iPadOS 17 was Apple’s fundamental working system for its iPad fashions from September 2023 to September 2024. After tightening the combination between iPad and Mac with Stage Supervisor and Freeform app with iPadOS 16, Apple provided a number of design modifications with the brand new system. Right here’s what you have to learn about this iPadOS replace.
To be taught extra about iPadOS 18, Apple’s present software program for iPads, examine our information.
Options
iPadOS 17 shares a number of of the options accessible for iOS 17. Even so, Apple has centered on some new tips for the iPad, akin to a revamped Lock Display, interactive widgets, a brand new Well being app, and extra. These options are coming to the iPad mini, iPad Air, iPad Professional, and base-model iPad customers typically.
Lock Display, interactive widgets, and Dwell Actions

After iOS 16 revamped the Lock Display, iPadOS 17 did the identical. You can also make the iPad’s Lock Display extra customizable by including a customized search for it. There are inventory wallpapers like Astronomy and Kaleidoscope, or you may select a photograph out of your library.
This technique additionally brings an all-new movement impact for Dwell Photographs, making your Lock Display really feel extra customizable and dynamic if you wake the iPad and leap into your Dwelling Display.
iPadOS 17 additionally introduces Dwell Actions, which make it easier to keep on high of real-time occasions akin to a meals order, a flight, a recreation rating, and extra.
As well as, with widgets in your Lock Display with iPadOS 17, you may see data just like the climate, time, date, battery ranges, or upcoming occasions at a look in your iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini, or iPad Professional. There are additionally interactive widgets in your Dwelling Display, which allow you to play music, flip off the lights, and extra proper from a widget. These modifications might even tease the long-rumored OLED iPad Professional, anticipated to be launched in 2024.
FaceTime and Messages enhancements
For FaceTime, when customers name somebody who’s unavailable, they will share a message in audio or video that may be loved later with iPadOS 17. As well as, the app provides Reactions akin to hearts, balloons, fireworks, and extra.
Messages app, for instance, helps you to create Dwell Stickers, and a brand new drawer within the keyboard places all of a consumer’s stickers in a single place for simpler entry throughout iPadOS. An expandable menu could be accessed with a easy faucet to show iMessage apps. As well as, a brand new catch-up arrow signifies the place the consumer final left off within the dialog, and replying inline is so simple as swiping on a textual content bubble.
Lastly, iPadOS 17 additionally filters messages by identified and unknown senders.
Stage Supervisor and Freeform updates
iPadOS 17 improves the Stage Supervisor characteristic. Whereas it was first delayed when Apple launched it in the course of the WWDC 2022 keynote, the corporate made certain to ship the brand new options on day 1. With this replace, Stage Supervisor provides a extra versatile format when shifting and resizing home windows (particularly with an exterior show), so you may arrange your workspace simply the way you need it. As well as, you should utilize the built-in digital camera in your exterior show for FaceTime and convention calls.
That mentioned, the brand new working system permits entry to third-party webcams and microphones related to the iPad Professional. It provides customers extra choices than ever of their workflows, as they don’t have to depend on Apple’s personal digital camera or mics.
Freeform on iPadOS 17, for instance, provides new drawing instruments, akin to a watercolor brush, calligraphy pen, highlighter, variable-width pen, and ruler. With Form Recognition, customers can hand draw a form like a sq. and watch an ideal model snap into place. As well as, customers working Freeform on iPadOS 17 can lastly see what your collaborators are engaged on with Observe Alongside. It reveals what they see as they transfer across the infinite canvas.
Well being app now on a bigger show

