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Five Useful Features We'd Like to See Added to iPadOS
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Better external display is an absolute must have. When that happens, I won't be able to stand Apple bragging about this new feature. Handling an external display, that's been done for f****** ages mate!
Also, bring on gestures and force touch support for those using an external trackpad.
Also, bring on gestures and force touch support for those using an external trackpad.
Here’s what I would like to see in iPadOS 15:
Improved Multi Window Support
I’d like to see improved app window support, similar to how the new Spotlight Search just appears as a window in front of the home screen. Although freely moving it around would be nice.
Close, Minimize, Full-Screen Buttons
If Safari can have relatively finger sized icons for the back, forward, bookmarks, share, new tab, and multi window buttons, then I think close, minimize, fullscreen can be included in some form.
They don’t have to be “exact” copies like on the Mac, but maybe just a bit bigger for our fingers to use.
I don’t feel this would take away from iPadOS and its simple UI that prioritizes touch. I think it would just enhance the keyboard experience *if* a iPad user chose to use their iPad this way.
Personal
This will differ from person to person, but the following would be useful for me:
- Shortcut that turns off iPad (sometimes i don’t want to raise my hand to use power button lol 😝)
- Pro apps from Apple to encourage other devs to do that same
- I’d like an iPad Pro with the same foot print as the 1st Gen, but with the screen size increased. Again, this will differ from person to person, but I would be in the market for that. I’m sure a few others would be too.
- Widgets on Home Screen
Improved Multi Window Support
I’d like to see improved app window support, similar to how the new Spotlight Search just appears as a window in front of the home screen. Although freely moving it around would be nice.
Close, Minimize, Full-Screen Buttons
If Safari can have relatively finger sized icons for the back, forward, bookmarks, share, new tab, and multi window buttons, then I think close, minimize, fullscreen can be included in some form.
They don’t have to be “exact” copies like on the Mac, but maybe just a bit bigger for our fingers to use.
I don’t feel this would take away from iPadOS and its simple UI that prioritizes touch. I think it would just enhance the keyboard experience *if* a iPad user chose to use their iPad this way.
Personal
This will differ from person to person, but the following would be useful for me:
- Shortcut that turns off iPad (sometimes i don’t want to raise my hand to use power button lol 😝)
- Pro apps from Apple to encourage other devs to do that same
- I’d like an iPad Pro with the same foot print as the 1st Gen, but with the screen size increased. Again, this will differ from person to person, but I would be in the market for that. I’m sure a few others would be too.
- Widgets on Home Screen
I guess I am in the minority here, but I find absolutely no use fo the app library. None of the folders are customizable, cant change the name or move apps to a proper location. I have apps that are categorized incorrectly and I am unable to move them. I have to look through each folder constantly to find an app. I just gave up. I went back to my old method of keeping my apps in my own App Library of folders. If I need to search for something I use spotlight. Muscle memory takes care of the rest. App Library is one feature I do not want to see on my iPad. I would however love widgets 😀
Multi-user support the the feature that I want most! I feel like they are getting a little closer, first with Shared iPad for Education and now Shared iPad for Business. Hopefully they've learned what they need to make Shared iPad for Home.
Then again, Apple won't release a weather or calculator app for iPad, so evidence suggests they just like digging their heals in when it comes to obvious features!
Then again, Apple won't release a weather or calculator app for iPad, so evidence suggests they just like digging their heals in when it comes to obvious features!
Come to think of it, it _would_ be nice to look at the health app and run the watch from the iPad. On the other hand, who wants to manage another sync route? I'm sure the widget stuff will come in soon enough. But probably requires testing with multi window somethin or other on the pad.
Handwriting in other languages than English. So annoying that it‘s been advertised strongly with no word about that it only works in English.
I wish I could swipe to type when using the full size keyboard on the iPad. I can do this on my Android tablet, and it seems to work fine despite the larger format. (On the iPad, I can only do this if I make the keyboard floating.)
Another small thing, but was a little surprised the new emoji search feature in iOS 14 wasn't brought to iPadOS either. (Yes, I know I can just type something and it may suggest an emoji.) It's starting to get a little annoying when I try to do something on my iPad only to realize it's something I can only do on my phone.
Another small thing, but was a little surprised the new emoji search feature in iOS 14 wasn't brought to iPadOS either. (Yes, I know I can just type something and it may suggest an emoji.) It's starting to get a little annoying when I try to do something on my iPad only to realize it's something I can only do on my phone.
Better yet how about the phone app on the iPad so you can manage calls and voicemails easily.
Yeah, multitasking on iPad could be much better.
I'd like:
- Tabs on the Files app, like those that already exist in Safari, with a "+" button to open another tab
- An easier way to open another Files window, I'd like to long press the Files app icon (on the home screen or dock) and then pop up a list of options, one of those being "Open another Files window"
Well they've only been dumbing down MacOS over the past 5 years, with further restrictions and feature reduction, and making it look more like iOS.
But it will take a
Not YET. LOL.
The ability to ‘remove downloaded file’ in the files app for files from iCloud Drive. It’s a pain just leaving things up to iPadOS as to whether it should remove those files for space saving.
Most people are gonna answer you with this: they want to sell as many iPads as possible.
