Apple is expected to launch iPadOS 27 this Fall, but you can try the upcoming operating system right now via the public beta. While the OS is still a work in progress, it has most of the essential new features coming to the best iPads.

Like iOS 27 and macOS 27, iPadOS 27 is focused on overall system refinements and deeper AI integration. That last bit is especially noteworthy, as there is now a dedicated Siri AI app that functions like a standard chatbot. Beyond answering questions, Siri AI can also take actions on your behalf since it’s integrated into the operating system and works with Apple’s applications.

Though iPadOS 27 isn’t a monumental update, features like the overhauled Siri AI, the Liquid Glass slider, and other quality-of-life improvements make it worthwhile. Here are my impressions of the upcoming iPad operating system and its new features.

iPadOS 27 hands-on preview: Compatible iPads

Here are all the iPads that support iPadOS 27.

• iPad Pro (M4 and later)
• iPad Pro 12.9‑inch (4th generation and later)
• iPad Pro 11‑inch (2nd generation and later)
• iPad Air 13-inch (M2 and later)
• iPad Air 11-inch (M2, M3, and M4)
• iPad Air 11-inch (4th generation and later)
• iPad (A16)
• iPad (9th generation and later)
• iPad mini (A17 Pro)
• iPad mini (6th generation)

iPadOS 27 hands-on preview: New features

Siri AI

Apple Intelligence is finally ready for prime time on the company’s devices. Thanks to the new Siri AI app, you can now interact with Apple’s virtual assistant the same way you would with a chatbot like ChatGPT or Google Gemini. Apple Intelligence runs on both servers and your device to offer better image understanding and more.

There is now a dedicated Siri AI app, which looks and functions like a regular chatbot app. In this window, you can ask Siri questions or have it perform tasks for you. For example, I used Siri to send a message to one of my iMessage group chats, and it did so after my approval. Sure, I could have just done this directly in the group chat, but it’s a good demonstration of what the new Siri can do.

Siri AI also understands what it sees on your screen. When I had the Tom’s Guide homepage open on Google Chrome, it correctly detailed what was on the screen, including all the articles. It couldn’t open the articles or read them out loud (despite saying it could), but given that I’m testing a beta version, I’ll give it an A for effort, even if it failed to complete the task.

Siri is most useful when you’re using Apple’s own apps and programs. It can create events on your calendar, set reminders, play music, and more. For example, when you’re looking at a schedule, you’ll see an “add to calendar” button pop up. When you right-click certain folders, files, or apps, you’ll see an “Ask Siri” option at the bottom. Selecting this will open a window where you can start texting or talking with Siri.

Though Siri can’t yet interact with most third-party applications (such as those from Google), it’s a huge improvement over the old Siri.

Liquid Glass improvements

Liquid Glass hasn’t gone anywhere, as Apple is leaning more into the UI with its latest operating system updates. However, Apple is now giving you greater control over how it looks thanks to a new slider that adjusts the opacity. You can’t eliminate the Liquid Glass look, but you can severely minimize it.

There are other improvements, such as how complex background visuals now appear more diffuse so that text stands out more. You’ll also notice that the edges of icons are more pronounced to help further separate them from the background. The uniform corner radius of all app windows also helps them stand out more.

Even if Liquid Glass hasn’t gone anywhere, even detractors should find the updates tolerable since they do greatly improve overall readability and visibility. The Liquid Glass slider is a nice touch.

I've never had a problem with Liquid Glass because I think it’s an interesting visual effect. That said, I’m glad that folks can now fine-tune it to their liking. The slider is especially neat because it’s easy to use and makes it clear how much of a difference there is when you go from one extreme to the other.

Child safety features

If you’re a parent, you’ll be happy to know that Apple is expanding its parental control features with iPadOS 27. This way, you can let the kiddo use Apple’s tablet without worrying too much about the kind of content they’re watching and for how long they’re using the slate.

Some of these updates include a redesigned and more intuitive Screen Time Dashboard that offers one-tap controls and expanded safeguards. There is also Time Allowances for app categories, Ask to Browsw website approval, Communication Safety that blurs gore or violence, and one-tap access management. You can tailor these features to suit your child.

I don’t have kids but I did find the child safety features simple enough to use and customize. Given how much kids love iPads, it’s smart for Apple to continue making adjustments to these safety features.

iPadOS 27 hands-on preview: Other features

Spatial Reframing: As the name suggests, you can now reframe a photo after it’s been taken thanks to this feature. You can also expand your shots with the Extend Tool and remove objects with the Clean Up tool.

Upgraded Image Playground: Image Playground can now generate higher quality images than before. You can also modify and transform existing images by describing what you want.

Siri in Notes: Siri AI can assist with your handwritten or typed notes in the Notes app by (for example) organizing bullet points into a formatted agenda or turning handwritten lectures into a detailed study guide.

Safari updates: In Safari, tabs can now be automatically grouped by topic to make related pages easier to find. With Safari Notify Me, you can receive an alert if there’s a price change or a restock for an item you’ve been eyeing.

Describe Shortcuts: Instead of manually building complex workflows, you can now describe what you need, and Shortcuts connects actions across multiple apps to make it happen. This is useful if you want to set specific routines, such as launching a specific app when you connect a peripheral.

iPadOS 27 hands-on preview: Outlook

iPadOS 27 won’t set the world on fire with revolutionary new features, but the upgraded Siri AI and deeper Apple Intelligence integrations help make iPads that support the update more useful. This is especially true if you frequently use Apple’s own apps.

Keeping in mind that iPadOS 27 is still a work in progress, I think it’s a smart update that finally sees Apple’s AI ambitions bear fruit. Things could change between now and when the expected Fall launch, but right now, Apple has delivered on its promises for a more helpful and intuitive iPad experience.

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WWDC 26 is in the books (or at least, the keynote is), and as is tradition, we got a good look at OS updates across the Apple ecosystem.

iPadOS 27 is one such release, and developer beta 1 is out as of right now. Here’s what’s new, and why you might want to give it a try — and why you might want to skip it for now.

What’s new in iPadOS 27?

As with iPhone and Mac, the big draw here is the reinvented Siri, which is now much more capable. It’s context-aware, understands what’s on your screen, and can search through your data via on-device processing to find key data from your contacts, messages, Mail, and more.

There are also new child safety features like allowed apps, and a laundry list of tweaks under the hood to things like memory usage, display rendering, and more granularity over the Liquid Glass interface, which debuted last year.

A word of warning

As with any beta, iPadOS or otherwise, you should be wary of features (both new and old) working inconsistently. It’s not uncommon for even a tech giant like Apple to go through multiple rounds of testing before the public beta, which tends to be a little more stable (at least historically speaking).

It’s also possible that running the beta will cause a drop in your battery expectancy. If you find yourself needing to charge more regularly, it could be because you’re on the beta.

Supported iPadOS 27 models

iPadOS 27 is compatible with the following devices:

• iPad Pro 2nd Gen or later
• iPad Air 4th Gen or later
• iPad Mini 6th Gen or later
• iPad 9th Gen or later

It’s worth noting that the new Siri AI features are only supported on M4 or later iPad models.

How to get the iPadOS 27 beta

With those considerations out of the way, the process of enrolling your iPad is very similar to that in prior years.

First, you’ll need to enroll in the Apple Developer Program. You may already be enrolled from prior years, but if not, visit the sign-up page to get the ball rolling.

You’ll need to log your name and address, then set your entity type as an individual. When the payment screen appears, back out, and you’ll be on the free developer tier.

With that done, open your iPad and follow these instructions:

• Open Settings > General > Software Update
• Tap Beta Updates
• Select ‘iPadOS 27 Developer Beta’
• Then download it and install via the on-screen instructions

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• iOS 27 is official: All the new upgrades and features announced at WWDC 2026
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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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WWDC 2026 is closing in on us fast, and that's where Apple is going to spill the beans on all the new software it has coming our way before the end of the year. There's still a lot we don't know about iOS 27 right now, but it sounds like the Safari web browser will be copying a particularly neat trick from Google Chrome.

According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, Apple has started testing a feature that will automatically group tabs in Safari. The ability to group tabs in Safari is nothing new, but this feature will likely take some cues from Google Chrome and start grouping things together without specific directions from the user.

This doesn't mean Safari will be grouping tabs without your permission. Sources say that test versions of iOS 27 feature a button labeled "Organize Tabs" at the top of Safari's interface. So if you want to avoid your tabs becoming an unorganized mess, based solely on when you opened them, it sounds like this will be able to sort everything out with minimal effort on your part.

How automatic tab organization could work

You will apparently have to explicitly choose the automatic grouping option, so the ability to manually organize tabs doesn't seem to be going away. That's beneficial for those of us who prefer to maintain control over what our phone does, rather than handing over the work to AI. However, Gurman notes that even though this feature does seem to involve AI of some kind, it hasn't been listed as part of Apple Intelligence.

That said, I could easily see that changing if Apple wants to renew its AI push following the rumored launch of the Gemini-powered Siri later this year.

The automatic organization will apparently group tabs "into topics you browse," though Gurman doesn't cite any specific examples of how the system will decide what goes where. Presumably, things will be somewhat open-ended, with the ability to group tabs dynamically without adhering to a fixed list of topics.

Gurman also reiterates previous reports that iOS 27 won't undo the controversial changes made with iOS 26 and the launch of Liquid Glass. He claims that Apple will be refining the new design, with additional options to customize the effect. Gurman also believes that, despite the online backlash, Liquid Glass has "been a net positive" for Apple. It's unlikely that he's alone in that assessment.

