Here’s a quick tutorial on how to update your iPad to iPadOS 15. For those new to iPad, the following video from Apple will explain what you need to do.
Essentially, head over to Settings > General > Software Update. Then download and install the update. Make sure you have a backup prior to installing the update.
Also, here are all the new features, bug fixes and improvements in iPadOS 15:
Multitasking
The multitasking menu at the top of apps lets you enter Split View, Slide Over, or go full screen
A multiwindow shelf appears within apps giving you quick access to all the open windows
App Switcher now includes Slide Over apps and allows you to create Split View spaces by dragging one app over another
A new option to open a window centred on-screen without leaving your current view in Mail, Messages, Notes, Files and supported third-party apps
Keyboard shortcuts enable you to create a Split View or Slide Over using an external keyboard
Widgets
Widgets can be placed among apps on your Home Screen
Extra-large widget size designed just for iPad
New widgets include Find My, Contacts, App Store, Game Center, and Mail
Suggested layouts include widgets for the apps you use most arranged on your Home Screen
Intelligent widget suggestions automatically appear in your Smart Stack at the right time based on your activity
App Library
App Library automatically organizes the apps on your iPad into an easy-to-navigate view
App Library is available from an icon in the dock
Home Screen pages can be reordered or hidden to fit your needs
Quick Note and Notes
Quick Note lets you take a note from anywhere in iPadOS by swiping your finger or Apple Pencil
Links from an app or web page can be added to your Quick Note to create context
Tags let you easily categorize and organize your notes
The Tag Browser in the sidebar lets you tap any tag or combination of tags to quickly view tagged notes
Activity view gives a summary of updates since the last time you viewed the note, along with a day-to-day list of activity from each collaborator
Mentions let you notify a person in a shared note
FaceTime
Spatial audio makes people’s voices sound like they’re coming from the direction in which they’re positioned on the screen on Group FaceTime calls (iPad with A12 Bionic and later)
Voice Isolation blocks background noises so your voice is crystal clear (iPad with A12 Bionic and later)
Wide Spectrum brings all background noises into your call (iPad with A12 Bionic and later)
Portrait mode blurs your background and puts the focus on you (iPad with A12 Bionic and later)
Grid view displays up to six people at a time in Group FaceTime calls in the same-size tiles and highlights the current speaker
FaceTime links allow you to invite your friends into a FaceTime call, even friends on Android or Windows devices can join from their browser
Messages and Memoji
Shared with You shows content sent to you by friends in Messages conversations in a new section in Photos, Safari, Apple News, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, or the Apple TV app
Pinned content elevates the shared content you choose and makes it more prominent in Shared with You, Messages search, and the Details view of the conversation
Multiple photos sent in Messages are displayed as a glanceable collage or a swipeable stack
Over 40 Memoji outfit choices and up to three different colors to customize your Memoji stickers’s clothing and headwear
Focus
Focus lets you automatically filter notifications based on what you’re currently doing, such as fitness, sleep, gaming, reading, driving, work, or personal time
Focus uses on-device intelligence during set up to suggest apps and people you want to allow notifications from in a Focus
Home Screen pages can be customized to match your apps and widgets to a specific Focus
Contextual suggestions intelligently suggest a Focus based on your context, using signals like location or time of day
Status appears to your contacts in Messages conversations that your notifications are silenced with Focus
Notifications
A new look displays contact photos for people and larger icons for apps
Notification summary delivers a helpful collection of your notifications daily, based on a schedule you set
Notifications can be muted from any app or messaging thread for the next hour, or for the day
Maps
Detailed city maps display elevation, trees, landmarks, crosswalks and turn lanes, 3D views to navigate complex interchanges, and more in San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, and London, with more cities coming in the future (iPad with A12 Bionic and later)
New driving features include a new map for drivers that highlights details like traffic and incidents, and a route planner that lets you view your upcoming journey by choosing a future departure or arrival time
Updated transit experience provides one-tap access to departures near you
Interactive 3D globe shows enhanced details for mountain ranges, deserts, forests, oceans, and more (iPad with A12 Bionic and later)
Redesigned place cards make it easy to learn about and interact with places, and a new home for Guides editorially curates the best recommendations for places you’ll love
Safari
Tab Groups help you save and organize your tabs and easily access them across devices
Start page can be customized with a background image and new sections like Privacy Report, Siri Suggestions, and Shared With You
Web extensions on iPadOS help you personalize your browsing and can be downloaded through the App Store
Voice search lets you search the web using your voice
Translate
The Translate app for iPad is designed for conversations and can work completely offline so your conversations stay private
