All the latest iPad features to try

Apple released iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 last September after announcing the iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Watch Ultra 2. The updates share plenty of the same features, but not all. For instance, the iPad’s lock screen got a big upgrade, and Stage Manager improvements for better multitasking.

Since the release of iPadOS 17 last fall, Apple has continued to release updates — the most recent of which is iPadOS 17.4 — for its iPad lineup, adding new features and other improvements along the way. Below we’ll walk you through iPadOS 17 and the features the update brought to Apple’s tablet lineup.

What did iPadOS 17 bring to the iPad?

Lots of new features to put to use

We have in-depth coverage of some of the new features in iPadOS 17:

We also reviewed an early build of iPadOS 17 if you want to go more in depth about what it was like actually using the features. But that’s not all iPadOS 17 offers.

Lockscreen, Health app, FaceTime, PDF editing in Notes, and Safari profiles

You can now interact with widgets directly on the home or lock screen to do things like turn off lights or change music without opening the Home or Apple Music app, respectively. The Health app is available on the iPad for the first time, allowing you to monitor your health data and metrics, set medication reminders, or log symptoms.

Like the iPhone, the iPad’s FaceTime app now supports video messages for missed calls, and animated reactions like a thumbs up or a floating heart when you’re on a video call and make the corresponding hand gesture.

Apple also improved how iPadOS handles PDFs, including importing PDFs into the Notes app for editing. Safari now supports profiles — for work and personal, for instance.

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Updating your iPad

Compatibility, preparation and how to install

If you haven’t updated to iPadOS 17 quite yet, that’s alright, you can still update and take full advantage of all the new features. If you have an older iPad and aren’t quite sure if it made the cut to receive the latest update, we have a complete list of the iPads Apple released iPadOS 17 for.

After you’ve checked the list, make sure to create a new backup of your iPad in case things go wrong during the update process. Admittedly, these instructions are for an iPhone, but they’re the same for an iPad. Finally, when you’re ready to take the plunge, here’s how to update your iPad to iPadOS 17.