WWDC 2026 kicks off with a keynote address on June 8, and it's here that Apple will reveal what it has planned for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, and all the other pieces of software Apple devices rely on. Be sure to read our WWDC 2026 preview for the latest news and rumors, plus what we expect to see from the conference.

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If you or someone you love just came into possession of a new iPad, congratulations! I've been reviewing tablets for ages here at Tom's Guide, and I feel like Apple's iPads are among the best tablets on the market right now. They're light and long-lasting, with lovely touchscreens and enough speed to run any app in Apple's massive App Store.

They make for great gifts, but the iPad interface is so minimal and intuitive that there's a slew of useful features you might take months to find if you didn't know about them. With that in mind, I figured I could quickly help you make your new iPad your own by walking you through my 5 favorite iPad features you should master to make the most of your new tablet.

We've written a lot about iPads over the years, so in this guide, I tried to specifically focus on useful features that aren't easy to find unless you know where to look. So, whether you have a new iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro, or an iPad mini, I have some quick tips on how to make it your own!

Customize your home screen

As you swipe around your home screen, you'll see all the apps you've downloaded lined up in neat little rows. You can let your iPad manage all this automatically, but if you'd like to customize your home screen, there's an easy (yet oddly hard to find) way to do so.

To start customizing your home screen, simply press and hold your finger on any empty space on your tablet's home screen until you see the icons start to shake. At this point, you can tap and drag them around to reorganize them, but you can do a lot more than that if you hit that tiny "Edit" button in the upper-left corner of the screen.

I can't tell you how many times I've had family tell me they never even saw that button, because it's awfully tiny. But if you tap and hold the home screen until the icons start to jiggle and then hit the Edit button, you can do a lot more: change your wallpaper, adjust your light/dark mode settings and lay down Widgets on your home screen.

Don't know about Widgets? You will soon!

Lay down some Widgets

Widgets are blocks you can put on your home screen that will display useful information and update in real time. They debuted with iPadOS 17 a few years ago, and now they're really robust and useful.

To start putting Widgets on your home screen, you just hold your finger on an empty space until you enter edit mode (when the icons start jiggling) and then hit the Edit button in the top-left corner.

That will open the Widgets menu, where you'll see a big list of apps you have that you can scroll through to pick out Widgets. Apple's apps have great Widget support with lots of options, but nowadays, many third-party apps do too. You can also put active Widgets on your iPad's lock screen, so you can stay on top of key details like your calendar or to-do list even when your iPad is locked.

Turn on "Find My iPad"

Next, let's ensure you have a little peace of mind if you ever misplace your iPad or leave it somewhere.

Apple has a robust tracking system in the form of "Find My", an app that you can use to track the location of your enrolled Apple devices in real time. It's super useful, but a lot of new iPad users don't even know it exists.

To enable Find My for your iPad, open the Settings app, then tap your name in the upper-left corner. Navigate to the Find My menu and make sure the "Find My iPad" setting is turned on. From within this menu, you can also choose to share your iPad's location with family and friends.

Master multitasking

Your iPad is great for focusing on a specific app or task, but there are some advanced multitasking features you can use to access multiple apps simultaneously. I love doing this when I need to reference something while working or if I want to chat with a friend while watching something, and I think you will too.

The trick is finding and mastering these tools, because they're not well-explained if you don't dig into Apple's guides and menus. To access your iPad's multitasking settings, open the Settings app and navigate to the Multitasking & Gestures submenu.

From here, you can (at least as of iPadOS 26) pick and choose one of three different ways to multitask. The "Full Screen Apps" setting is the default and also the most restrictive, as you can only view one app at a time in full-screen mode. So basically, you can only multitask by quickly switching between apps.

The second "Windowed Apps" option makes your iPad work a bit more like a Mac or a Windows PC. When working in this multitasking mode, you can have multiple apps open on your screen at once, and you can change their size or move them by tapping and dragging on the corners of the app.

The final option is "Stage Manager," and it's something totally unique to your iPad. When working in Stage Manager mode, you can center one app on your iPad while the other open apps are listed as small icons along the side of the screen. When you want to switch apps, you just tap the icon of the app you want to look at, and it immediately leaps to the fore. Check out our how to use Stage Manager on iPad guide for step-by-step instructions and more tips!

Make your Control Center your own

There's a really useful Control Center menu built into your iPad that you can customize so it has just the controls you really want, and none that you don't. But if you didn't know where to look, you might take a while to even realize it exists.

See, to access the Control Center, you have to drag your finger down from the upper-right corner of your iPad. It can take a few tries to get it right and stop pulling down the notifications pane by accident (which happens if you drag your finger down from the top of the screen elsewhere), but once you get the hang of it, summoning the Control Center gives you quick access to useful features like volume and Wi-Fi controls, your music library, your smart home settings and more.

You can customize your Control Center by dragging your finger down from the upper-right corner to summon it and then tapping the small plus (+) icon in the upper-left corner of the menu. This will turn on editing mode, and you can then tap and drag controls around to reorganize your Control Center. You can also tap the minus (-) icon to remove a control, or tap the thick edge of the control and drag it to change the size of the control.

Once I got the hang of using the Command Center, it became my go-to tool for quickly doing things like playing music or turning on smart lights in my apartment. I hope you find it equally useful!

Master these five sometimes hard-to-find features, and you're well on your way to making your new iPad your own. I hope you found these tips useful, and if you have your own advice for new iPad owners, share it in the comments below!

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Apple used WWDC 2025 to introduce us to new versions of iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Vision Pro software. And to make sure we didn't forget about Apple Intelligence.

This year's updates will deliver a unified Liquid Glass interface across different platforms as well as a common naming convention.

Instead of version numbers, Apple's software will now reflect the year that each update will run through — hence, we'll be getting iOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, iPadOS 26, tvOS 26 and visionOS 26 later this year.

But more important than the new names are the new looks Apple is introducing with each update. The Liquid Glass design features translucent menus, glossy icons and rounded controls, along with streamlined menus that look to create a seamless experience as you move from one Apple device to the next.

Besides the interface overhaul, some of the software updates are gaining new features specific to their platform. Other features, like a new Games app, will appear across multiple software updates such as iOS, iPadOS and macOS.

WWDC 2025 announcements in brief

Here's what Apple had to say about each of its software updates, which are available as developer betas starting today (June 9). Public betas will follow in July ahead of the full releases coming later this fall.

iOS 26: There are changes throughout Apple's iPhone software, with the Phone app in particular getting features that will help you better screen phone calls. Messages gets a number of new tools, highlighted by Polls in group chats. The Camera app is getting more streamlined menus to make the view finder less crowded, and iPhones that support Apple Intelligence will benefit from improvements to Visual Intelligence and more.

watchOS 26: A Workout Buddy app now analyzes your workout data to highlight your goals and offer words of encouragement as you exercise. (Yes, there's a voice component.) Apple is also introducing improvements to the Workouts app and Smart Stacks feature while bringing a new Wrist Flick feature for dismissing notifications.

tvOS 26: Most of the changes in tvOS related to the new Liquid Glass design, though Apple is delivering profiles that make it easier to jump to your favorite shows and movies. The Apple Music Sing feature now lets you turn your iPhone into a microphone for sing-along sessions.

macOS 26: Also known as macOS Tahoe, this year's Mac software update delivers improved ways of searching for and organizing your files. The Shortcuts app is also getting a boost that will tap into AI for creating routines while Spotlight is also becoming more context aware of the app you're working in when you search for files on your Mac.

iPadOS 26: The biggest change to Apple's tablet software involves improved multitasking with a new windowing system that lets you more easily resize and switch between windows of different apps. Apple is also introducing audio and video improvements that should appeal to anyone who uses their iPad to create content like podcasts.

visionOS 26: Apple will bring widgets to its Vision Pro headset, along with shared spatial experiences that let you watch movies and play games with other Vision Pro-wearing people around you.

In addition to those software improvements, Apple plans new Apple Intelligence updates, highlighted by a translation feature that will pop up in phone calls, FaceTime sessions and texts where you might need real-time translations.

What to expect at WWDC 2025

Stay up to date on the latest WWDC 2025 rumors with this look at all the last-minute claims and predictions that we’ve heard about, courtesy of Mark Spoonauer. In addition to a round-up of potential software changes, Mark also looks at whether Apple will surprise us with any hardware news at WWDC.

Mark Gurman’s WWDC announcement forecast

There are few better sources for pending Apple announcements than Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, and just ahead of WWDC’s kickoff, he posted a list of two dozen or so upgrades and updates. We’ve boiled it down to key WWDC 2025 announcements. Here they are in brief:

• A unified interface and naming convention across all of Apple’s software platforms
• Big redesigns for the Phone, Camera and Safari apps on the iPhone
• A dedicated games app on iOS
• Improved multitasking for iPadOS
• Support for eye-scrolling and third-party controllers in visionOS
• Synced Wi-Fi network logins across different Apple platforms
• AI-based translation features coming via Apple Intelligence
• Developers get access to Apple’s AI models to build AI features into their apps
• A Genmoji update that lets you mash together existing emoji
• Updated Shortcuts app with greater Apple Intelligence tie-ins

We’ll have more on these potential announcements and more throughout the hours leading up to the WWDC 2025 keynote.

