Video: Check Out the 5 Best iPadOS 16 Features

iPadOS 16, Apple's operating system that runs on the iPad, is getting almost all of the great features coming to iOS 16, but there are also iPad-specific additions that make the ‌iPad‌ more Mac-like than ever. In our latest YouTube video, we show off the five best features coming to the ‌iPad‌ this fall.

  • Stage Manager - Stage Manager is a new multitasking interface that's also available on the Mac in macOS Ventura. ‌Stage Manager‌ supports multiple windows that are resizable, and it is a much different experience than the standard Split View. Your main app is front and center and others are right off to the left for easy access, plus you can group apps together and overlap windows for more control over your workspace. ‌Stage Manager‌ is unfortunately limited to the ‌iPad‌ models with an M1 chip.
  • External Display Support - iPadOS 16 brings full external display support to the iPad Pro with ‌M1‌ chip, allowing that ‌iPad‌ to drive a display with up to 6K resolution. You can use a single external display with the ‌M1‌ ‌iPad Pro‌ running iPadOS 16.
  • New Display Modes - For pros who need color accuracy, the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ with Liquid Retina XDR display can provide reference color for popular color standards and video formats. The ‌iPad Pro‌ is able to serve as a secondary reference display for the Mac using Sidecar.
  • Weather app - The Weather app has finally come to the ‌iPad‌, and it's pretty much identical to the iOS 16 Weather app. It can take advantage of the larger display of the ‌iPad‌ to provide more modules on one screen, and you can tap into any weather module to get additional information.
  • Freeform app - Later this year, Apple will launch a new Freeform app that's designed to be a collaborative canvas for working on projects with others. It supports real-time collaboration and can be used for brainstorming, outlining new projects, and more. It supports Apple Pencil for a digital whiteboard experience, and it works with SharePlay in FaceTime and Messages.

What are your favorite iPadOS 16 features? Let us know in the comments.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

Top Rated Comments

rui no onna Avatar
46 months ago
Lol, 3 out of 5 are M1 only. ???
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yr Blues Avatar
46 months ago
Calculator?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pdaholic Avatar
46 months ago
These windows are small and the apps on the side are taking up too much room. And we have a dock below it all taking up more space. Amazing how Apple is trying to do everything they can to revamp the traditional windows gui, only to make something more cumbersome and resource intensive (we really need an M1 just to do that???).
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Johnny907 Avatar
46 months ago

I have a smaller M1 iPad Pro and am curious if the app windows in Stage Manager view will be too small. It seems like screen space on the left is taken up by app stacks and the usable on-screen space is reduced.

I will download the first public beta to see and I can’t wait ?
They are. Stage Manager on the 11" Pro sucks. The screen becomes cluttered and the apps hanging out on the side of the screen are way too large, take up too much space and are visually distracting. I expect Apple to greatly simply that aspect first in the next beta update. It's not as bad when connected to an external monitor, but so far real world use falls way, way below what was promised in the keynote.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Moonlight Avatar
46 months ago
Stage Manager is the first step to true multitasking on the iPad. Very excited to test it out.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Spinn_ Avatar
46 months ago
Stage Manager looks very useful. I know it is a total pipe dream but I would love it if Apple allows a future iPhone to be plugged into a dock and then have the Stage Manager UI on the external screen.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)