iPadOS 14 Compatibility
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro (1st generation and later)
- 11-inch iPad Pro (1st generation and later)
- 10.5-inch iPad Pro
- 9.7-inch iPad Pro
- iPad (5th generation and later)
- iPad Air (2nd generation and later)
- iPad mini (4th generation and later)
iPadOS 14 Key Features
App Design
With iPadOS 14, there are now sidebars and drop-down menus that let you quickly access more app functions from a single location, without switching views.
Compact UI
Calls from your iPhone, FaceTime, and even third-party apps display in an all‑new compact design that doesn’t take up the full screen. Siri has an all-new compact design as well that allows you to quickly get information without loosing your context.
Messages
Messages gets a lot better with iPadOS. Pin up to nine of your most important conversations to the top of your list so you can easily access them, directly reply to a specific message in a group conversation, and type a name to direct a message to someone. These are just a few of the new features in Messages with iPadOS 14.
Notes
Smart Selection lets you select handwritten text using the same gestures you’ve always used for text, so you can now select your handwritten text in Notes and copy them as text, so when you paste them into another app, they’ll be converted into text.
Redesigned Widgets
Today View widgets have been redesigned to show you more information and now you are able to choose among different sizes or add a Smart Stack of widgets, which shows the right widget at the right time.
Scribble
Convert handwriting into text in ANY field using Apple Pencil. If you make a mistake, you can just scratch it out to erase it. Circle a word to select it so you can move or copy it.
Search
Search is now more compact and allows you to open apps or search the web with just a tap and a new as-you-type experience provides you with faster results.
iPad Tips & Tricks
App Exposé
Apple has brought the App Exposé feature to the iPad so you can see open app windows from the current app in one screen and you can quit any windows if needed. With an app open, bring up the Dock and tap on the app icon to see open app windows together. If needed, swipe up to close a particular instance.
Clear Cache, Cookies, and History on iPad
Continuity
When you sign into your Apple ID on your favorite Apple devices, you can use various Continuity features that make it so easy to move between your devices. Handoff makes it really easy to start something on one device and then switch to another nearby device and pick up right where you left off. Universal Clipboard is also really cool as it allows you to copy text, photos, videos, etc. on one device and then paste it on another device. There are a plethora of other Continuity features that are available and make life so much easier!
Document Scanner
Create digital copies of physical documents & put them directly in the location where you want to store them with the Files app.
Download Manager
Check the status of a file you’re downloading in Safari, access downloaded files quickly, & drag & drop them into a file or email you’re working on. You can even download files in the background while you get work done.
Drag & Drop on iPad
External Drive Support
Access files on a USB drive, SD card, or hard drive.
Floating Keyboard
iPadOS has a compact floating keyboard that you can shrink and move around anywhere. Just pinch in on the keyboard to get into this compact mode. Once you’re in this mode, you can also use the new QuickPath feature.
Full-page Markup
Capture a screenshot of an entire web page, iWork document, email, or map & mark it up.
Mouse & Trackpad Support
In iPadOS, there is an accessibility feature that will let you use an external mouse or trackpad with your iPad. Open the Settings app, go to Accessibility section and turn on Assistive Touch. Then go to the Devices section and put your iPad in pairing mode. Connect your mouse or trackpad to your iPad and then you’ll see a cursor appear on the screen. You can move it around. The left-click will emulate a finger tap while the right-click will open the AssistiveTouch menu. You can change the tracking speed, cursor size, cursor color, and more from the AssistiveTouch menu.
Multiple Apps in Slide Over
To open multiple apps in Slide Over, first, bring up the Slide Over panel, enable the Dock, and then drag an app icon over the Slide Over window that’s currently open. You can cycle between open windows by swiping left or right on the home bar below the Slide Over panel.
Per-site Settings
Choose to enable camera, microphone, & location access depending on the website you’re visiting in Safari. You can also decide whether to view a website in its desktop or mobile version, use Reader view, & enable content blockers on a per‑site basis.
QuickPath
QuickPath, is Apple’s swipe-based typing solution. You can now slide to type, dragging your fingers over letters instead of picking them up to type as you normally do. If you’ve ever used a swipe-based keyboard, this is the same thing. Just swipe from letter to letter to form words. The good news is that it is built-in to the standard keyboard.
Same Apps in Multiple Spaces
You can now open multiple instances of the same app. It can be in a new window or in Split View. If the app supports it, just tap on a section of the app, drag it out of the app and to the right edge of the screen. Then release your finger to create another instance of the same app. If you want to open the window full screen, take your finger to the top of the page and then release it.
Scribble on iPad
Search on iPad
Take a Screenshot with Apple Pencil
You can swipe in from the bottom corner of the screen using Apple Pencil to take a screenshot and to start annotating and marking it up.
iPad App Recommendations
- Design presentations, social media graphics, brochures, & more with thousands of templates.
- Design with stock images, photo filters, icons & shapes, & hundreds of fonts.
- Offers a free plan as well as paid plan options & is available on the App Store & Google Play as well as Mac & Windows.
- From sketches, through PDFs, to videos, Explain Everything lets you turn an infinite canvas into a mixed-media playground that captivates & inspires.
- Record everything to create explanations, media-rich presentations, provide feedback, follow-ups, & meeting takeaways. Share them as videos in no time.
- Connect & collaborate with students, colleagues, or clients, on any device, anywhere.
- Offers a free plan as well as paid plan options & is available on the App Store & Google Play.
- Combine handwriting, photos, & typing in a single note to bring your projects to life.
- Zoom in on the specifics or explore the big picture by combining sketches, outlines, & type.
- Markup photos, annotate PDFs, or create original content to share your vision.
- Share your notes with colleagues or study partners through Google Drive, AirDrop, Email, & Dropbox.
- Available to purchase on the App Store & Mac App Store.
- Use drag & drop & Force Touch to arrange any content.
- Supports images, to-dos, bookmarks, code snippets, & 20+ block types.
- Share your pages & edit together at the same time.
- Organize your content using nested pages. Say goodbye to messy folders.
- Offers a free plan as well as paid plan options & is available on the App Store & Google Play as well as Mac & Windows.