Get ready for Solarium

The big news out of WWDC figures to be an interface overhaul for all of Apple’s software, with the new look being called “Solarium” within the walls of Cuperinto.

That code-name provides something of a hint as to what features are coming via the redesign — a solarium is an enclosure with a lot of glass, allowing light to pass through. Think translucent panels and menus appearing in the next versions of iOS, macOS and more.

The new look is apparently inspired by Apple’s visionOS, and if you’ve never had a chance to try on the headsets powered by that software, be sure to read our Apple Vision Pro review, paying particular mind to the section on the software interface.

If you want a look at how Solarium might impact the look of your Apple devices, Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech has put together some sample iOS screenshots based on pre-release builds of Apple’s upcoming iPhone software. Besides the translucent menus, we’re seeing design touches like rounded icons and controls, search bars moving to the bottom of Apple’s built-in apps and more.

Name changes: iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and more

We thought WWDC 2025 would bring us iOS 19, watchOS 12, macOS 16 etc. We’re still getting previews of those updates, but they may arrive under different names.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman broke the news last month that Apple may move to a new naming system for its software releases. The current approach just uses the version number, but Apple is reportedly ready to move to a year-based system.

So, instead of iOS 19, the version of the iPhone software we’re going to see at WWDC will likely be iOS 26.

We’ll have to wait for an official explanation from Apple for the change, but we’re guessing this is a move to stress a uniform experience across Apple devices — much like the software overhaul that figures to be a big part of WWDC, too.

How big will the interface overhaul be?

In his reporting on Apple’s Solarium plans — specifically the changes coming to the iOS software — Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has called the new look potentially “the most dramatic overhaul” in Apple’s history.

It’s certainly the biggest change to the look of Apple’s phone software in a long time, as the basic elements of the iPhone software have pretty much remained in place since iOS 7. That’s a dozen years.

I’m not typically inclined to embrace change — particularly widespread change — but heading into WWDC 2025, I’m pretty sanguine about the new interface. Yes, iOS 19 (or iOS 26 if you prefer) is going to look different from what’s come before it. But from what I’ve seen of interface renders, the software is largely going to operate the same way.

With the exception of the search bar moving to the bottom of the screen, most of what you already have in the iPhone software will still be there — it’ll just look different.

At least that’s my hope ahead of the iOS preview.

tvOS 26 in the spotlight

tvOS is often the forgotten software update at WWDC, but I don’t think that will be the case this year. Along with the rest of Apple’s software, the operating system that powers the Apple TV set-top box is slated for a new look. (And a new name as well, with tvOS 26 taking the place of tvOS 19.

Interface changes include translucent menus, a new glossy glass look, and rounded icons in tvOS that are forecasted for other Apple software. The updated interface could also herald the arrival of a new Apple TV device, though we likely won’t find out about that until later in the year. You’d imagine that tvOS might also power the screen-equipped version of the HomePod that’s supposedly in the works from Apple as well.

What’s coming with watchOS

Whether you call it watchOS 12 or watchOS 26, Apple’s smart watch software is going to get a preview at WWDC. And while the redesign affecting all Apple software should also be visible on the Apple Watch — particularly the glassy look that’s expected to mirror the visionOS interface — some other watchOS changes could be in store.

Specifically, it’s rumored some sort of blood-pressure monitoring feature could find its way to the Apple Watch. We’d also expect some sort of new training metric — maybe a daily energy score to match a feature found on watches and fitness trackers from Samsung, Google and Garmin.

And while Apple Intelligence figures to take a back seat at WWDC this year, some AI-powered features could debut on the Apple Watch. It’s rumored that AI-powered notification summaries could appear on the Apple Watch as part of this watchOS update.

Software update release schedule

Keep in mind all the previews we’re going to see at WWDC 2025 are exactly that — previews of full releases that will be coming out later this year. But based on Apple’s recent track record of software updates, we can go into WWDC with some expectation as to how the iOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26 and iPadOS 26 updates will roll out.

This week — possibly as soon as Monday’s keynote ends — Apple will release developer betas. You used to have to be a paying member of Apple’s developer program to download these betas, but lately, just having an Apple ID will suffice. That said, the betas coming out during WWDC will be very early stage, and you’ll likely want to avoid installing them on any device you rely on as part of your daily routine.

Better to wait for the public beta program to launch. That typically takes place a few weeks after WWDC — either the end of June or the start of July. Public beta updates will appear throughout the summer.

The full releases typically show up in the fall, around the same time as Apple’s new iPhones and Apple Watches appear. Our best guess to the iPhone 17 release date is an event taking place during the second week of September — again, that’s based on Apple’s track record. Assuming the phones ship a week to 10 days later, you’d certainly imagine that iOS 26 — and all the other software updates — would arrive a few days before that.

A glasses sneak preview?

Apple isn't expected to have a pair of smart glasses ready until the end of 2026, according to reports. But one thing we do know is that Apple is very keen on releasing such a product, taking what it's learned from the Vision Pro and bringing that spatial computing experience to a more affordable piece of hardware that more people are likely to wear. By some accounts, this is what CEO Tim Cook is focused on.

So do smart glasses get any sort of mention at WWDC 2025? Probably not. The launch window is too far off, and Apple is pretty circumspect when it comes to unannounced products.

That said, if Apple is seriously about mixed reality glasses, it's going to need developer support, and those developers will need to get cracking on apps at some point so that they're ready by the time the Apple Glasses are ready to ship. At some point, you'd expect some sort of outreach to developers, most likely at WWDC.

It's not unprecedented, after all. Apple showed off the Vision Pro headset at WWDC 2023 — some eight months before the hardware went on sale. You could easily see smart glasses taking a similar route to retail shelves, with a big preview at a developer event to get people thinking about software for the devices.

But again, that seems more likely for WWDC 2026 than this year. Still, keep it in the back of your mind, if you're trying to anticipate possible surprise announcements during Monday's keynote.

Games take center stage

Apple does have a gaming app of sorts in the form of Game Center, though it's really more a setting for managing lists of your gaming friends and tracking high scores in different games. But gaming will take a far more front-and-center role, particularly on the new version of iOS, with Apple likely to announce a standalone gaming app at WWDC.

As described in reports on Apple's gaming app plans, the new offering would offer similar services to the current Game Center, letting you connect to other players and log your achievements in specific games. But this rumored gaming app will supposedly let you launch games directly, and it's also supposed to promote the Apple Arcade subscription gaming service.

You can certainly expect to see the app on iPhones, should it arrive as expected, but I can see it as part of the iPadOS and macOS updates, too. Perhaps even tvOS as Apple has used its Apple TV platform as a place to play games as well.

What Apple needs to do with its iOS update

We can talk about what's rumored for iOS 26 and what we'll see when Apple previews its new iPhone software this week. But my colleague Josh Render believes Apple has some unfinished business from iOS 18 — namely beefing up Apple Intelligence and delivering a more robust Siri.

On tap for the iPad

iPadOS updates often get overshadowed by iOS — after all, the iPad software is really just the iPhone software but fine-tuned to run on Apple's tablets. But sometimes, Apple includes some iPad-specific changes that aren't a part of iOS, and that appears to be the case with iPadOS 26.

In addition to interface changes, reports have Apple boosting the multitasking features available to iPad users with this update. There's been talk of a menu bar coming to iPads similar to what macOS offers, but specifics on how multitasking will improve with iPadOS 26 remain up in the air.

There's another potential change set for both the iPhone and iPad, though you would imagine the iPad would reap the bigger benefit — the addition of a mobile version of the Preview app. That's a mainstay on the Mac, of course, but an iPad version would let you view, edit and annotate PDFs from your tablet. For its part, 9to5Mac says its sources have confirmed the addition of Preview to the iPad, along with more robust file management features.

iOS 26 supported devices

The arrival of any new iPhone software raises the question of which devices will be able to upgrade to the new version and which will be left behind. Based on early reports, it sounds like a few aging iPhone may get left off the list of iOS 26 supported devices.

Specifically, it's expected that the iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will be on the outside looking in once the full version of iOS 26 arrives this fall. That's sort of understandable — by the time Apple's new software is ready for download, it will have been seven years since those phones debuted.

Google and Samsung now promise seven years of software and security support for their top devices. Apple doesn't have an official policy in place, but five years seems to be the minimum and lately, older iPhones have been retaining compatibility for around six years.

At least if you're clinging on to an iPhone XR or one of the XS models, you've got a few months to decide which of the best iPhones to upgrade to — assuming you want to make the jump to iOS 26.

Is this the new name for macOS?

It’s not just a question of whether Apple is going to call its new Mac software macoS 16 or macOS 26. There’s also the matter of what California city/landmark/point of interest gets used as the nickname for this year’s update.

Dating back to 2013’s OS X 10.9, Apple stopped using big cats as the nomenclature for its annual OS updates and instead turned to the California-based naming system, dubbing that release Mac OS Mavericks, after the surfing spot off the California coast. Since then, we’ve had a dozen updates culminating in last year’s macOS Sequoia release.

If you’re interested, here’s the complete list.

• Mavericks
• Yosemite
• El Capitan
• Sierra
• High Sierra
• Mojave
• Catalina
• Big Sur
• Monterey
• Ventura
• Sonoma
• Sequoia

A Mark Gurman report from earlier this month lists macOS Tahoe as the likely name for the new update. And that makes sense, in light of the Solarium code-name Apple is using for its interface overhaul. After all, Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border is known for its crystal blue waters, much like the glassy, reflective look Apple is rumored to be bringing to its software this year.

iPadOS 26 compatibility

From the sound of reports involving iPadOS 26, only one tablet is set to lose compatibility when the new iPad software arrives later this year. Apparently, only the 7th-generation iPad — also known as the iPad 10.2 — won't make the grade for iOS 26 compatibility. Considering that tablet came out in 2019, that's a pretty good track record of support.

