iPadOS 16 Tidbits: Drastically Improved Files App, System-Wide Undo/Redo, and More

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iPadOS 16 is now available to developer beta testers with improvements in Messages and Safari and the all-new Stage Manager, enabling multiple app windows and Mac-like multitasking on M1 iPads.

ipados 16
As has always been the case, many features are shared across iOS and iPadOS, and that's certainly true this year. iPadOS 16 gains several major new features from iOS 16, including the ability to edit and unsend Messages, improvements to Focus, and more.

There are, however, some features and changes exclusive to iPadOS 16 that take even more advantage of the iPad and its performance. We've highlighted a few iPadOS 16 tidbits below:

Files App Gets Quality of Life Improvements

ipados 16 files app changes
The Files app on iPadOS 16 is gaining some much-requested features from ‌iPad‌ users, including easier navigation buttons, easier access to common controls such as duplicate and rename, the ability to change file extensions, and more. The new changes are part of Apple's efforts to make iPadOS apps more "desktop-class."

System-Wide Undo and Redo and Find and Replace

ipados 19 find and replace
iPadOS is gaining system-wide undo and redo functionality, making it easer and more Mac-like for users to easily revert changes made in apps and across the system. iPadOS 16 also introduces system-wide find and replace that in the Notes app, works in-line.

Reference Mode Support on 12.9-inch iPad Pro

m1 ipad pro video editing
With the high-end 12.9-inch iPad Pro running iPadOS 16, users can take advantage of the Liquid Retina XDR Display and use the ‌iPad‌ as a reference monitor. This is aimed at artists and creators who need accurate colors and vivid detail when working on large projects.

Option to Turn on Lock to End Call

ipados 16 lock to end call
Under Settings, Accessibility, and Touch, users can now choose to toggle on "Lock to End Call," making it easer to end a current call by pressing the top button.

Related Forum: iOS 16

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Top Rated Comments

nvmls Avatar
nvmls
47 months ago
15 years of OS development to mimic how a computer handles files, still limited though, and people clap ?

God bless the apple consumer.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Channan Avatar
Channan
47 months ago

There’s really zero reason to get an iPad Pro over a MacBook Air.



Ironically the iPad mini might be the most useful of the iPad family due to its convenience as a consumption device.
*For you.

You forgot to put that in your first sentence. Because for me, there’s really zero reason to get a MacBook Air over an iPad Pro. There’s nothing a Mac can do that my iPad can’t for my own personal use.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FyrStrike Avatar
FyrStrike
47 months ago

There’s really zero reason to get an iPad Pro over a MacBook Air.



Ironically the iPad mini might be the most useful of the iPad family due to its convenience as a consumption device.
I let go of my MacBook recently because I wanted an iPad Pro. Why? My reasons were because I wanted a device that’s even more lightweight but also powerful. I chose the 11” because it’s the perfect size for reading books and reading study material on the train or plane. I can throw it in my back pack and I do t even know it’s there. I found the 12.9” just too big to do that and after a while became too heavy for reading in your hands for long periods of time.

It’s also perfect for math notation, taking notes, studying and doing research. I also started to get back into art which I haven’t done for years because of the iPad Pro. The value I get out of the iPad Pro has far outweighed the value I get from the MacBook. I don’t think I will ever get a MacBook again but instead will have an iMac or Mac Studio, an iPad Pro 11”, iPhone Pro, and an Apple Watch.

Each device has its perfect use case for me since I have an iMac at home and now an iPad Pro and iPhone. The MacBook has no use any longer for me and my use case. Others will have a different use cases and might need one for different purposes.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FightTheFuture Avatar
FightTheFuture
47 months ago

Except true external display support and "State Manager", I don't really see desktop-class improvement here.
- Can I use Disk Utility.app to format/partition an external drive? No.
- Is Files on par with macOS' Finder? No.
- Is there a Terminal.app? No.
- Transferring my own music to iTunes w/o relying on another Mac? No.
- So-called "Pro" apps? No.
- ...

As long as Apple didn't go into that "What's a computer?" BS, it was fine considering an iPad as a bigger iPhone and not having bigger expectations.
This is a list of things most people do not do with their computers.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bookcase Avatar
bookcase
47 months ago
Have they come up with a way to delete text messages across all your Apple devices yet? I have to delete them manually from my iPhone, MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iPad.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kc9hzn Avatar
kc9hzn
47 months ago

I let go of my MacBook recently because I wanted an iPad Pro. Why? My reasons were because I wanted a device that’s even more lightweight but also powerful. I chose the 11” because it’s the perfect size for reading books and reading study material on the train or plane. I can throw it in my back pack and I do t even know it’s there. I found the 12.9” just too big to do that and after a while became too heavy for reading in your hands for long periods of time.

It’s also perfect for math notation, taking notes, studying and doing research. I also started to get back into art which I haven’t done for years because of the iPad Pro. The value I get out of the iPad Pro has far outweighed the value I get from the MacBook. I don’t think I will ever get a MacBook again but instead will have an iMac or Mac Studio, an iPad Pro 11”, iPhone Pro, and an Apple Watch.

Each device has its perfect use case for me since I have an iMac at home and now an iPad Pro and iPhone. The MacBook has no use any longer for me and my use case. Others will have a different use cases and might need one for different purposes.
Reminds me of college, I owned a Mid 2007 MacBook and, after it came out, an OG iPad. I took a chemistry class my Freshman year with that MacBook, and note taking on it was truly a pain, if just because of all the chemical subscripts. The year after I got my iPad, I used it for note taking in a linear algebra class, handwritten notes with one of those touchscreen styluses. It made taking notes in my math class such a breeze. (Why didn’t I just use a paper notebook? Well, I type faster than I write, so it made sense to me as a muddle-headed freshman. As for the math class? Mostly because I didn’t want to carry a large notebook in my backpack, especially if it had only so much space for each subject. Plus, I was on crutches for two months, if I could reduce the weight in my backpack, I gladly would.) There are times and scenarios when I prefer paper and pen, but there are also times and scenarios when I prefer digital handwriting.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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