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iPadOS 14 features (Image credit: Apple)

iPadOS 14 release date, features and compatibility details

Meet Apple's newest iPad operating system

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iPadOS 14 from Apple is the company's newest operating system for iPad tablets, and it's available on loads of different types of slate from the company - we've got a full list below.

This is the second version of iPadOS after Apple forked it off from iOS in 2019, and it brings loads of tweaks to improve the iPad use experience. There's handwriting recognition for Apple Pencil use, widgets, improved menu layouts and more.

You can see a full list of all the new iPadOS 14 features below, and we'd recommend reading the list in full - there are loads of interesting tweaks and changes here.

iPadOs 14 was announced by Apple at its WWDC 20 event alongside iOS 14, watchOS 7 and more,  and a beta was launched then, but the full version was only made available the day after Apple's September event on September 15.

Apple has released a device compatibility list, and it's good news for people who liked the original version of iPadOS, as no devices that were able to download that version have been left off this new list, and of course it includes new iPads released in the last year.

Read on for all the features coming in iPadOS 14.

Cut to the chase

iPadOS 14 release date and availability

iPadOS 14 is now publicly available, and it came out a day after the Apple Event revealed the last of the new features in the operating system update. 

While the Covid-19 pandemic has reportedly caused the iPhone 12 release to be pushed back, the software updates haven't been delayed – including iPadOS 14.

An iPadOS 14 developer beta was released during WWDC 2020, with a public beta following on July 9, giving users preliminary versions of the update for the public to download and try out.

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iPadOS 14 compatibility

Apple has officially unveiled its iPadOS 14 compatibility list, and it includes all the devices that were able to get the original iPadOS build, plus the new iPads released since.

iPadOS 14 features

iPadOS sidebar

The first new feature Apple mentioned for iPadOS 14 is an improvement for its own apps – it used Photos as an example, and mentioned Notes and Files too – which adds a sidebar to improve navigation, in the same way that macOS has a bar at the side of Finder windows which shows all the menus available. 

If it wasn't already clear that Apple wants iPadOS to feel like a 'Lite' version of macOS, it certainly is now.

iPadOS 14 widgets

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Arguably the biggest new iOS 14 feature is widgets, and this is coming to iPadOS too – and it's possible that these will be even more useful on the larger iPad screens.

Widgets let you bring little snapshots of an app's functionality to your home screen –say a music controller for your Spotify music, or blobs that show how much money you've got in your bank account. In iPadOS 13 you could see these to the side of the home screen, but you couldn't move them about to different screens – now you can.

Android devices have had these kinds of widgets for over 10 years now, and with Apple bringing them to iPhones and iPads it means there's one less distinction between the operating systems.

Widgets you don't assign to your home pages will still stay in the sidebar on the first page though, and a new feature called Smart Stacks can automatically bring up which it thinks will be most useful for you depending on where you are, what time it is and what you're doing at the time.

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iPad Scribble

Scribble recognizes when you're using an Apple Pencil to hand-write in text fields and automatically translates it to typed text. Great for, well, everyone: it's annoying to keep switching between a stylus and keyboard or touchscreen!

iPadOS 14 Siri

As with iOS 14, Siri is getting an overhaul with iPadOS 14, which includes smarter machine learning for improved results, and compact notifications for incoming calls instead of a total screen takeover.

Search has been downsized too, so you don't need to hide the app you're using – a small search bar appears over your app or the home screen without hiding it completely. It's now better at searching your iPad for apps and documents, as well as browsing the web for answers to questions.

Another feature we're going to list here is automatic translations in Safari, so if a web page isn't in your language, you can easily translate it to your native tongue. 

iPadOS 14 Apple Pencil

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A big Apple Pencil feature coming to iPadOS is that the operating system will convert your handwritten and scrawled notes into actual text, which you can insert into a document or use in an email, for example. This will be hugely useful for people who prefer writing with their hand over typing on a keyboard (or people who simply don’t have a keyboard for their iPad), and it’ll be great for quickly taking notes or turning annotations into actual documents. 

This works by you simply scribbling with your Apple Pencil over any text box, and the notes will be transformed into text.

The same principle applies for shapes, so if you're in a drawing or sketching app the device can 'see' shapes you try to draw, as well as lines, and convert them into more precise shapes to neaten things up.

iPadOS 14 low power mode

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iPadOS is getting something that should help you extend the battery life of your tablet, whether you have a huge iPad Pro or tiny iPad Mini - low battery mode.

iPhones have had low battery mode for a while now, and it reduces the functions of background apps, cancels Siri and reduces some visual effects, and now iPadOS 14 brings the function to iPads.

According to 9to5Mac iPadOS 14's low battery mode doesn't actually turn off Siri like it does on iPhones, and it does tweak some other settings. It's possible newer builds of iPadOS 14 will see tweaks to this mode before the public release as Apple works out how best to configure low battery mode on its tablets compared to phones.

iPadOS 14 security and privacy

In all its 2020 software updates, Apple made a point to mention new privacy modes, particularly changes to the App Store that list all the permissions an app will ask you to grant, before you've even downloaded it.

This means, if you don't want an app to track your location settings, you'll know if an app wants that information before you decide to download it, so you'll save the time and data (or Wi-Fi) taken to get it onto your iPad.

iPadOS 14 keyboard and mouse game support

At one of its WWDC speeches, as reported by 9to5Mac, Apple detailed that in iPadOS 14 it would be adding keyboard and mouse support for games,  that developers could opt to add in.

This means that in the future developers could make their iPad games controllable via a keyboard and mouse, which would make certain titles much easier to play. Developers would need to add this functionality though, you wouldn't be able to plug in your tools and just start playing any game.

iPadOS 14 features from iOS 14

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The majority of iPadOS 14's big new features are actually from iOS 14, and while we've mentioned most of the major ones already, we should mention a few more.

Apple Maps has been gradually getting a big upgrade through 2020, with more US cites getting improved mapping and street view, and this will also come to cities in the UK and Canada with iOS 14 and iPadOS 14.

Messages is getting changes so that you can pin conversations, reply to specific messages in group chats and @ people to send specific messages to them in busy group chats.

Check out our iOS 14 page for everything else you need to know about that operating system, and to read more about these and other features.

iPadOS Home App

Apple's Home app is used for all your smart home needs (if you have a smart home, that is), and in iPadOS 14 it's getting some new features to make it even more useful.

Adaptive Lighting, for lights, changes how bright and what color your lights put out throughout the day, and presumably this works similar to the TrueTone display of iPads and iPhones which similarly tweaks the screen RGB makeup depending on where you are.

Facial recognition is apparently going to be a bigger deal in iPadOS 14's Home app too, so your kids (or strangers) won't be able to fiddle with the settings when you're not looking.

Finally, there's set to be more automation features, so you don't have to tweak your smart home settings yourself throughout the day, and can put them all on a timer instead.