WWDC22: 6 Big iPadOS 16 Upgrades Aimed At Remote Workers

Apple is targeting improvements to multitasking, Messages, Mail, Safari, and more for its flagship mobile tablet.

At Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference this week, the company unveiled iPadOS 16, its latest operating system for its line of tablets. And new features introduced are clearly focused on improving tasks aimed at enterprise users working on its top-of-line M1-powered tablets.

The company touted improved collaboration with the new Freeform app, which will provide a venue for workers to collaborate. And Stage Manager, which is exclusive to M1-powered tablets, will allow resizable windows, faster access to windows and apps, overlapping windows to better control your workspace, app grouping for easier handling of multiple tasks.

“(The) iPad is our most versatile device, and we’re excited to take what it can do even further with iPadOS 16,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering. “With Stage Manager, which takes multitasking on iPad to a whole new level, plus new ways to share and collaborate via Messages, Safari, and the new Freeform app, and new pro features like Reference Mode and Display Zoom, users can get even more done on iPad.”

Addigy founder Jason Dettbard told CRN that PassKeys, a new password-free security feature found on iPadOS 16, will be a huge benefit to MSPs and others in the IT channel. “The technology will help lead the market with the highest security standards for businesses,” he said.

Apple was the top tablet producer in the world in 2021 with 34.2 percent market share and 57.8 million units shipped, according to research firm IDC. As the consumer market begins to cool off for tech devices, Apple and others have been focusing on the still-growing business market.

Here are six big upgrades business users can look forward to for iPadOS 16:

New Features To Share And Connect In Messages

Messages will get a boost with iPadOS 16 by making it easier to collaborate and manage shared content across Files, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, Notes, Reminders, and Safari, as well as third-party apps. When users send an invitation to collaborate via Messages, everyone on the thread will be automatically added to the document, spreadsheet, or project. Changes to shared files can be seen right away as an update at the top of the Messages thread. And when users work on collaborative projects, they can easily join linked Messages or just tap to start FaceTime with other collaborators.

Users Can Collaborate In Real-Time With Freeform

The new collaboration app Freeform will allow users the ability to see, share, and collaborate in one place without concern for layouts and page sizes – and the app has full support for Apple Pencil. Freeform will hit iPadOS 16 later this year, the company said.

Mail Gets A Boost With New Smart Tools

Apple is laser-focused on productivity features with its newest operating system release. Mail users are now given a moment to cancel delivery of a message before it reaches a recipient’s inbox, schedule emails to be sent at the perfect moment, and move sent emails to the top of their inbox to quickly send a follow-up. Messages can also be resurfaced at any date and time with Remind Later, and users can get notified if they forget to include an important part of the message, like an attachment or recipient. Additionally, the all-new search experience corrects typos and uses synonyms for the search terms, and allows users to see more contacts and shared content.

Safari Gets Better Collaboration And Security Features

The flagship Apple browser Safari allows for more collaboration, customization and security, the company said. Shared Tab Groups will allow users to collaborate on a set of tabs with friends and see updates instantly while they work together, share tabs and bookmarks, and start a conversation right from the browser. Tab Groups will now have dedicated start pages that can be customized with a background image, bookmarks and unique sections all collaborators can see and edit.

Safari will be secured with passkeys, which Apple touts as an easier and safer sign-in method designed to replace passwords on the web and in apps. Passkeys are kept on iPad and are specific to the selected website. Since passkeys are unique digital keys that stay on device and are never stored on a web server, hackers can’t leak them or trick users into sharing, Apple said. Users can sign into websites or apps on Apple and non-Apple devices with their saved passkey by scanning the QR code with iPad, and using Face ID or Touch ID to authenticate.

New Features For Creative Professionals To Enhance Workflows

Reference Mode will enable the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Liquid Retina XDR display to match color requirements in workflows – a huge benefit for creators to get consistent color grading and compositing. Display Zoom now allows users to increase the pixel density of the display so they can view more in their apps, which is especially useful when using Split View, Apple said. With Virtual Memory Swap, iPad storage can be used to expand the available memory for all apps, and delivers up to 16 gigabytes of memory for the most demanding apps.

Multitasking Boosted With Stage Manager And Full External Display Support

State Manager is a new multitasking experience that automatically organizes apps and windows, making it quick and easy to switch between tasks. Users can create overlapping windows of different sizes in a single view, drag and drop windows from the side or open apps from the dock to create groups of apps for faster, more flexible multitasking.