The Well being app involves iPad with iPadOS 17 by optimizing all the info on a bigger show. You may see wealthy particulars in favorites, assessment developments and highlights, and use interactive charts. You may create remedy reminders, monitor your menstrual cycle, and log signs proper out of your iPad working iPadOS 17.
As well as, now you can mirror in your mind-set with new options for psychological well being. Entry standardized assessments usually utilized in clinics to know your present threat for despair and nervousness and for those who’d profit from a dialogue with a healthcare supplier.
Autocorrection and Dictation are extra clever than ever
Apple says Autocorrect on iPadOS 17 acquired a complete replace with a transformer language mannequin for phrase prediction. It additionally acquired a refreshed design to raised assist typing, and sentence-level autocorrections can repair extra grammatical errors.
Customers can obtain predictive textual content suggestions inline as they kind, so including complete phrases or finishing sentences is as straightforward as tapping the house bar. This makes textual content entry sooner than ever. Dictation additionally has a brand new speech recognition mannequin to make it much more correct.
Safari and Passwords
Safari has many new options. iPad customers can create profiles to maintain their shopping historical past, extensions, Tab Teams, cookies, and favorites separated for subjects like Work and Private.
Apple says Search in Safari with iPadOS 17 can be extra responsive and reveals easier-to-read and extra related strategies. One other characteristic is internet apps that come to your dock. You may launch an internet app to get an app-like expertise with a simplified toolbar.
Apple can be enhancing personal shopping by letting you lock your personal shopping home windows if you’re not utilizing them. It fully blocks identified trackers from loading on pages and removes monitoring added to URLs as you browse.
For Passwords, Apple now helps you to share a set of passwords along with your trusted contacts. You may create a gaggle and select a set of accounts to share. Passwords keep updated for everybody within the group, and you’ll take away somebody at any time.
PDF and Notes

iPadOS 17 improves enhanced AutoFill for PDF. The system picks saved data from Contacts to fill out a PDF or scanned doc sooner.
You may also view a full-width PDF proper within the Notes app and click on between pages. You may even maintain multiple PDF in the identical be aware for straightforward entry to associated paperwork. As well as, you can begin a doc within the Notes app and end in Pages by clicking the Share button.
Lastly, you may shortly add hyperlinks on the Notes app from one be aware to a different. Apple says it’s a robust method to “join analysis notes, reference a recipe, and even create wikis to your workforce.”
Use your iPad to play Nintendo Change video games and extra

With iPadOS 17, the iPad now helps extra equipment related with its USB-C port. That mentioned, you may flip your iPad right into a monitor to play Nintendo Change, PS5, and Xbox video games.
Earlier than you may get began taking part in Change and PS5 video games in your iPad, you’re going to wish a few issues:
- A USB-C seize card
- An iPad with USB-C
- A seize card utility
- A Nintendo Change or PS5 with an HDMI twine
Upon getting all these items, comply with the steps beneath.
First, plug your console into the wall and set all of it up. Subsequent, you’ll plug your seize card into the console you are attempting to play utilizing an HDMI twine. On this instance, we’ll use a Nintendo Change.
As soon as the seize card is related to the Change, you’ll plug the USB-C finish into the iPad’s USB-C port. Make certain to plug it immediately into the iPad. From right here, open the seize card app (a number of individuals advocate Seize Professional, at the moment solely accessible in TestFlight) in your iPad and activate the Nintendo Change. As soon as all the things has powered up, it’s best to see the Change’s house display screen in your iPad, permitting you to get began and choose the video games you need to play.
New emojis

Each main iPadOS replace provides new emojis. For instance, Apple launched 20+ emojis for iPadOS 16 with iPadOS 16.4. Unicode has previewed the 100+ new emojis in 2023 that landed with iPadOS 17.4. In accordance with an Emojipedia weblog submit, there are a complete of 108 new emojis if you embrace pores and skin tone modifiers and gender variants. Apple says it has added 28 new emojis in complete.
The record features a Lime, a head shaking vertically, a phoenix hen (Moltres, for Pokémon followers), and 4 new gender-neutral household emojis supposed to be represented through silhouettes.
AirPods Professional 2 feels a lot better with iPadOS 17