System-wide translation lets you select text and handwriting throughout iPadOS and translate it with a tap
Auto Translate detects when you start speaking and when you stop in a conversation, automatically translating your speech without tapping the microphone button
Face to face view allows each person to view the conversation from their own side
Live Text
Live Text makes text interactive in all your photos so you can copy and paste, look up, and translate in Photos, Screenshot, Quick Look, Safari, and live previews with Camera (iPad with A12 Bionic and later)
Data detectors for Live Text recognize phone numbers, emails, dates, street addresses, and more in photos so you can take action on them
Spotlight
Rich results brings together all the information you’re looking for on contacts, actors, musicians, movies, and TV shows
Photos can be searched from your photo library by locations, people, scenes, text in the photos or other things in the photos, like a dog or a car
Web image search allows you to search for images of people, animals, monuments, and more
Photos
New look for Memories with a new interactive interface, animated cards with smart, adaptive titles, new animation and transition styles, and multiple image collages
Apple Music can be added to your Memories for Apple Music subscribers, and personalized song suggestions combine expert recommendations with your music tastes and what’s in your photos and videos
Memory mixes let you set the mood by selecting from different songs and a Memory look to match
New memory types include additional international holidays, child-focused memories, trends over time, and improved pet memories
Info pane now displays rich information about the photo like which camera and lens, shutter speed, file size, and more
Visual Look Up recognizes art, landmarks around the works, plants and flowers, books, and dog and cat breeds in your photos so you can learn more about them
Siri
On-device processing means audio of your requests does not leave your device by default, and means Siri is able to process many requests offline (iPad with A12 Bionic and later)
Share items with Siri to send on-screen items like photos, web pages and Maps locations to any of your contacts
Onscreen context can be used by Siri to refer to contacts on screen to send them a message or place a call
On-device personalization allows Siri speech recognition and understanding to improve privately (iPad with A12 Bionic and later)
Privacy
Mail Privacy Protection protects your privacy by preventing email senders from learning about your Mail activity, your IP address or whether you’ve opened their email
Safari Intelligent Tracking Prevention now also prevents trackers from profiling you using your IP address
iCloud+
iCloud+ is a cloud subscription service that gives you premium features and additional iCloud storage
iCloud Private Relay (beta) sends your requests through two separate internet relays and encrypts the internet traffic leaving your device so you can browse Safari in a more secure and private way
Hide My Email lets you create unique, random email addresses that forward to your personal inbox so you can send and receive email without having to share your real email address
HomeKit Secure Video supports connecting more security cameras without using your iCloud storage quota
Custom email domain personalizes your iCloud Mail address and allows you to invite family members to use the same domain
Accessibility
Image exploration with VoiceOver allows you to get even more details about people and objects, and learn about text and table data in photos
VoiceOver image descriptions in Markup let you add your own image descriptions that can be read by VoiceOver
Per-app settings allow you to customize display and text size settings only for the apps you want
Background sounds play balanced, bright, or dark noise, ocean, rain, and stream sounds continuously in the background to mask unwanted environmental or external noise
Sound actions for Switch Control enable you to control your iPad with simple mouth sounds
Audiograms can be imported in Settings so you can customize Headphone Accommodations based on your hearing test results
New Voice Control languages include Mandarin Chinese (China mainland), Cantonese (Hong Kong), French (France), and German (Germany)
Memoji options including a cochlear implant, oxygen tubes, or a soft helmet
This release also includes other features and improvements:
Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking in Apple Music brings an even more immersive experience to Dolby Atmos music with AirPods Pro and AirPods Max
Keyboard shortcut enhancements include more keyboard shortcuts, a redesigned compact look, and better organization by categories
Apple ID Account Recovery Contacts lets you to choose one or more people you trust to help you reset your password and regain access to your account
Temporary iCloud storage grants you as much iCloud storage as you need to create a temporary backup of your data, free of charge, for up to three weeks when you buy a new device
Find My separation alerts notify you if you leave a supported device or item behind and Find My will give you directions to your item
Game highlights of up to the last 15 seconds of gameplay can be saved using game controllers like the Xbox Series X|S Wireless Controller or Sony PS5 DualSense™ Wireless Controller
App Store in-app events help you discover timely events within apps and games such as a game competition, a new movie premiere, or a live-streamed experience
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