iPadOS 18 is bringing a new feature that will let users format external drives directly from the Files app on their iPad, as discovered by ByteBits‘ Kaleb Cadle (via MacStories).
Now in the Files app on iPadOS 18, when we right click or hold press on an external drive and select “Erase”, new options appear for reformatting the drive. Currently, the format options here are APFS, ExFAT, and MS-DOS (FAT), the same format options available in Disc Utility.
It looks like Apple has ported over the drive formatting functionality from Disc Utility on the Mac to the iPad’s Files app. The ability to completely erase and format an external drive right from an iPad will be a welcome addition, especially for power users.
While the new feature is already available in the latest developer beta, iPadOS 18 won’t start rolling out to the public until later this fall in September. With the final release still months away, Apple could still improve or somehow change the feature during the beta cycle.
Apple announced iPadOS 18 alongside iOS 18 and more at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) earlier this month. Among a slew of other features, iPadOS 18 finally brings a Calculator app to the iPad.
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more importantly, will it let you eject without corrupting????