With iPadOS 17 accessible, Apple additionally upgraded AirPods Professional 2 with a number of new options due to a firmware replace. Right here they’re:
Adaptative Audio: AirPods Professional 2 provides Adaptative Audio, which Apple says “dynamically blends Transparency mode and Energetic Noise Cancellation collectively based mostly on the circumstances of a consumer’s atmosphere to ship one of the best expertise in the intervening time.”
Dialog Consciousness: One other characteristic that comes alongside Adaptative Audio is dialog consciousness. AirPods Professional 2 house owners can simply begin a dialog whereas listening to a music. This perform reduces background noise and amplifies the voice of the individual in entrance of you.
Mute or unmute: When on a telephone name, urgent the strict sensor of your AirPods Professional 2 will mute/unmute your voice. Beforehand, urgent the strict would hold up the decision.
Computerized Switching: The corporate states that the “connection time between a consumer’s Apple gadgets is considerably sooner and extra dependable.”
Personalised Quantity: This characteristic depends on machine studying so your AirPods Professional 2 can “perceive circumstances and listening preferences over time to routinely fine-tune the media expertise” and defend your ears in the long term.
Simply Siri: Customers can say “Siri” as a substitute of “Hey Siri” now.
Extra iPadOS 17 options
There are much more new options with iPadOS 17:
- AirDrop transfers: AirDrop transfers proceed even for those who step away. The content material you share over AirDrop shall be despatched securely and in full high quality over the web for those who depart the AirDrop vary and each you and your recipient are signed in to iCloud;
- Discover My: Share AirTag or Discover My community equipment with as much as 5 different individuals. Everybody within the group can play a sound to pinpoint the situation of a shared AirTag once they’re close by.
- Apple Maps: Save an space of a map to your iPad and discover it whereas offline. View data like hours and rankings on place playing cards and get turn-by-turn instructions for driving, strolling, biking, or driving transit.
- Lockdown Mode: The expanded Lockdown Mode will increase safety to assist defend towards subtle cyber-attacks – together with the Apple Watch as effectively;
- Photographs: The Individuals album is healthier than ever at recognizing your favourite individuals and consists of the cats and canine which might be a part of your loved ones too;
- Apple ID: Securely sign up to your iPad utilizing a close-by machine or any e-mail deal with or telephone quantity listed in your account on iPadOS 17.
iPadOS 17.1 options

iPadOS 17.1 was launched on October 25. These are the options of this new working system replace:
- Apple Music Playlist Options: When including a music to a playlist, Apple Music now suggests a number of songs based mostly on the music accessible on the record.
- Apple Music Favourite Songs: Apple Music additionally helps you to favourite songs, albums, playlists, and artists. Your favourite music is routinely added to your Library and improves your suggestions.
- Apple Music Playlist Covers: The service helps you to create customized playlist covers. Apple provides eight totally different choices.
- AirDrop with Mobile Information: Teased in the course of the WWDC 2023 keynote, now you can proceed to ship and obtain content material when Wi-Fi is unavailable throughout AirDrop.
- USB-C Apple Pencil assist: This replace brings assist to the most recent Apple Pencil. BGR in contrast the three equipment at the moment accessible for iPad customers.
iPadOS 17.2 options

iPadOS 17.2 was launched on December 11. These are the options of this new working system replace:
- Apple Health+ Audio Focus: It provides customers the flexibility to prioritize the amount of the music or the trainers’ voices throughout an Apple Health+ exercise.
- Enhanced AutoFill: Identifies fields in PDFs and different types, enabling you so as to add names and addresses out of your contacts.
- Flip off Listening Historical past on Apple Music: iPadOS 17.2 brings a Focus Filter, which helps you to flip off the Listening Historical past characteristic.
- Favourite Apple Music Playlist: After iOS 17.1 added the flexibility to favourite songs, Apple created a Favourite Playlist with all of your songs.
- Catch-up arrow lets you simply leap to your first unread message in a dialog by tapping the arrow seen within the high proper nook
- Add sticker possibility within the context menu helps you to add a sticker on to a bubble
- Memoji updates embrace the flexibility to regulate the physique form of any Memoji
- Contact Key Verification offers computerized alerts and Contact Verification Codes to assist confirm individuals dealing with extraordinary digital threats are messaging solely with the individuals they intend.
- Siri assist for privately accessing and logging Well being app knowledge utilizing your voice (iPad Professional 12.9-inch (third technology and later), iPad Professional 11-inch (1st technology and later), iPad Air (third technology and later), iPad mini (fifth technology and later), and iPad (eighth technology and later).
iPadOS 17.3 options

