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Apple's annual developer conference, WWDC 2026, is happening right now, and there are plenty of announcements covering all of the company's major operating systems.
Apple recently switched to an annual naming convention with its operating systems, naming them after the following year. That includes iPadOS 27, which runs on the company's incredibly popular tablets.
Apple is constantly moving ahead with the iPad, and we know that WWDC 2026, which is likely to be outgoing CEO Tim Cook's last, will feature news and info on the latest version of Apple's slate OS.
The company's big focus with iPadOS 27 seems to be on improvements rather than adding new features, which makes it less exciting at first, but will be great for longtime users with sticking points.
Liquid Glass improvements
Liquid Glass is one of Apple's most divisive design choices in recent memory, and the company is showing no signs of ditching it in iPadOS 27. Instead, the company is leaning into it more with more Liquid-focused icons.
However, Apple is also adding a slider that provides better control over Liquid Glass, allowing you to go more transparent or increase the tint so it's barely transparent.
This seems like a smart design move for iPadOS 27 (and other Apple operating systems), as it allows people who really love the transparent look and feel to lean into it, while everyone else can limit it.
Child Safety features
Apple is making a massive expansion to its parental controls features for iPadOS 27. Screen management time is getting some notable upgrades, and developers will have better access to parental control tools within their apps.
"At Apple, our mission has always been to create technology that empowers people and enriches their lives, while helping keep them safe,” said Sumbul Desai, M.D., Apple’s vice president of Health and Fitness. “Our approach to helping families create safer digital experiences is grounded in the belief that every child is unique."
Apple Intelligence
Apple is running new models that will run both on a server and on your device, which Apple says will offer powerful image understanding and more. The most powerful version of its on-device model will only support iPad devices with M4 chips, so older and more affordable iPads will be left out.
The biggest change here for iPad users is that everything is integrated into the OS, including the new Siri, so you can use speech to find what you're looking for. And of course, it can also go online to find answers and then provide them (much like ChatGPT and other AI chatbots).
Siri AI is Apple's name for its new personal assistant, which seems like the obvious choice. Apple promises more conversational features, a dedicated Siri app and a new visual design for the personal assistant.
The new Siri is more conversational, so you can go back and forth with it to get what you need done. Apple demonstrated how to use the conversation feature to plan a World Cup watch party, including a match schedule, menu items, and even searching conversations to find a suggestion from his daughter.
On iPadOS, Apple showcased a pop-out window showing a conversation with Siri and the Siri AI app. It also showed cross-platform conversations, so if you use an iPad, iPhone or other Apple devices, you can switch between them and keep your AI queries going.
On-screen awareness, a feature discussed previously, sounds useful, but Apple didn't go into much detail on how it will work.
Siri AI will also offer writing advice and a proofreading system-wide, which sounds useful if you write on an iPad.
Apple says privacy is a major focus for its AI features on iPad, which is important.
iPadOS 27 release date
Apple appears to be following its typical release schedule, with Tim Cook rounding out the keynote citing a Fall release date for the latest version of its iPad operating system and the beta is scheduled to launch
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