Apple today announced that its iWork suite of apps for iOS will be updated next week with enhanced Apple Pencil integration. Keynote, for example, will gain new animation options that let users draw an animation path for any object, and an all-new user interface for implementing build effects such as move, rotate, and scale.

Keynote 2019
iWork apps for iPhone and iPad include Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. All three apps are available for free on the App Store.

Other new features will include the ability to create and share animated GIFs by exporting one or more slides in Keynote on iOS and macOS, add vertical text in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages to the body of Pages documents on iOS, increase max zoom to 400 percent in Numbers on iOS, and more.

All three iWork apps for iOS will also gain:

  • Improvements to collaboration: edit grouped objects while collaborating. Maximum file size has increased to 2GB.

  • Save and sync shapes, templates, and themes: save custom shapes, templates, and themes on iOS. These will sync across macOS and iOS devices using iCloud.

  • Image placeholders: create image placeholders to replace images without affecting the formatting of your page, slide, or spreadsheet.

The news was shared alongside the launch of new iPad mini and iPad Air models today.

Related Forum: iPad Accessories

Top Rated Comments

sracer Avatar
81 months ago
As a fan and heavy user of iWork (on macOS and iOS) I look forward to any updates. Now please, please add back full support for linked text boxes as they worked in iWork '09.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BWhaler Avatar
81 months ago
Can’t wait.

I love iWork. Use it against the enterprise norms and it’s still worth the workarounds and scolding from colleagues.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ELman Avatar
81 months ago
Writing to text would be nice.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sracer Avatar
81 months ago
Totally serious question... What's the use-case here? Why would I want to go from page 3 to page 1? Some kind of funky, foldable brochure?
Exactly...brochures, bulletins, and newsletters. (though that use case describes PocketMods which IS funky and foldable).

A simple booklet using Letter (or A4) page in landscape folded in half (horizontally). To get things to flow easily, I set up block#1 on the right side of page 1, block#2 on the left size of page 2, block#3 on the right size of page 2, and block#4 on the left side of page 1.

I also have some extensive books (40+ pages) for seminars using that technique. The text boxes are linked in a double-helix format so that the half-pages get displayed in correct order when printed, folded, and stapled.

I have both iWork 09 and the latest version of iWork installed on my iMac and Macbook Air. For those situations where I need the full-featured linked text boxes, I fire up Pages '09 and can whip out a printable document with ease.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TJGilbert21 Avatar
81 months ago
This is absolutely incredible news. I love iWork and have used Pages, Numbers, and Keynote since their inception, but the one very important feature that has always been lacking for me has been vertical text input in Japanese (and other languages). Text Edit has always been able to do vertical text input, so it has mystified me why Apple couldn't integrate it into Pages.

I wonder where MacRumors found out that they would be adding vertical text input? It's not written in the press release... And it'd be weird if only iWork for iOS got this feature as this article seems to imply. I'll need it on Mac too.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Enclavean Avatar
81 months ago
I use pages when taking typed notes, the smart annotations is a game changer that no other app has
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Battery Capacity and Weight Allegedly Revealed

Monday May 19, 2025 2:22 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air later this year, and while there have been plenty of rumors about the camera's overall design and thinness, we haven't heard any details about the device's weight and battery capacity until now. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air has a weight ...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
WWDC 2025 Banner

Apple Announces WWDC 2025 Schedule, Including Keynote Time

Tuesday May 20, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced a more detailed schedule for its annual developers conference WWDC, which runs from June 9 through June 13. The schedule confirms that Apple's keynote will begin on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com, in the Apple TV app, and on YouTube. During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16,...
CarPlay Ultra Climate Controls

Apple Says These Vehicle Brands Plan to Offer All-New CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
macOS 16 visionOS Inspired Feature 1

macOS 16: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday May 20, 2025 7:31 am PDT by
The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's annual developer and software-oriented event, is less than three weeks away. We haven't heard a great deal about macOS 16 ahead of its announcement this year, so we could be in for some major surprises when June 9 rolls around. Here's what we know so far about the next major update to Apple's Mac operating system. macOS 16 Name? Every year ...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Report: Apple's Next-Gen Version of Siri Is 'On Par' With ChatGPT

Monday May 19, 2025 9:00 am PDT by
Apple has big plans to improve Siri over the next few years, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett report. Some Apple executives are now reportedly pushing to turn Siri into a true ChatGPT competitor. A next-generation, chatbot version of Siri has reportedly made significant progress during testing over the past six months; some executives allegedly now see it as "on par" with recent...