iPadOS 17.3 was launched on January 22. These are the options of this new working system replace:
- Lock Display: New Unity wallpaper honors Black historical past and tradition to have fun Black Historical past Month.
- Apple Music: Collaborate on playlists means that you can invite buddies to hitch your playlist and add, reorder, and take away songs. As well as, you may add emoji reactions to any monitor in a collaborative playlist. BGR helps you create a collaborative Apple Music playlist.
- AirPlay in lodge: AirPlay lodge assist helps you to stream content material on to the TV in your room in choose lodges.
- AppleCare: AppleCare & Guarantee in Settings reveals your protection for all gadgets signed in along with your Apple ID.
iPadOS 17.4 options
iPadOS 17.4 was launched on March 5. These are among the high options accessible with this replace:
- New emoji: New mushroom, phoenix, lime, damaged chain, and shaking heads emoji can be found within the emoji keyboard. 18 individuals and physique emoji add the choice to face them in both route
- Podcasts app: Podcast transcripts allow you to comply with an episode with textual content that highlights in sync with the audio in English, Spanish, French, and German. Episode textual content could be learn in full, looked for a phrase or phrase, tapped to play from a particular level and used with accessibility options akin to Textual content Dimension, Enhance Distinction, and VoiceOver
- Music app: Music recognition helps you to add songs you may have recognized to your Apple Music Playlists and Library
- Messages modifications: Enterprise updates you opt-in to maintain you knowledgeable of order standing, flight notifications, fraud alerts, or different transactions from trusted companies in Messages for Enterprise
- Apple Money: Apple Money digital card numbers allow you to pay with Apple Money at retailers that don’t but settle for Apple Pay by typing in your quantity from Pockets or utilizing Safari AutoFill
- Dwelling tab: Apple Music and Podcasts’ Hear Now tab is now referred to as Dwelling.
- New iMessage protocol: iMessage can be being upgraded with iPadOS 17.4 with a brand new post-quantum cryptographic protocol that improves end-to-end safe messaging. You may be taught extra about it right here.
iPadOS 17.5 options
iPadOS 17.5 was launched on Might 13. These are among the high options accessible with this replace:
- Satisfaction wallpapers: To have fun Satisfaction 2024, Apple brings “daring, symbolic colour to Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad. Signaling hope, power, and fellowship to LGBTQ+ communities, the beams of sunshine glow towards a darkish background and stack on high of one another to symbolize the eternal influence of LGBTQ+ activism and its position in illuminating the trail to better equality for future generations.”
- Podcasts widget change: The Podcasts widget has a brand new dynamic colour that modifications relying on what you’re listening to.
- Monitoring Notifications: Cross-platform monitoring detection delivers notifications to customers if a suitable Bluetooth tracker they don’t personal is shifting with them, no matter what working system the machine is paired with.
- Apple Information+: For Apple Information+ (or Apple One subscribers), customers can have a brand new offline mode that provides entry to the As we speak feed and Information+ tab even once they don’t have an web connection.
- Quartiles: One of many potential iPadOS 17.5 extra standard options may very well be Quartiles, a brand new and unique day by day phrase recreation for Apple Information+. You may see new participant knowledge for Crossword, Mini Crossword, and Quartiles with a Scoreboard, together with stats and streaks.
- Scoreboards: You may see the participant’s knowledge for Crossword, Mini Crossword, and Quartiles with a Scoreboard, together with stats and streaks.
iPadOS 17.6 options
iPadOS 17.6 was launched on July 19. These are the primary options:
- Filter messages: A brand new settings allow you to filter unknown worldwide senders
- Apple Information+: Apple is engaged on Dwell Exercise assist for Dwelling Display and Lock display screen
- Discover My: It appears Apple will let customers take away their gadgets from Restore Mode by the Discover My app as effectively. At this second, you may’t try this.
Different iPadOS 17 software program updates
- iPadOS 17.6.1 was launched on August 7, 2024, with Superior Information Safety Bug Repair.
It’s unclear if Apple will proceed to supply minor updates to iPadOS 17. Regardless that iPadOS 18 is Apple’s present software program, a number of tablets can solely be up to date to this model.
Accessibility options confirmed earlier than WWDC 2023

