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5 iPadOS 18 features you need to try now that the update is available

Published Sep 16th, 2024 1:02PM EDT
iPadOS 18 review on M4 iPad Pro
Image: José Adorno for BGR

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The wait was worth it, and iPadOS 18 is finally available to all iPad users. Even though Apple Intelligence will take longer to arrive, there are several features you should try with this operating system update.

For example, one of my favorite iPadOS 18 features is the 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.

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

Besides these changes, iPadOS 18 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 iPadOS 18 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.

Supported devices

Apple's iPad lineup as of March 2022
Apple’s iPad lineup as of March 2022. Image source: Apple Inc. Image source: Apple Inc. Image source: Apple Inc.

With iPadOS 17, Apple cut off the iPad 5 and the first-gen iPad Pro for this operating system. For iPadOS 18, Cupertino removed even more iPad models. These are the tablets that will be able to download this upcoming system update:

  • iPad Pro (2018 or newer)
  • iPad Air 3 or newer
  • iPad mini 5 or newer
  • iPad 7 gen or newer
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.