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

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

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
homepod mini colors

New HomePod Mini Coming Soon With These Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting. The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Announces Launch of U.S. Passport Feature in iPhone's Wallet App

Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport. To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need: An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on An Apple Account ...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
iphone air thinness

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information. Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen. Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...

Top Rated Comments

nvmls Avatar
45 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
45 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
45 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
45 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
45 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
45 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)