Apple Updates iWork Apps for iOS With Support for Scribble, New Image Picker, Editable Shapes and More

Apple today updated its iWork apps designed for iOS devices, introducing new iOS 14 features and support for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.

iworkappsios
All three of the apps now support the Scribble feature that was introduced in iPadOS 14, allowing Apple Pencil owners to handwrite anywhere in any text field within the iWork apps, with the written text then converted right into typed text.

The new feature will let ‌Apple Pencil‌ users write out Pages documents, Numbers spreadsheets, and Keynote presentations without having to swap over to the keyboard to fill in data.

Apple has also added new editable shapes in each of the apps along with support for the redesigned iOS and iPadOS 14 image picker. Full release notes for each app are below:

Pages

  • Use Scribble to write by hand with ‌Apple Pencil‌, and your words will automatically convert to text. Requires iPadOS 14.
  • Select from new report templates to help you get started.
  • Enhance your documents with a variety of new, editable shapes.
  • Easily find pictures and videos using new zoom and search capabilities in the redesigned image picker. Requires iOS 14 or iPadOS 14.

Keynote

  • Use Scribble to write by hand with ‌Apple Pencil‌, and your words will automatically convert to text. Requires iPadOS 14.
  • Use the new Outline View to focus on the structure and flow of your content without other distractions.
  • Play YouTube and Vimeo videos right in your presentations.
  • Movie export now supports a wide selection of formats and frame rates.
  • Hold the option key while dragging an object to duplicate it.
  • Easily find pictures and videos using new zoom and search capabilities in the redesigned image picker. Requires iOS 14 or iPadOS 14.
  • Enhance your presentations with a variety of new, editable shapes.

Numbers

  • Use Scribble to write by hand with ‌Apple Pencil‌, and your words will automatically convert to text. Requires iPadOS 14.
  • Forms are now easier to create and customize. Add a form to any table or use the new Basic Form template.
  • Improved performance when working with large tables.
  • Easily find pictures and videos using new zoom and search capabilities in the redesigned image picker. Requires iOS 14 or iPadOS 14.
  • Enhance your spreadsheets with a variety of new, editable shapes.

Apple has also updated the Mac versions of Pages, Keynote, and Numbers with new report templates and editable shapes.

All of the new updates are available from the iOS App Store and macOS ‌App Store‌ as of this morning.

Apple's iWork apps for Mac and iOS are free downloads for all users.

Popular Stories

Nineth iOS 19 Feature

iOS 19 Beta is a Month Away With These New Features for Your iPhone

Thursday May 8, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is just one month away, and there are already many new features and changes that are expected with it. Apple should seed the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Apple's Foldable iPhone Display Tech May Set New Industry Standard

Thursday May 8, 2025 3:29 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will feature a new type of display panel developed by Samsung that has never been used in a foldable product, claims a source with links to Apple's supply chain. According to the account yeux1122 on the Korean Naver blog, the foldable iPhone will use a custom display process for which Apple will hold branding trademark rights, and that meets Apple's stringent ...
siri glow

iPhone Users Now Able to Submit Claims in $95 Million Siri Spying Lawsuit

Wednesday May 7, 2025 11:40 am PDT by
If you owned a Siri-compatible device and had an accidental Siri activation between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024, you could be eligible for a payment from Apple as part of a class action lawsuit settlement. Apple in January agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit involving Siri spying accusations, and a website to distribute the funds has now been set up and...
iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full iOS 18.5 Release Notes

Tuesday May 6, 2025 2:17 pm PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.5 to developers and public beta testers, giving us a look at the final version of the update that will be provided to the public next week. With the release candidate, Apple provided release notes, so we have a more complete look at the new features that are included in the update, including those that weren't found during the beta...
Mayday Calendar

Apple Acquisition Hints at Upgraded Calendar App on iOS 19 or Beyond

Friday May 9, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple acquired Canadian startup Mayday Labs in April 2024, according to a European Commission listing, spotted by French blog MacGeneration. The acquisition had not received widespread attention from tech publications until now. Apple is legally required to report certain acquisitions to the European Commission, under the terms of the EU's Digital Markets Act. Mayday Labs founder Jeremy...
fortnite apple featured

Epic Games Submits Fortnite to U.S. App Store

Friday May 9, 2025 9:57 am PDT by
As promised, Epic Games today submitted Fortnite to the U.S. App Store, and if approved by Apple, it will mark the first time that the Fortnite app has been available in the United States since 2020. Fortnite will include options to purchase in-app currency from the web rather than through in-app purchase, which is what got the game banned to begin with. This time, though, Apple has been...
airpods pro purple

Apple's Camera Equipped AirPods and Apple Watch Could Launch as Soon as 2027

Thursday May 8, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple is working on versions of the AirPods and Apple Watch that incorporate a camera, and the devices could be ready to launch sometime around 2027, reports Bloomberg. Apple has developed a chip codenamed "Nevis" that will be used for its camera-equipped Apple Watch, while a chip codenamed "Glennie" will be incorporated into the AirPods. Apple is aiming to have the chips ready "by around...

Top Rated Comments

techpr Avatar
61 months ago
Apple Keynote is light years ahead of PowerPoint. Now with this update you can play YouTube/Vimeo videos! Can’t remember if you can play YouTube videos in PowerPoint.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gaximus Avatar
61 months ago
I've always loved Pages. It's so much better for me. Word can do a lot more, but unless your a power user using most of the features, I think its probably better and easier to use than Word. Plus you can export it as a `.doc` and remain compatible with the rest of the world. At my last job they insisted that everyone use Word, I never even installed it and my bosses never knew.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Konigi Avatar
61 months ago
So it looks like even the 1-day notice before iOS 14 release was too sudden for Apple's own developers. Took them a few days to implement the new features into their apps?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GeoStructural Avatar
61 months ago
I like that the iWorks suite is now free (they weren’t a few years ago) but they are so behind other suites, I wish Apple invested more on them to at least be on par with the competition.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GeoStructural Avatar
61 months ago

When was the iWork suite not free? It's always been included with a new Mac. That is still considered free especially since Microsoft Office 365 doesn't come free when you buy a PC.
They were paid apps! They were 80 bucks... then reduced to $20 in the Mac and $10 in iPhone EACH...
Even iMovie and Garage Band you had to pay for them, then they made it free for new iPhones and Macs, later (only a couple of years ago) for older devices free as well.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
4jasontv Avatar
61 months ago
iWork is this amazing piece of software that I forget about until that one person shares a keynote file and a dozen people email me asking how they can open it in PowerPoint.


So it looks like even the 1-day notice before iOS 14 release was too sudden for Apple's own developers. Took them a few days to implement the new features into their apps?
Their app developers get pulled to work on the OS near GM, so they rarely get it done on time.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)