That may be true. But, I think the real reason is that the entry-level iPads — and the iPad pros up until this year — can’t support multiple users because they start out with borderline anemic storage capacity. A family of four trying to store all their apps, data, and messages on the same device are going to be screwed on day one.
“Well then they’re just stupid for not buying the 128GB model instead, and —“ Shut up. This is a ******** defense. I know someone is dying to say it. So, you don’t need to write it, I wrote it for you, even though you’re wrong.
They’re not stupid. How many millions of iPads are sold every quarter? A ****ing lot. The majority of them are sold to users who don’t spend their free time on MacRumors debating Apple’s font choices or getting aroused because apple put 11.8 billion transistors in the new A14 chip.
People buying iPads might be doctors, teachers, work in construction, or be disabled Vets.
Imagine this scenario: Dad goes to go to Target. He sees that the new iPad has multiuser support now. He decides to go for it, and he likely grabs the cheapest model in stock, the 32GB model (which, they don’t know, actually only has 25GB of usable storage). But they trust Apple. Plus, they pay for the extra iCloud, so everything should be fine, right?
He drives home, beaming, because he just bought something really nice, something that the whole family can use. And it was only $329! The kids are gonna be hyped!
Cut to: three hours later, everyone’s frustrated. Dads on the phone with Apple, trying to figure this out. The fourth kid can’t even add his stuff because they’re already getting ”storage full” warnings. Apple support tells Dad that he should probably return it for the 128GB model. Dad mumbles, “**** that, this is no different than Windows ********,” and returns the iPad and does NOT get the 128GB model. His trust in Apple is now eroded.
That’s why there’s no multi-user support. It would make Apple look bad, and it would make them look cheap, which they are.
Last thoughts: My first OG iPad in 2010 had 16GB of storage. Ten years later, the current entry level iPad has 32GB. Ten Freaking Years.
Phone.app on the LTE models. There’s absolutely no reason it can’t be there. I carry my iPad everywhere, and for the few occasions like biking where I have to leave it behind, I could have an Apple Watch.
You probably already know this but, for simple math, the Search function acts as a pretty good calculator and conversion application.And, ya know, a calculator...
I would really like to have the Health/Fitness application and all of its functions made usable on the iPad screen.
Apple with iOS 14 introduced major updates that include a revamped Home Screen with support for widgets, updated widget designs, an App Library for organizing apps, a Translate app, changes to Messages, an overhauled version of Safari, and tons more. Many of these features also came to iPadOS 14, the companion update to iOS 14 that's designed for iPads, but several key features were left out.
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In addition, there are also some obvious and long-desired iPadOS features that continue to be missing from the iPad even 10 years after the first iPad was released. Read on for a rundown of iOS 14 features that weren't brought to the iPad along with a few features we'd really like to see Apple introduce.
Customizable Widgets on the Home Screen
With iOS 14, Apple overhauled widgets, introducing new designs, functionality, and customization choices. These widgets came to iPadOS too, but there's one major feature missing -- the ability to pull a widget out of the Today View and move it onto the Home Screen.
On iPhone, you can grab any widget and add it to the Home Screen right alongside your app icons, but you can't do that on the iPad. Since iPadOS 13 the iPad has had an option to display Today View widgets on the Home Screen, but only in landscape mode and only on the left side of the display.
There is no option to put widgets wherever you want them, and why that feature wasn't added is a total mystery given the extra screen real estate available on the iPad.
App Library
Along with no customizable Home Screen, the App Library is missing from the iPad. On the iPhone, the App Library lets you swipe over to the end of the app pages to get to a screen that has a directory with all of your apps installed for easy access.
That's not available on the iPad, which means accompanying features like the ability to hide app icons and pages from the Home Screen are also not available, so iPad owners just don't get the same level of Home Screen customization.
Translate App
The Translate app is a major iOS 14 addition that adds a dedicated translating app that works with text and spoken translations, with nifty features like a conversation mode for speaking with someone that speaks another language.
Translate is clearly an app that Apple envisions being used with travel, but even though the iPad isn't often a go-to quick access travel device, a Translate app still has the potential to be useful even on the bigger screen. We've had quite a few emails from readers confused as to why the Translate app isn't on the iPad, and we don't have an answer.
iPadOS 14 does include built-in translation features in Safari, as does iOS 14, but this is distinct from the Translate app.
Extended Displays
With the iPad Pro (and the upcoming iPad Air) you can use the USB-C port to plug into an external display, but the feature seems half-baked. When you plug in, your iPad's screen is mirrored on the target display, but it's not shown full screen. There's also no option to shut off the iPad's display when using an attached monitor, which is distracting.
Apple also didn't add an option for extending the display, which would be a more useful option than mirroring. There are a few apps that can do more with a second screen, such as iMovie, but there's no full native support for extending the desktop.
Multi-User Support
10 years after the first iPad launched, there's still no multi-user support, even though Apple has been pushing the iPad as a PC replacement for a few years now. There's no option to share an iPad with someone but have distinct Apple IDs, presumably because Apple wants everyone in the family to have their own iPad to boost sales.
Apple has added multi-user support for classrooms so kids can share iPads between different classes, but it doesn't seem to be a priority for non-educational situations.
Are there other features you would like to see Apple add to the iPad, or that are missing from iPadOS 14? Let us know in the comments.
Article Link: Five Useful Features We'd Like to See Added to iPadOS