So what iPads will support iOS 26? Here's the current models that are expected to make the grade:

• iPad Pro (2018 or later)
• iPad Air (3rd generation or later)
• iPad mini (5th generation or later)
• iPad (8th generation and later)

iOS 26: AI for better battery life

As part of the iOS 26 update, your iPhone could add a new charging feature that will be familiar to Android users — a better idea of how long it will take to top off your phone's battery.

The rumored power management feature coming via this year's iOS update will reportedly draw on AI to look at your phone usage, determining which apps can be deprioritized to reduce power draw. The end result is that your phone will adjust on the fly so that your battery life remains solid for longer.

Here's the part that would mimic a feature found on Android phones. As part of iOS 26, a charging time indicator could come to the lock screen that will list how much time it will take to fully charge your iPhone.

Tariff talk

It won't come up at WWDC 2025, but this year's conference takes place as Apple finds itself trying to mitigate the effects of tariffs being imposed — or threatened — by the Trump administration. CEO Tim Cook told analysts that Apple estimates tariffs adding $900 million to the company's costs in the current quarter as it shifts around production. And just a few weeks ahead of WWDC, President Trump raised the prospect of imposing a 25% tariff on Apple products (including the iPhone) unless they're manufactured in the U.S.

That could translate to higher iPhone costs come the fall when the iPhone 17 lineup debuts, though Apple will reportedly go out of its way to not ascribe any blame to tariffs.

Again, none of the above figures to be a part of Apple's keynote on Monday. Though if Tim Cook does spend any time talking up Apple's plans to invest $500 billion over the next four years on U.S. expansion efforts including manufacturing, you'll know the message is intended for an audience of one.

macOS 26 rumored supported devices

If reports about macOS 26 support are true, the release of that software update later this year will truly put a pin in the Intel-based Mac era. Among currently supported Macs, it sounds as if those with Intel chips are the ones that won't be able to run the new software.

Here's the list of Macs that are set to lose support with macOS 26, according to rumors.

• 2017 iMac Pro
• 2018 Mac mini
• 2018 MacBook Pro models
• 2020 MacBook Air (with Intel chips)

The most recent device on the no-no list is the 2020 MacBook Air, and even then, the lack of support only affects Intel-based versions of the laptop.

By the process of elimination then, here are the Macs that can run Sequoia that should also be running macOS Tahoe later this year:

• 2019 MacBook Pro 2019 or later
• 2019 Mac Pro or later
• 2020 iMac or later
• MacBook Air M1 or later
• Mac mini M1 or later
• Mac Studio — all models

Software accessibility improvements

Apple doesn't always wait until WWDC to let you know what software improvements are coming. As part of Global Accessibility Awareness Day back in May, Apple announced software improvements coming later this year to all its different platforms, with the goal of making its devices more accessible.

Highlights include accessibility "nutrition labels" on offerings in the App Store that will detail accessibility features for each app. macOS is getting a Magnifier feature to help you read small print, similar to the tool that's already on the iPhone and iPad. You'll also be able to open any app on an iPhone, iPad, Mac or Vision Pro by typing with Braille Screen Input or a connected braille device.

There's a new Accessibility Reader coming to Apple devices that simplifies text for users with low-vision, dyslexia and other conditions. And Live Captions are coming to the Apple Watch.

We've got a full list of these accessibility features announced last month.

And the winners are

Another WWDC announcement that came early this year involved the Apple Design Awards. Apple normally announces those during the week of its developer conference, and it still plans to honor the winners at the 2025 event. But the winners and finalists were unveiled in the build-up to this week's WWDC.

All told, Apple recognizes two winners — an app and a game — in six different categories: Delight and Fun, Inclusivity, Innovation, Interaction, Social Impact, Visuals and Graphics.

Expect to hear more about the winning apps as WWDC week goes on.

Get ready for 'Liquid Glass'

Hey, it's Mark Spoonauer, and I'm in Cupertino ahead of WWDC 2025 for Apple's big event.

Apple is about to introduce a pretty major change to the look and feel of its interface, and it looks like it's going to be called Liquid Glass.

As reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Liquid Glass will "include transparency and shine effects in all of Apple’s tool bars, in-app interfaces and controls."

This is not just about the iPhone 17 series and iPhone 17 Air but also Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone for 2027, which will reportedly sport curved glass sides around the whole phone, super slim bezels and no notch at all.

iOS 26 Messages upgrades

There's apparently two notable upgrades coming to the Messages app in iOS 26.

The first is the ability to create polls, which could come in handy for things like deciding where to get dinner. This is a feature that's already available in WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

The second new rumored iOS 26 Messages feature is the ability to set a background image for your conversations. This could be a lot of fun so long as it's easy to use.

WatchOS 26 supported models

Rumors have been pretty clear about which iPads, iPhones and Macs are expected to support the latest software updates coming later this year for Apple. It's a lot less clear with watchOS 26.

The current version — watchOS 11 — works on the Apple Watch 6 or later, as well as the Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) and any Apple Watch Ultra model. But the Apple Watch 6, which came out in 2020, may be running out of time. Our best guess is that watchOS 26 will support the Apple Watch 7 or later as well as the 2022 Apple Watch SE and every Apple Watch Ultra model.

We'll find out if we're right later today.

iOS 26 Notes update

Arguably, Notes is the app I rely on the most when using my iPhone. I use it to jot down notes when I'm covering events, tasks that I want to take care of during a given week and even research into upcoming vacations. And though a lot of the chances in iOS 26 are supposed to focus on a new interface, there are new features apparently coming to select apps including Notes.

9to5Mac reports that the Notes app is gaining the ability to export Notes in Markdown. That's a particularly popular format for online writers, including a lot of the ones that work with yours truly. So maybe Markdown support isn't at the top of your iOS 26 wish list, but it's a big deal among the creatives that make up Apple's core audience.

Tim Cook checks in

If you're wondering how Tim Cook spent his day ahead of the WWDC keynote — other than rehearsals probably — the Apple CEO checked in with an X post from the company's Swift Student Challenge recognizing young coders.

Apple Intelligence’s ‘gap year’

Apple Intelligence was the story at WWDC 2024, as Apple previewed its upcoming suite of AI tools. And while many of those arrived as part of Apple Intelligence’s staggered rollout starting last October, several key updates — including a smarter, AI-powered Siri — remain missing in action.

Apple figures to discuss some Apple Intelligence updates in this year’s developer conference, but the consensus expectation is that it won’t be to the extent that we heard about AI last year. You can certainly understand the thinking — Apple took a lot of heat for treating the Siri updates as a done deal, so it’s likely wary of talking up any feature it can’t guarantee the launch of in a timely fashion.

Still, I think Apple runs some risks by not giving AI more of a role at WWDC 2025. Besides the loss of momentum, there’s the fact that Apple lags behind Google and Samsung when it comes to integrating meaningful AI features into its products. And that perception could deepen if WWDC doesn’t at least address AI in some way.

New hardware or not?

New hardware isn’t unheard of at WWDC. Just two years ago, WWDC 2023 gave us a preview of the Vision Pro headset, a bigger screen 15-inch MacBook Air and the Mac Studio. The year before, we had a MacBook Air launch.

That said, most of the chatter around this year’s WWDC is about software changes, not hardware releases. So I’d be very surprised if Apple takes the time out what figures to be a busy keynote to talk about new products.

In the event that I’m wrong, though — it happens more than I care to admit — any product that Apple does show off at WWDC 2025 is likely to be one that appeals to the developers in the audience. That’s why a Mac Pro powered by an M4 chip is probably the most likely hardware announcement, as that’s a desktop machine that’s big among people who build software. But even then, it’s a remote possibility as that machine may not ship until later in the year.

So if you’re planning on tuning into WWDC 2025 with new hardware on the brain, adjust your expectations accordingly.

AirPods updates

We’re not likely to see new AirPods at WWDC. Wireless earbuds are the kind of consumer-facing product Apple launches when it’s having a phone or tablet rollout. But the software updates getting previewed this week — specifically, iOS, iPadOS and macOS — could bring some AirPod-enhancing features.

For starters, Apple could increase the number of hands-free controls for your earbuds to join already supported features like shaking your head to accept or decline calls. Similarly, there’s talk of a Camera Control-esque feature coming to the AirPods that would trigger the camera on your phone when you squeeze the AirPods’ stem.

Other rumored AirPod additions include a sleep detection feature that would automatically pause playback if you start dozing. (The rumor’s less clear on how the AirPods would figure that out.) And there could be new pairing features that allow you to pair Apple’s earbuds with shared iPads — ideal in classroom settings.

What's happening with visionOS 26?

With the big new redesign reportedly taking inspiration from Apple's mixed reality software, it makes you wonder what Apple may have in store for visionOS 26 itself.

We're not expecting much in the way of design changes, for obvious reasons, though reports say that we will get some "minor design changes." It's unclear what they might be, but presumably it will be to ensure greater consistency with the rest of the Apple ecosystem.

Bloomberg also reports that the new version will be "feature-packed." Some of the rumored features include eye-scrolling, which should be a nice upgrade from the existing eye-tracking software, and support for third party VR controllers — including Sony's PSVR 2.

