to rival Google Docs and Notion as the Notes app has received a suite of collaboration features. You can now categorize your notes according to various tags (use a # symbol and keyword) and even put them in specific tag folders. When it’s time to find them, the new Tag Browser comes to the rescue and makes the task a breeze. Image Courtesy: Apple

5. Use Quick Note in iPadOS 15

iPad users can now bring up a Quick Note in iPadOS 15 by swiping diagonally from the bottom right corner using an Apple Pencil or their finger. The Quick Note works like a sticky note that can be moved around (even across apps) and helps record your thoughts at that moment.

Several companies are trying to push for mental awareness and work productivity, and Apple is among them. It has added a new Focus mode feature in iPadOS 15 to help reduce distractions while trying to work or play. The Focus mode essentially stops and filters notifications and apps based on the user’s activity.

You can choose from among Work, Personal, Do Not Disturb modes, or make your own custom Focus for Gaming, Reading, and more. We have explained what is Focus Mode in iOS 15 and how to create custom Focus modes in the linked guide. Focus also ties in with “Notification Summary“, another new feature that you can enable to get a bundled set of non-urgent notifications at certain times during the day. Thus, you are not bombarded by constant dings while trying to work or relax.

With the power of Deep Neural Networks and On-Device Intelligence, Apple’s new Live Text feature in iPadOS 15 enables you to highlight and extract text from all of your photos. This feature has already been available on Android devices for years, thanks to Google Lens, but it is not as integrated into the operating system as Live Text is on iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. Image Courtesy: Apple

Live Text can further leverage the power of AI to identify a phone number and display options for calling from the photo or camera app itself. Here’s an in-depth explainer on what is Live Text and how to use it on your iPhone and iPad. Plus, Live Text is a helpful feature and one that will rival the likes of Google Lens. To find out which is better, go through our comparison of Apple Live Text vs Google Lens.

For friends who love watching stuff together, Facetime is making the entire process much easier in iPadOS 15. You can listen to music and watch movies and TV shows together on a FaceTime call. You can even share your screen on a FaceTime call, thus, making the video calling app an alternative to Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. Image Courtesy: Apple

Apple’s browser has gotten a beautiful facelift that divides content neatly in iPadOS 15. Tabs are now designed in a pill-like form and don’t take up a lot of real estate. Multiple tabs now look even better, and switching back and forth between them doesn’t take effort. Moreover, the tabs now assume the color of the website you are on to make them easier to spot.

As for users who like a clutter-free browsing experience, you can now use tab groups in Safari on iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 to better manage open tabs in the browser. So feel free to create multiple tab groups and come back to them when you feel like it.

However, the bigger news is that you can now install Safari extensions on your iPhone and iPad. While the selection might be limited at the moment, we expect more new additions in upcoming updates. With the design overhaul and faster loading times, Safari has received a big boost this year.

Siri is getting significantly faster and more secure with the iPadOS 15 update. Siri will now process and store most audio requests entirely on the iPad by default. This on-device processing will make sure Siri’s responses are almost instantaneous, and you will be able to use it even without an internet connection.

Apple’s demonstrated the improved Siri experience during the WWDC 2021 keynote, and the voice assistant handled multiple requests without any lag under a minute. However, remember that offline Siri will be available only on iPad and iPhone models with the A12 Bionic chip and later. That means you cannot use it on iPhone X or older iPhones. Plus, some data will be sent to Apple if you opt to improve Siri dictation.

One of the most impressive changes Apple showed off during the iPadOS 15 unveiling is the seamless Universal Control feature. It gives you the power to use a single mouse and keyboard across multiple Apple devices at the same time. So you can use the touchpad and keyboard on your Macbook Pro to control your iPad. Productivity fiends will welcome this feature with open arms. Image Courtesy: Apple

For users who had to rely on third-party offline translator apps on their iPads, there’s good news for you. The Apple Translate app is now available on iPadOS 15 and is a big step in bridging the gap between cultures. While some users already use Google Translate, Apple’s translate app blends natively into the ecosystem and delivers a painless experience.

Apple has been pushing the envelope on privacy for some time now with granular privacy controls and the “Ask App Not to Track” option taking the helm. The Cupertino giant has now gone two steps further with the addition of enhanced privacy for Mail on iPadOS 15.

Apple’s cloud storage solution, iCloud has been bolstered with new protection tools that arrive as part of the iCloud+ subscription. This new paid tier includes several security improvements that take Apple’s initiatives towards user privacy even further. The new features in iCloud+ include Private Relay, Hide my Mail, and expanded HomeKit Secure Video.

