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iPadOS 18 beta 5 now available with these 6 features

Published Aug 5th, 2024 1:14PM EDT
Image: José Adorno for BGR

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A week after seeding iPadOS 18.1 beta 1 with Apple Intelligence for selected iPad models, Apple has also continued to test iPadOS 18 with the latest beta 5.

At the moment, the main change with iPadOS 18 beta 5 concerns the Photos app. Apple is bringing back some of the old designs after user feedback. Besides that, iPadOS 18 beta brings several new features, including a brand-new Calculator app. It looks similar to what you’d expect from Apple’s Calculator app. However, it brings an all-new Math Notes feature, allowing users to type or write out mathematical expressions and see them instantly solved in their handwriting.

With Apple Pencil’s help, Smart Script makes handwritten notes fluid and easier to read. Smart Script allows users to write quickly without sacrificing legibility by smoothing and straightening handwritten text in real-time. It also makes editing handwritten text just as simple as editing typed text. With Apple Pencil, users can easily add space, scratch out a sentence, or even paste typed text in their own handwriting, and the paragraph will automatically reflow to fit the new content.

Besides these changes, iPadOS 18 beta also takes customization to a new level. Now, apps can be organized in any way, which means they can be placed anywhere. App icons and widgets can take on a new look with a dark or tinted effect, and users can make apps appear larger to create the perfect experience.

In addition, Apple has released new features that let users lock and hide apps. When an app is locked or hidden, content like messages or emails inside the app is hidden from search, notifications, and other places across the system. Users can only unlock it with Face ID and Touch ID. BGR teaches you how to hide and lock iPad apps in iPadOS 18.

Alongside iPadOS 18 beta 5, Apple has also seeded the fifth testing versions of iOS 18, macOS Sequoia, tvOS 18, watchOS 11, and visionOS 2.

José Adorno Tech News Reporter

José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.