There's also word of better accessibility and the addition of Apple Intelligence, both of which are sorely needed on Apple's headset.

iOS 26 should be used to make AI easier to access

If you've ever tried to use AI features on a phone, you may be painfully aware of how difficult some of them are to find and use. To the point where you have to do a bunch of research to figure it out, making AI feel a lot like homework.

So things need to be a lot easier, and UK Phones Editor Tom Pritchard thinks that the upcoming iOS 26 design upgrade should take this into consideration — and make it a lot simpler to get to grips with AI features. Because if phone makers like Apple don't do this, then the number of people actually using AI features is going to be a lot smaller than it could be.

Apple Design Award winners are confirmed for WWDC 2025

WWDC is primarily a developer conference, and each year Apple uses the event to celebrate the winners of the Apple Design Awards. The awards are meant to celebrate the best apps and games available in the App Store, with a focus on "innovation and ingenuity" rather than the number of downloads.

There are 6 categories with 2 winners each (an app and a game), for a total of 12. They are:

• Delight and Fun - CapWords by HappyPlan Tech
• Delight and Fun - Balatro by LocalThunk
• Innovation - Play by Rabbit 3 Times
• Innovation - PBJ — The Musical by Philipp Stollenmayer
• Interaction - Taobao by Zhejiang Taobao Network
• Interaction - DREDGE by Black Salt Games
• Inclusivity - Speechify by Speechify
• Inclusivity - Art of Fauna by Klemens Strasser
• Social Impact - Watch Duty by Sherwood Forestry Service
• Social Impact - Neva by Developer Digital
• Visuals and Graphics - Feather: Draw in 3D by Sketchsoft
• Visuals and Graphics - Infinity Nikki by Infold Games

What Apple can learn from Google

My colleague John Velasco is a big fan of many of the AI-powered features on Google’s current lineup of Pixel phones — he’s right, too, as Google probably has the most polished AI suite of all the phone makers. And he sees a few Pixel 9 AI features Apple should copy for iOS 26 if the company wants to bolster Apple Intelligence.

One of John’s recommendations resonates with me, in particular: Call Screen. This is the Pixel feature that uses Google AI to essentially screen your calls, with an AI assistant asking the person on the other end of the line why they’re calling and delivering any contextual responses that you select.

The closest the iPhone has to anything like that is Live Voicemail, which arrived with iOS 17. When you get an incoming call from an unknown number, you can send it to voicemail, and the transcribed message will appear in close to real time on your iPhone’s display, just in case it turns out to be something important.

That’s not a bad alternative, but it still requires some intervention on your part to send the call to vociemail and then make sure your phone is unlocked so you can see the message transcription. A version of Google’s Call Screen would be far more immediate.

Last minute rumor could reveal if your Apple Watch gets watchOS 26 or not

If you're the proud owner of an Apple Watch, and anticipating the new watchOS 26 upgrade, you may be wondering whether your wearable will even get the new software. According to a new leak, 8 Apple Watches will be getting watchOS 26 when it arrives later this year.

• Apple Watch Series 6
• Apple Watch Series 7
• Apple Watch Series 8
• Apple Watch Series 9
• Apple Watch Series 10
• Apple Watch Ultra
• Apple Watch Ultra 2
• Apple Watch SE (2nd generation)

If the list looks familiar, it's because they're the same 8 models that got upgraded to watchOS 11 last year. So those of you with an Apple Watch 4 or Apple Watch 5 won't magically be able to upgrade, but Apple Watch 6 owners still get an extra year of software support.

Will iPadOS get the productivity upgrades it needs?

Early rumors didn't paint Apple's design upgrade as quite such a big thing. In fact it was originally expected to be a way for Apple to close the gap between iPadOS and macOS, potentially cementing the tablets' productivity prowess in the process.

Part of that update was to focus on productivity itself, alongside improved multitasking and app window management. While the specifics weren't really elaborated on at the time, a lot of us hoped that this would at least allow users to have multiple app windows open and the ability to place them freely — rather than in the confines of Apple's pre-set layouts.

Whether those changes could make an iPad rival the capabilities of a Macbook aren't clear. But as someone that has resorted to working on an iPad on the go, I can say that these kinds of improvements are sorely needed. Especially if Apple wants to make sure the tablets aren't just glorified reading and streaming devices.

Apple can't afford to give Apple Intelligence a year off

Word is that Apple Intelligence is not going to be a major part of this year's WWDC 2025, and we're still waiting for features announced at last year's conference to materialize. To the point where people suspect Apple will be taking a break from AI, at least for the immediate future.

My colleague Tom Pritchard has argued that this is a very bad idea, and the exact opposite of what Apple should be doing. The company has a muddied, albeit short, history with AI, since it jumped on the bandwagon much later than the likes of Google and OpenAI. To the point where its attempts to catch up are reportedly only causing more problems.

But as much as Apple may want to take a break, its competitors are still pumping out new updates and features all the time. If Apple ever wants to catch up and better compete, it can't afford to sit back and let itself fall even further behind. And WWDC 2025 is the place Apple has to confirm its commitment to AI going forward.

watchOS 26 could be friendlier to third party apps

The watchOS 26 redesign could come with more than just a visual overhaul. In fact, rumor has it that Apple may make its wearable software a little friendlier to third party apps — and open up the Control Center in the process.

Sources speaking to 9to5Mac claim that watchOS 26's Control Center could be opening up to third parties. That means you wouldn't be restricted to Apple tiles and toggles, and could make it easier to activate certain non-Apple features, since you won't have to go to the app itself.

The report also claims that Apple will let users customize the Control Center layout from the Watch app on iPhone, rather than forcing them to do it on the watch itself. Which certainly sounds a lot more convenient for everyone.

macOS 26 could spell the end of more Intel Macs

MacOS 26, or Tahoe as it's rumored to be called, is set to be a pretty huge upgrade. But it may also spell the end of software support for even more Macs that still use Intel chips. Which is no huge surprise given how old those machines are getting.

Earlier rumors suggested that the 2017 iMac Pro, 2018 Mac mini, 2018 MacBook Pro and 2020 Intel MacBook Air could be on the chopping block. Now another leaker has suggested that the 2020 Macbook Pro 13-inch could earn a spot on that list. Though even the leaker doesn't quite believe it.

It's not the absolute end for Intel Macs, and there are still a few reportedly getting the macOS 26 upgrade, but the number is only going to dwindle with each passing year.

Here are the machines we still expect to get the Tahoe upgrade:

• iMac: 2019 and later
• iMac Pro: 2018 and later
• Mac Pro: 2019 and later
• Mac Studio: 2022 and later
• MacBook Air: All models with M-series chips
• Mac mini: 2019 and later
• MacBook Pro: 2020 and later with M-series

Apple Intelligence and Siri could in store for a rebrand

Just mere hours away from the start of the WWDC 2025 keynote, there's a report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who says that Apple Intelligence and Siri could be getting a major rebrand. He also goes on to say that Apple could show off demonstrations on how AI could be integrated across the OS, along with third-party developers getting access to include AI in their respective apps.

This could be the result of how people perceive the company's AI strategy with Apple Intelligence to be a failure, and as a result, this alleged rebranding could be the bigger announcement from WWDC — putting the company's new transparent redesign in the backseat as a secondary role.

AirTag 2 may be coming — but not at WWDC 2025

It's been a while since Apple released the first AirTags, and we've been hearing rumors about a possible follow-up for years now. According to Mark Gurman the AirTags 2 are more or less ready to launch — but they probably won't be appearing at WWDC 2025.

Why not? Apparently it's all down to the key fact that WWDC is a software-focussed conference. It's rare to get any major new hardware announcements during the keynote, Gurman says that AirTags aren't really a good match for this type of event.

AirTags 2 are rumored to look the same as the originals, but may be coming with upgraded ultra wideband to help the precision finding feature work at a much larger distance, as well as a tamper-proof speaker to keep people safe from potential stalkers. As for when they'll be revealed, we can't say.

Rumored upcoming AI features

While WWDC may be lacking any significant Apple Intelligence news, that doesn't mean there are new features on the horizon. Even if some of them were supposed to have arrived a few months ago.

The big one is the redesigned Siri, often referred to as "LLM Siri", which will give Apple's voice assistant an AI-infused overhaul. Effectively it would be a brand new Siri with capabilities closer to that of Google Gemini or ChatGPT than the current version.

We've also heard reports of AI being used to update the shortcuts app, featuring various new actions that will take advantage of Apple Intelligence. There's also rumors that the Apple Health app will also get an AI-centric update, and it's claimed that some kind of AI doctor may be involved.

We're on the ground and ready for WWDC 2025

We're still a little over 2 hours away from the start of the WWDC 2025 keynote, but we're finally on the ground at Apple's campus ready to share everything we'll learn about the company's software updates.

There's a lot expected out of this event, including what could end up being the biggest makeover to all of Apple's software, like this rumored 'Solarium' interface, which is believed to unify the visual look of its platforms.

Stay locked into our live blog to hear about the latest news and updates from our reporters on the ground.

Last minute WWDC 2025 rumors — check out our video

Our global editor-in-chief, Mark Spoonauer, talks about some last minute WWDC 2025 rumors in our latest YouTube video.

He goes into detail about what we could be in store for with Apple's announcements around its new software redesign, codenamed Solarium, along with what features tipped for iOS 26, macOS 26, iPad OS 26, and more. While software and Apple Intelligence updates are expected to be the biggest news, he also shares about potential hardware releases we could see at the event, like a rumored new Mac Pro, AirPods Max 2, and more.

