iPadOS 18: Rumors about features, supported devices and more

Every year, Apple announces a whole host of software updates during WWDC, its developer conference that usually takes place in June, and 2024 will be no different. WWDC 2024 will take place on June 10, and the biggest announcement will probably be iOS 18, as well as significant updates to watchOS 11, macOS 15, tvOS 18 and, of course, iPadOS 18.

Every year, hope returns that Apple will finally live up to its long-standing claims that the iPad can replace the laptop – that the tablet will eventually become a productivity tool like the MacBook Air or, in the case of the iPad, the MacBook Pro.

To be fair, Apple has tried to achieve this, such as Stage Manager, which introduced support for external displays, as well as improved multitasking in iPadOS 16. However, users still want the iPad to be able to do so much more. Will iPadOS 18 exceed what iPadOS 17 was almost able to achieve? With that in mind, here’s what we can expect from the next iPad update.

History so far

PDF notes app for iPadOS 17

(Image: Apple)

As in previous years, in June 2023, Apple unveiled iPadOS 17, the latest and greatest software for iPad. It brought several improvements, many of them borrowed from iOS 17, but welcome nonetheless.

Topping the list is a brand new lock screen with new wallpaper options, interactive widgets, and more. These widgets in particular were a big addition and look great on the iPad’s huge display, which allows you to switch and pause podcasts right on the home screen.

One of the iPad-specific improvements means that the Health app finally arrives on iPad with room for more information and larger graphs for all your data. It syncs with iCloud as expected and is a great way to view health and fitness information.

The Notes app has improved PDF support, allowing you to view rich content directly within the app, while Reminders can sort shopping lists by category to make shopping easier. All the improvements to Messages on iPhone have also been carried over to iPad, including stickers, improved location sharing, and more.

However, when it comes to iPad-exclusive features, iPadOS 17 was a year of the past. Will that change next week?

iPadOS 18: Feature Rumors

iPadOS 18: emphasis on artificial intelligence

It’s impossible to look at iPadOS 18 without referring to some of the features and expectations for iOS 18, especially considering last year’s example. With that in mind, artificial intelligence will likely be a big deal for Apple during WWDC 2024. Exact details about iPadOS 18 have been nearly impossible to find so far, and while iOS 18 leaks are more readily available, they’re still few and far between. However, artificial intelligence is a common topic these days, and Apple knows that multi-language models and chatbots like ChatGPT have started to gain popularity, putting Siri to shame.

In this context, Apple is said to be working on a new artificial intelligence update that will introduce significant improvements to Siri. Reportedly called Ajax GPT, The Information previously reported that the new language is far superior to what even ChatGPT can offer.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also suggested that 2024 will be an important year for Apple in terms of artificial intelligence initiatives.

What’s less clear, however, is what this will all look like in terms of features. Will Siri simply get better at answering questions and interacting with people, or can we expect a big leap in its capabilities? We may have to wait until WWDC in June to find out.

iPadOS 18: Journal app

Journal app for iPhone and iPad

(Image: Apple)

Last year, Apple introduced a new Journal app on iPhone with iOS 17.2, but the app was strangely missing on iPad and Mac. This may change next week.

The Journal app displays prompts for people who have difficulty writing journal entries, giving them ideas for topics to write about. To do this, the application displays the music they listen to, the places they have visited, the photos they have taken and much other information.

The Journal app is the latest addition to Apple’s growing collection of health and mental health apps and services, and there’s no doubt it’ll eventually come to iPad. iPadOS 18 is certainly the update that will make this possible.

iPadOS 18: Calculator app

PCalc on iPad

(Image source: Future)

Although iPhone users have had a Calculator app since the phone’s launch in 2007, the iPad has not had a native Calculator app since its launch in 2010.

However, it seems that not for long. Apple’s Calculator app is reportedly coming to iPadOS 18, finally fixing this glaring omission.

iPadOS 18: What we’d like to see

It’s often difficult to predict Apple’s plans for iPadOS, mainly because Apple doesn’t always know what it wants the tablet to be. However, with the recent launch of the iPad Pro M4 and two iPad Air M2 models in May, it would be great to see gaming as a key feature of iPadOS 18.

The recent rise of gaming with the iPhone 15 Pro and the A17 Pro chip means that so-called console-level gaming is back on the agenda. The M-series iPads also have similar capabilities, and we’d like to see Apple focus more on that.

Siri updates are the obvious answer here, and reports of a focus on AI in 2024 are welcome. Using Siri remains a frustration, whether you’re asking for something more complicated or simply to turn off the light. Improvements need to be made, and iPadOS 18 may bring them.

iPadOS 18: Expected release date

Live activities on iPad 17

(Image: Apple)

Apple has traditionally previewed iPadOS updates at WWDC and then made them available for download in September. We hope that this pattern will continue this year.

This turned out to be the case, and Apple confirmed that WWDC 2024 will take place the week of June 10, during which the conference will “showcase the latest advancements in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS and VisionOS.” iPadOS 18 will likely be available around mid-September.

iPadOS 18: Compatible devices

There’s no telling what Apple will do when it comes to iPad compatibility and new iPad updates, but it’s trying to ensure that even older tablets can be updated. However, there is no guarantee that all new features will be available.

With this in mind, we expect to include the iPad mini 5th generation, iPad 6th generation, and iPad Air 3rd generation or later. The same can be said for the iPad Pro models.

Back in March, MacRumors spotted an X account listing several iPads that were unable to be updated to iPadOS 18. The list included models with the A10X Fusion chip, suggesting that the following models would not be able to update to the upcoming software:

iPad Pro models from 2018 and later (3rd generation)
iPad Air models from 2019 and later (3rd generation)
iPad mini models from 2019 and later (5th generation)
iPad models 2020 and later (8th generation)