Hidden under the Privacy settings lies another great new feature of iPadOS 15. Called App Privacy Report, this feature lets you enable the option to record background app activity to get a better insight into how your data is used. While you could always check app privacy details on the iOS App Store, App Privacy Report makes things much easier.

Budding coders looking for ways to learn how to code will be extremely delighted to find out the updates coming to the Swift Playgrounds app in iPadOS 15. Swift Playgrounds is Apple’s education app that enables you to learn how to code with the help of interactive lessons. With the latest update, Swift Playgrounds will enable you to build apps with SwiftUI on your iPad. Image Courtesy: Apple

Shared with You is a new way to categorize whatever content you receive from your friends on your iPadOS 15 device. This feature scans your entire iPad to find pieces like music, movies, shows, photos, and articles your friends have shared with you. It then classifies them as such and shows them within relevant apps. For instance – Links that my friends shared with me can be found under a separate “Shared with You” tab in Safari.

The company has made navigation even friendlier with improvements to Apple Maps. The number of upgrades coming to maps includes 3D map navigation, more detailed roads and streets, and improved transit information. iPadOS 15 users will be able to see greatly enhanced details for their favorite places in Apple Maps, including elevation and better labeling of districts. Roads will also get new labels and colors, along with a better night-time mode with what Apple calls “Moonlit glow“. Image Courtesy: Apple

19. Smarter Spotlight in iPadOS 15

Spotlight has always been a catch-all solution for finding what you are looking for on your Apple device. Whether you are a Mac user looking for Spotlight tips and tricks or want to use Spotlight search anywhere on your iPhone, there’s a lot you can already do with this feature. But, Apple’s Spotlight is now getting even better at finding what you are seeking. The popular search feature will now be able to sift through the images in the Photos app and even web images. Moreover, you can now find specific messages from your recent conversations and shared photos.

Before the WWDC 2021 event, Apple announced several new accessibility features for the Apple Watch, iPad, and iPhone. The upcoming iPadOS 15 update will integrate these tools on your tablet. The VoiceOver screen reader will now be able to use on-device intelligence to better identify objects within images, including other people, text, and much more. You will now also be able to customize the text size of apps selectively.

Hidden Features in iPadOS 15 You Should Know About

While most of the landmark changes were announced in the iPadOS 15 showcase, you can find some hidden features listed below.

Taking on after iPhone, Apple has finally added the Low Power Mode in iPadOS 15. The low power mode is a much-needed feature that you will find in the battery section in the Settings.

The native Files app has been an important way for iPad users to transfer and manage their files. Earlier, when you used to copy or move any files, you could not see its progress. That has changed with the iPadOS 15 update. Now, whenever you move a file in iPadOS 15, you will see a progress bar on the top right.

Moreover, the transfer details aren’t in your face, and you can continue to browse around the app in the meantime. You can also click on the progress bar to see the file size and estimated time remaining.

While both “Click and Drop” and “Drag and Drop” features may sound the same, but they work differently. The latter will allow you to drag images and text from anywhere on your iPad and drop them somewhere else. This feature was first introduced with iOS 11 in 2017. But, if you are new to iPadOS, let me explain how the drag and drop feature works.

25. Use iPhone Apps in Landscape Mode

Yeah, you read that correctly. You can now run iPhone apps on the iPad in landscape mode! So all those annoying moments when Instagram on the iPad refused to rotate and budge will be history once iPadOS 15 drops for all users in fall 2021.

A sneaky little feature that could very well be a temporary bug is that now you can play audio from multiple sources at the same time. So if you are the type of person who wants to listens to a song on Apple Music while watching a tutorial in Safari, this hidden feature will be helpful to you.

While you could already edit widgets on your iPad, the much welcome ability to let them sit on the home screen is amazing. Moreover, you now have more control when editing certain widgets.

28. New Smart Stack UI in iPadOS 15

One of the changes in the widget ecosystem was the inclusion of an option to create a smart stack, where widgets auto-rotate through the day to display timely information. However, the new iPadOS 15 update brings a tiny UI change in the stack editor option, where instead of a list, you will now see widgets in the same stacked order as the home screen.

Talking about other meaningful changes, Apple has brought back the quick magnifying glass in iPadOS 15 to help view something in a large form. Holding down on text in the Notes app now brings up a small rounded magnifying glass that quickly shows the text in a larger form. The magnifier is smoother and slightly bigger than before and is again a welcome addition.

As discussed above, iPadOS 15 now includes a new Quick Note feature by default. It lets you bring up a note with a swipe gesture and jot down your thoughts quickly. But if you are left-handed like me or don’t want anything to do with Quick Note, you can choose to turn it off. This setting is present in the “Apple Pencil” section and allows you to turn off both the left (Screenshot) and right corner swipe gesture.