Tim Cook is ready

Wow, Tim Cook is up early. Guess he has somewhere to be this morning.

Live from Cupertino

Kate Kozuch is in Cupertino for us today, reporting from WWDC, and she's filed this video preview from the Apple campus.

Show us your badge

We're a little more than 90 minutes away from the start of the keynote as I type this, but both Kate Kozuch and Mark Spoonauer (pictured above) are in place for our WWDC 2025 keynote coverage.

AI photo editing face-off

If you needed a reminder of where Apple sits in the pecking order of AI features, my colleague John Velasco ran an AI photo editing tools face-off between the iPhone and the top devices from Google and Samsung. His verdict on the iPhone? "Let’s say there’s a lot of work needed to get it up to par."

That's another reason why Apple's reported decision to go light on AI announcements at this year's WWDC is a little bit baffling... and certainly risky.

Name changes look set

For more proof that Apple is changing the names of its various software platforms today, look no further than a report from AppleInsider that offers yet more convincing evidence. According to that site's sources, placeholder names for the upcoming releases have been changed.

Specifically, the report claims that placeholder names for developer betas no longer contain labels like "macOS16" — instead, the label merely says "macOS beta."

Maybe that's not evidence in and of itself, but combined with the report that Apple is moving away from version numbers and toward software named after release years, things certainly seem to be headed in that direction.

The pins…what do they mean!?

My colleague Jason England weighs in with a little sleuthing about this year's collection of WWDC pins:

So it’s an annual tradition at WWDC that everyone gets a collection of pins, and every year I don my tin foil hat to get to the bottom of what they mean. Because without fail, we look back at these pins and realize they were definitely more than just cute swag. They were clues.

Starting from the top right:

• Octopus at a keyboard: We’ve been hearing about iPadOS 26 becoming more like macOS with vastly improved multitasking. With eight arms, an Octopus can be rather productive to say the least, so this is my bet for this one!
• Apple Intelligence: This is probably the most obvious one of the bunch. Apple Intelligence has had a bit of a rocky start to say the least, but with AI being at the center of literally all consumer tech, it’s not something that can be ignored. Expect plenty of announcements at WWDC about this.
• Colorful “helloooo” spiral: Low key the one that has confused other team members, but I have a theory. You see, that friendly, curvy design just screams “Liquid Glass.” You know, the translucent, vibrant UI overhaul expected across iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, and more.
• California poppies: Did you know that California poppies can be found in lower-elevation areas around Tahoe? Given the rumored name macOS Tahoe, I found that interesting…
• Pedal to the Metal: This one gets me the most excited. It’s the logo for Metal — Apple’s proprietary graphics AI used primarily for game development. We’ve been hearing that there could be some big gaming news coming to WWDC, and I think this just gave us the biggest indication yet.

An hour to go...

We've got less than an hour before the start of the keynote, so here's a glimpse of the stage that those actually on the Apple campus in Cupertino will see. Even with the live stage, though, we're expecting a pre-recorded keynote similar to how Apple has handled events like this in recent years.

Genmoji changes

We may not be getting big Apple Intelligence changes today, but we will see some improvements. One of the additions being floated around in rumor talk is an update to Genmojis, the AI-generating emoji tool Apple added last year.

Apparently, you will now be able to create new Genmoji by combining two existing emoji — the example that Bloomberg's Mark Gurman gives is taking emojis for a basketball and a trash can and creating single emoji in which a basketball is going into a trash can.

I confess that the appeal of Genmoji is elusive to me, though I don't think I'm the target audience. I don't see this as being the salve to Apple's AI woes, but perhaps some users will find the more fully featured Genmoji tool more vital than I do.

Rainbow in Cupertino

Kate Kozuch is biding her time before the keynote by snapping some photos of the Apple campus. This rainbow sculpture usually features prominently in Apple product launch videos, so this isn't going to be the last time you see it today.

Take your seats

From the looks of this TikTok video, it seems like people are filing into the seating area for the keynote a half-hour or so before it gets underway.

CarPlay changes

It sounds like CarPlay will be getting an update as part of the iOS 26 preview coming out today, though specific details about what's changing are few and far between. Like most of the iPhone software update, though, it sounds as if the biggest difference will be a new interface as the Solarium / Liquid Glass AI makes its way to your car.

Live stream is available

If you're not in Cupertino and watching the WWDC 2025 keynote through the courtesy of a live stream, it's now available, either through YouTube or in Apple's TV app on your device of choice.

It's entirely place-holder images at the moment, but the translucent, glass-like visuals could be a sneak preview of the interfaces Apple will launching shortly.

Another view

Alex Wawro from our computing team is also in Cupertino today to get his first look at the new version of macOS (most likely macOS Tahoe). And he sends along the above photo as we hit the 10-minute-warning mark.

Controller support for Apple Vision Pro?

Apple Vision Pro can do a lot, and there are already plenty of ways to get stuff done. That doesn't change the fact that the lack of any kind of controller support was a glaring omission. Hand controls are cool, and the traditional keyboard and mouse combo is very practical, but it's nice to have all the options. Especially when gaming is concerned.

We have heard rumors that Apple had partnered with Sony to support PSVR 2's Sense controllers. On top of that 9to5Mac reports that Sony's VR controllers will also be joined by support for PlayStation and Xbox controllers too. It's also mentioned that some games will require controllers, and will be labelled as such in the App Store.

Those would all make gaming on the Vision Pro a more realistic prospect, especially for VR games that don't really work with a keyboard and mouse.

Tim Cook on stage

You won't see this on the live field, but just ahead of the keynote presentation, Tim Cook is greeting the assembled crowd in Cupertino.

Start your engines

And we begin with an Apple video to kick off the keynote. It's Apple's Craig Federighi driving an F! car on the roof of the Apple headquarters in what we can only take to be a bit of cross-promotion with the Brad Pitt F1 movie coming to Apple TV Plus.

Apple Intelligence

Craig Federighi kicks things off with a recap of last year's Apple Intelligence launch and all the tools that actually made it to Apple devices. (Siri is notably missing from the list.)

In fact, Federighi mentions that Sir needs more time, and that Apple will have more to share later this year.

Access to AI

A new Foundation Models framework will let Apple's developers directly access the large language models Apple is using, with the idea that will add new AI features to apps.

Examples include Kahoot creating a quiz based on your notes, and All Trails suggest hikes based on your input.

New redesign

Sounds like we'll hear about Apple Intelligence additions peppered throughout the software update previews today, but that's all for AI at the moment. Apple's now talking about interface changes — something so big it only happens every decade or so, Federighi says.

Apple is calling this the broadest design update ever, with a universal design across its platforms. And yes, it's inspired by visionOS.. Liquid Glass is the name Apple is giving the new look, with translucent menus that react to touch and your perspective of the screen.

There are more rounded interface elements and controls are grouped together to free up more space.

New look that's still familiar

A lot of interface elements adjust as you use your phone, shrinking and resizing depending on what you're looking at. A lot of this has been covered in the pre-WWDC rumors, though one thing that's not changing is the icons — they look pretty square to me, not rounded.

New version numbers

It's official. All the apps will have the same version number marking the year that the update will carry you through. That means this year's update for the iPhone is iOS 26 since you'll be using it through 2026.

iOS 26

Speaking of iOS 26, Federighi is showing off what's new with the iPhone software. First off is a look at how the interface changes and Liquid Glass affect the home screen and lock screen.

Camera app and Photos

The Camera app in iOS 26 is getting a redesign with more streamlined menus. When you need to get more menu controls at your disposal, you simply slide up.

Photos gets a new look, too, with the return of some tab controls. And there's a 3D effect made possible by the Liquid Glass redesign.

Safari, FaceTime, CarPlay

We're getting looks at how the interface changes work in Safari and FaceTime.

CarPlay has a new look, too, and it's getting support for Live Activities.

Phone app

The Phone app is getting a unified look that combines recents and favorites. Apple Intelligence provides summaries of voice mail. Apple's also adding a Call Screening feature similar to Google's Call Assist, where the phone is answered in the background — the caller's identity is then provided to you and you can decide whether to answer.

Hold Assist helps you when you're put on hold by detecting hold music. You're free to go about your business, getting notified when a live agent comes on the line.

Messages

Messages now lets you add backgrounds to a chat, and group chats get a poll feature for getting votes on things like where to eat or where the group trip is coming. Group chats also gets support for the send cash feature where you can send and receive payments.

Unknown senders can now appear in a separate part of Messages so that your interface is less cluttered.

Apple Intelligence and Messages

Apple confirms the new Genmoji feature that lets you combine emoji. You can also change expressing in emoji.

Image Playground is gaining new styles like an oil painting. There's also more ChatGPT integration with Image Playground, and app makers will be able to use an API to integrate Image Playground into their apps.

Live translations

Apple intelligence will support live translation across the iPhone. It's a feature that will work on phone calls, FaceTime sessions and more. (There's a developer tool to integrate it in other communication apps.)

Apple Music

That translation feature also work with Apple Music, as Apple is adding lyric translation. An AutoMix feature lets you seamlessly segue from one song to the next.

A Music Pin feature lets you pin favorite artists, albums and songs to the top of your library.

Maps and Wallet in iOS 26

Maps gets tools like Preferred Routes to recognize the way you like to get to frequent stops and Visited Places that stores the places you've been for easy reference later. (There's end-to-end encryption to keep that info from prying eyes.)