In a press launch, Apple introduced “new options for cognitive accessibility, together with Dwell Speech, Private Voice, and Level and Converse in Magnifier.”
One of many options is Private Voice, a brand new characteristic that enables customers to recreate their voice by recording round quarter-hour of audio. Apple says the perform was made to help those that could also be prone to shedding their voice.
Private Voice works with Dwell Voice, one other characteristic introduced. Dwell Voice will enable customers to kind what they need to say after which have that spoken for them on a telephone or FaceTime name. For those who use Private Voice, the individual on the opposite finish of the decision will hear your precise voice, regardless that you merely typed a response.
The corporate additionally revealed Assistive Entry, which introduces a personalized expertise for the Cellphone FaceTime, Messages, Digicam, Photographs, and Music apps. Apple says that the characteristic provides a “distinct interface with excessive distinction buttons and enormous textual content labels, in addition to instruments to assist trusted supporters tailor the expertise for the person they assist. For instance, for customers preferring speaking visually, Messages consists of an emoji-only keyboard and the choice to file a video message to share with family members.”
Delayed options

As of the iPadOS 17.3 launch, Apple has delivered all iPadOS options introduced throughout WWDC 2023. The newest ones have been Apple Music Collaborative Playlists and AirPlay in Lodge rooms.
- Apple Music Collaborative Playlist: Invite buddies to collaborate on playlists. They’ll add, reorder, and take away songs. As well as, you may react to the music decisions in Now Taking part in.
- AirPlay in your lodge room: AirPlay accessible on TVs in chosen lodge rooms
Right here’s when Apple added every iOS and iPadOS 17 delayed options
iPadOS 17 launch date
After previewing iPadOS 17 in the course of the WWDC 2023 keynote on June 5, Apple launched the primary beta for builders to check out the upcoming options. In July, a public beta of the iPad working system was made accessible to shoppers. The official launch date of iPadOS 17.0 was September 18; Apple introduced it after the iPhone 15 occasion.
Appropriate iPad fashions

Apple has been fairly beneficiant with the iPad fashions supporting iPadOS 16, together with some that use the A9 chip launched in 2015. With iPadOS 17, however, the corporate reduce off the iPad 5 and the first-gen iPad Professional for this upcoming working system.
Right here’s the record of iPads that may assist iPadOS 17:
- iPad Professional (2nd gen or newer)
- iPad Air (third gen or newer)
- iPad mini 5 and iPad mini 6
- iPad (sixth gen or newer)
The newest iPad fashions added to iPadOS 17 have been the M4 iPad Professional and the M2 iPad Air.
Official iPadOS 17 obtain
Since September 18th, customers can obtain iPadOS 17. Its beta is obtainable for builders registered on the Apple Developer Program and public beta testers within the Apple Beta Software program Program in the event that they need to attempt upcoming new options earlier than everybody else.
Can I obtain the iPadOS 17 beta?
Sure. Enroll your developer Apple ID and comply with these steps:
- In your iPad, open the Settings app
- Faucet on Common and Software program Replace
- Faucet on Beta Updates and allow iPOS 17 Developer Beta
How you can obtain iPadOS 17 public beta?
A public check model has been accessible since July 12. Customers have to enroll their IDs within the Apple Beta Software program Program. After that, comply with these steps:
- Open Settings;
- Go to Common, then Software program Replace;
- In Beta Updates, choose iPadOS 17 Public Beta;
- Obtain the general public beta model.
Evaluate
BGR revealed an in-depth assessment of iOS 17. Right here’s what we take into consideration this working system replace:
With its newest working system replace for its most well-known machine, iOS 17 doesn’t reinvent the wheel however provides some nice-to-have options that you simply would possibly suppose it’s price updating your iPad as quickly as potential.
Messages, Well being, and privateness modifications are among the many greatest new options accessible to this working system.