Twenty brands already support keys in the wallet, and 13 more are adding suport.

More states will be adding digital IDs this year. And boarding passes are getting a new look in Wallet.

Games app

A new Games app is coming to the iPhone. You can see all the games you've ever downloaded from the App Store, and launch those games straight from the app. There's a friends tab to challenge friends, compare scores and more.

Basically Apple is treating Games as an all-in-one destinaton for all the gaming you do on the phone.

Visual Intellgience

Apple is expanding Visual Intelligence in iOS 26, giving you the ability to search screenshots — the example given is a photo of a woman wearing a jacket in a social media app, where you can tap to find similar jackets on sale. The same feature works for adding information to you calendar when you see a post with dates and times.

watchOS 26

Liquid Glass brings a new look to your Apple Watch, though it's still familiar if you've used past watchOS versions.

The big story here is greater AI-integration in features like Workout Buddy. It gathers info from your workout and crunches the data to provide meaningful insights in real-time. There's a generative voice feature to offer words of encouragement, too. Think of it as Siri meeting a personal trainer. (Though it sounded a little robotic in Apple's demo.)

Unannounced iOS 26 features

Before we get back to watchOS, there were a lot of iOS 26 features that Apple didn't have time to announce, as you can see from the screenshot above.

Workout interface on watchOS 26

Back to watchOS 26, which is introducing a more streamlined interface to the Workout app so you can get to popular menu items more quickly.

The Smart Stack feature is getting an update so that it better anticipates what widgets you need.

There's a new wrist flick gesture for dealing with notifications later, silencing alerts and other tasks.

watchOS 26 apps

The Notes app is coming to the Apple Watch in watchOS 26. You also get the benefits of auto-translation in Message that Apple talked about in iOS 26.

tvOS 26

tvOS 26 gets the interface changes you'd expect. Profiles let you set up a profile for everyone in the home so that everyone can jump straight to the shows they like

Apple Music in tvOS lets you use your iPhone as a microphone for sing-along karaoke sessions.

There's an Apple TV Plus sizzle reel showing all the upcoming shows. No new season of Ted Lasso though.

macOS Tahoe

As has been reported, this year's California landmark for the macOS 26 update is Tahoe, as in Lake Tahoe. We're getting a new design with Liquid Glass, with sidebars that add a sense of depth. The Menu bar is now transparent to make your display feel more ample.

You can personalize the look of your Mac by changing colors of folders and adding icons or emoji to give yourself a visual cue.

Continuity

Live Activity support comes to the Mac, with activities that start on your iPhone — say, a delivery — also available on your Mac. Clicking on the Live Activity on your Mac launches a mirrored version of your phone.

The Phone features Apple is introducing in iOS 26 are coming to the Phone app on your Mac, too, for when you do phone call handoffs between devices.

Shortcuts and Spotlight

The Shortcuts app is getting an update that incorporates more AI with a feature called Intelligent Actions.

Spotlight also gets a dose of AI help, as it will now surface documents and files relevant to what it is you're working on. Spotlight is also contextually aware, as it recognizes what app you're working in. And you can search for features within individual apps, which is helpful for building shortcuts.

Gaming on the Mac

That Games app we talked bout earlier is coming to the Mac, too, for all the games on your Mac. There's a panel for adjusting and optimizing settings for your games.

macOS 26 adds support for Metal 4

visonOS 26

Now it's visionOS's turn in the spotlight, and Apple is calling this an expansive update.

Widgets are coming to visionOS, becoming spatial and staying right where you place them. You can customize frame width, color and depth of your widgets. In addition to built-in app widgets, a developer tool will let app makers introduce their own widgets.

Spatial scenes

Remember in the iOS 26 Photos app discussion where Apple talked about how 2D photos are adding more depth? It's apparently called Spatial Scenes and it's part of visionOS 26, too.

In a related featured, the Persona tool — in which you appear as a hologram-like figure — will get improved, more detailed graphics.

There's a few more details which should appeal to the people who've got $3,500 to spend on a headset.

iPadOS 26

Stop me if you've heard this before, but you're getting a new look with iPadOS that uses Liquid Glass. The improvements from iOS 26 to Messages and other apps are coming here, too.

But for tablet-specific changes, you're getting improved multitasking, with a new windowing system for the iPad. When you open apps, they show up full-screen, but you also have the option to fluidly resize apps into windows. You can place those windows where you want. There's a pointer that's more responsive, too.

Flicking windows toward the edge lets you tile them on your iPad. Exposé shows all your open windows.

A menu bar is coming to apps, so you can find features more quickly.

Files in iPadOS 26

Files gets an update, with similar customization feature to macOS. You can put folders in the dock of your iPad.

The Preview app from the Mac is coming to the iPad if you want to edit and annotate files.

Audio and video improvements in iPadOS 26

You've got controls for selecting specific microphones when recording audio, and there's an audio isolation feature, too. A Local Capture feature works with video conferencing apps that captures audio and video from those conversations — an ideal tool for podcasters.

Background Tasks allow your iPad to run tasks like exporting in the background while you work in other apps.

Developer tools

Because this is a developer conference, Apple is recapping the developer tools that are available. The big ones to know about are the ability to add AI features and shortcuts to apps. And of course, look for app makers to incorporate Apple's design guidance into their software.

Wrapping it up

Tim Cook is back to wrap things, recapping the software previews we've seen today. The developer betas are available today, with the public beta coming in July. The full releases are coming in the fall.

Keynote replay

Want to watch the WWDC 2025 keynote for yourself? You can view the replay on Apple's YouTube channel.

Apple Intelligence udpates

Compared to last year, Apple Intelligence didn't get as big a spotlight at WWDC 2025. But Apple is adding more features to its suite of AI tools than a lot of the rumors predicting an off year for Apple Intelligence would have you believe.

Extended translation tools throughout multiple apps, like the Phone app and FaceTime, are arguably the biggest additions to Apple Intelligence, but it's not the only thing coming to your phone, tablet or Mac. Here's a look at the Apple Intelligence features Apple talked about at WWDC 2025.

Apple's new Games app

Gaming news and WWDC don't always go hand in hand, but there were some WWDC 2025 revelations that should appeal to gamers. For starters, a new Games app will appear in the fall that Apple is treating as a one-stop-shop for managing and launching games, connecting with friends, and logging your achievements. The app will appear on iPhones, iPads and Macs.

What's more, Mac games are getting support for Metal 4 in macOS 26. That should bring machine learning to gaming among other benefits.

Yes, Apple just copied Android

Good artists copy, great artists steal....Yes, iOS 26 includes a few major features liberally borrowed from Google Pixel phones. But they're still pretty valuable for users.

The new Call Screening feature will help cut down on spam but intervening on your behalf. You'll see the words from the caller streaming through on your iPhone — like live voicemail — so you can decide if you want to pick up.

Meanwhile, Hold Assist is very similar to Google's Hold for Me feature, so you no longer have to listen to hold music forever when you're on a call. You'll be notified when a human is ready to talk to you. Read more in Tom Pritchard's take: iOS 26 just stole these 3 big features from Android — and that's great news

Time for a new phone?

If you last upgraded your iPhone in the fall of 2018, it may be time to start thinking about an upgrade — at least if you intend to run iOS 26 this fall.

Apple's put out the list of supported devices for its software update, and three phones released in 2018 — the iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max — didn't make the cut. That was widely expected ahead of the announcement, and it's not much of a shock considering seven years is a long time to hold on to a phone.

Up close with Liquid Glass

There's no question as to what was the dominant theme of Apple's WWDC keynote. Liquid Glass, the company's new design approach, runs across every software update Apple announced today.

We've got a closer look at some of the changes coming via Liquid Glass and the impact it will have on the Apple software you use.

Get the iOS 26 developer beta

The days when developer betas could only be accessed by developers are long gone. These days, anyone can get the software Apple releases at WWDC, if you want to get a jump on using the new releases before the public betas arrive in July.

The question is, should you? That's something only you could answer, but I would always be wary about installing an early beta on anything other than a device I don't rely on for daily activities. In other words, backup devices are best for trying out betas.

That said, if you want to download the iOS 26 developer beta, I can show you how it's done.

Turn your Apple Watch into a Workout Buddy

watchOS 26 introduces plenty of features to the software powering the Apple Watch, but I think the most interesting addition is Workout Buddy. It crunches your fitness data to give you information about your workout in real time, letting you know when you're hitting important milestones or personal bests.

It's not just about data, though — Workout Buddy also provides encouragement, as Apple includes a vocal feature that takes on the cadence of a personal trainer as it urges you on.

Just keep in mind that this feature requires an iPhone. So you'll need to work out with both your Apple Watch and iPhone for Workout Buddy to work. Read our look at watchOS 26 to find out more about Workout Buddy and the other features coming to the Apple Watch later this year.

New Siri Delay: When Is it coming?

During the WWDC 2025 keynote, Apple said that the new Siri was going to be available "in the coming year." What does that mean exactly?

We've confirmed that this means 2026, though we don't have a firm date. As a refresher, the new Siri features that have been delayed include understanding the user's personal context, on-screen awareness and deeper per-app controls.

Sorry it's not better news!

WWDC's biggest hits

Mark Spoonauer has been to a lot of Apple developer conferences over the years, so he's seen a lot of Apple software previews. Here are the 7 WWDC 2025 announcements that caught his eye with this year's keynote. In particular, Mark highlights the features that he believes could make your life easier when they show up on various Apple devices later this year.

Installing macOS 26

Some people will want to wait until the fall for the full macOS 26 release, while others might be tempted to try the public beta when it arrives in July. But anyone willing to dive right into Tahoe right now can download the macOS 26 developer beta — if you follow our instructions.

Laying the groundwork for Apple Glasses?

Apple products are getting that visionOS inspired design thanks to Liquid Glass, but what about the mixed reality software itself? That isn't getting the same visual overhaul, but it is getting some notable upgrades that may be more than they seem.

In fact Tom's Guide's Jason England points out this is likely Apple laying some of the foundations for its upcoming smart glasses.

Everything from better iPhone connectivity, AI support and pinnable widgets suggests that these features may be ideal for spatial computing out in the world. But in a way that doesn't involve conspicuously walking around with a bulky pair of googles on your face.

Apple isn't close to being in a position to offer that yet, but we might be inching closer. The only question we have is "when?"

Call screen is great, but it's still a few steps behind

As much as we're grateful that Apple has stolen a few features from Android for the iOS 26 update, it's a perfect example of how Apple Intelligence is still playing catchup with the competition.

As my colleague John Velasco pointed out, it's definitely a good thing that iPhone users are getting the new Call Screening feature. The number of spam calls we all get is ridiculous, and having feature that checks there's a real person on the line. But compared to Google, which actually asks the caller what they're calling about, it feels like Apple's version is still a few steps behind.

Though since Apple Intelligence took a backseat during the WWDC keynote, there's a possibility Apple is on the right track after all. We'll just need to wait and see.

What's in a name?

No you're not imagining it, Apple really is jumping from iOS 18 all the way up to iOS 26. In fact all of Apple's software will be making similar number jumps, including macOS, watchOS and even tvOS.

Why the big change, you might ask? Well Apple's trying to simplify everything, and instead of having a bunch of different version numbers for its software, everything will be named after the upcoming year instead. That way you know all your Apple products are up to date by looking at the number.

It may also give you an indication on when your devices are set to lose software support. iPhones, for example, are often cut off after 5 or 6 years. Meaning your iPhone 11, released in 2019, may not see iOS 27.

Will these new features make your life easier?

WWDC is always quite busy, and it can be a little overwhelming if you're not used to it. If you're curious about which of the announcements will matter to you, Tom's Guide Global Editor in Chief Mark Spoonauer has picked out 7 key features that should actually make your life easier.

We're talking obvious things like Call Screening and Hold Assist, both of which will take some of the pain out of using your phone for actually making calls. But there's also the new Liquid Glass interface, better multitasking on iPad, Apple Watch's workout buddy, new AI features and more.

CarPlay is getting a fresh new look

The new Liquid Glass update is spreading to every corner of the Apple ecosystem, and Apple CarPlay is not missing out. This isn't a major shakeup, akin to CarPlay Ultra, but Apple's in-car interface is getting a fresh coat of paint to match all the other Apple devices you may own.

Apple's also changing the interface to add widgets, letting you see multiple different apps on screen at any given time — a bit like how Android Auto currently looks. Those widgets include new Live Activities, meaning your Dynamic Island is spreading to your car. Sort of.

All of that should launch alongside iOS 26, so if you're already sick of the existing CarPlay interface you don't have too long to wait.

Don't forget about AirPods

Apple may not have any new AirPod hardware to show off yet, but that doesn't mean its earbuds aren't getting some upgrades courtesy of WWDC.

The AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 will be getting an upgrade to help record your voice at "studio quality", meaning you shouldn't need a separate microphone for any kind of video or audio recording. They're also getting new remote camera controls, letting you control various camera apps with a single tap of the ear stem.

Both features are available for developers now, and a public beta is expected at some point next month.

Give your wallpaper an upgrade into the third dimension

iOS 26 is more than just getting a fresh new look, and translucent system menus. There's also a feature called "Spatial Scenes" which apply a 3D effect to your wallpapers and lock screen, letting you see more than just a flat image on your phone. And thankfully with no glasses required.

WIll your iPhone make the cut and support iOS

With any major software release, there's always the anticipation about trying all the new features with iOS 26. But before you to that point, you need to know if your exact model will be supported.

Naturally, the most recent generation models are expected to make the cut, like the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16. But what about older models, especially those from a handful of years ago?

We break down the entire list of supported devices for iOS 26. There are actually a couple of big surprises that make the list. 1

More on Liquid Glass

On X, Tim Cook is sharing Apple's promo video of the Liquid Glass interface in action. It's interesting that Apple is focusing on what the interface changes look like on the iPhone, though perhaps that's a reflection of the phone's importance to Apple's overall business.

Icons through the years

If you want to see how interfaces evolve over time, phone leaker Majin Bu posted an image that contrasts the Liquid Glass icon for the Camera app with the icon for the same app from iOS 6. That's a deliberate choice, as iOS 6 was the last version of Apple's iPhone software to feature skeuomorphism — the design concept where you try and make an object look like the element that it represents.

Exclusive: Apple execs on the future of Siri

Wondering when we're going to get those Siri updates Apple talked about at WWDC 2024? So did Mark Spoonauer so he sat down with Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak of Apple and asked them. You can find out the answer in this Tom's Guide exclusive on Apple's AI plans.

There's more than just Siri talk in this interview. You can also find out about Apple's goals for Apple Intelligence, why there's little appetite for building an Apple chatbot and more.

Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak talk Apple Intelligence

Don't want to read that interview with Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak about Apple Intelligence? Well, here it is in video form.

Meet the competition

iOS 26 isn't the only software getting some time in the spotlight this week. A day after Apple previewed its phone software coming later this year, Google announced the launch of Android 16, with the software rolling out to Pixel phones first.

Just like iOS 26 draws on Android for some of its features — Call Screening, just to name one example — one of the biggest Android 16 additions mimics something you'll find on the iPhone. The new Live Updates feature brings real-time info from compatible apps like ride-share and delivery apps. Yes, you're right that does sound a lot like Apple's Live Activities.

Other highlights include support for hearing aids with LE audio and desktop windowing for large screen devices, with that latter feature arriving in the fall.

Maybe you're a dedicated iPhone user, but it always helps to see how the other half lives, so be sure to check out the changes to Android, including the operating software's new look.

tvOS 26: Is that all there is?

tvOS 26 is getting an updated interface, a new look for FaceTime and a user profile feature that lets you quickly jump to your favorite content. And there are some other tweaks here and there, like new aerial screen savers and a boost to Apple Music Sing. But Ryan Epps wonders if Apple should have done more with this update.

Specifically, Ryan would have liked to have seen Apple Intelligence have more of a presence in tvOS, and he's wondering why Apple didn't talk about gaming in light of the launch of the Games app. And he wonders whether Apple is holding back until there's a new Apple TV set-top box, which could be coming later this year.

A window on windowing in iPadOS 26

One of the big changes in iPadOS 26 is the new windowing scheme that makes Apple's tablet feel more like a Mac than ever. It certainly should improve multitasking on the iPad.

And if you're wondering how it works, here's a demo of how the new approach to windowing works, including getting apps to snap to the side of your iPad display.

iPadOS 26 is the show-stealer

Our own Mark Spoonauer was at the WWDC keynote, and he noted that the most significant reaction from the crowd was the unveiling of iPad OS 26.

As exciting as the Liquid Glass interface is for Apple devices across the board, iPadOS 26 is the most exciting thing to come out of WWDC 2025.

"You now get a new windowing system that makes multitasking easier, Mac-like controls for closing and titling windows and even an honest-to-goodness menu bar. And that’s just scratching the surface of what iPadOS can do now," said Mark Spoonauer in his iPadOS 26 article.

iOS 26 is exciting stuff

Our own Philip Michaels, who serves as TG's Managing Editor for Phones, is excited about iOS 26 for seven key features. He's used every iOS version since the operating system got started, so it takes a lot to get him excited.

"This year's iPhone software update offers some intriguing improvements," said Tom's Guide's Philip Michaels.

Sure, there's some backlash over Apple's new interface, but the OS itself brings plenty of exciting new stuff to behold.

Could the iPad be a productivity powerhouse?

With the release of iPadOS 26, Apple could actually turn the iPad into a viable MacBook alternative.

Our own Tony Polanco ran down everything to expect from the iPad windowing system, and it sounds exciting.

Hands-on with visionOS26

While he was out in Cupertino, Mark Spoonauer got the chance to go hands-on with visionOS 26. The improvements impressed him for the most part — though probably not enough to justify buying a $3,499 headset. Instead, the story with visionOS 26 is what it indicates about Apple's rumored plans to build smart glasses.

Mac or iPad?

New multitasking features in iPadOS 26 make the iPad a more compelling laptop replacement than it's ever been. So should you get an iPad instead of a Mac the next time you're upgrading your computer? We put that question to Apple executives:

Liquid Glass UI backlash?

Apparently not everyone is a fan of the Liquid Glass interface Apple is rolling out to its devices. On iOS 26 in particular, some people are saying that the transparency makes certain elements harder to read, especially Control Center.

Marques Brownlee, for example, says in his WWDC Impressions video that "this glass aesthetic looks cool sometimes, but it also is a little hard to read sometimes." The concern is that iOS 26 and Liquid Glass doesn't provide enough contrast, but the menu elements do go from light to dark in real time depending on what's happening in the background.

It's also important to note that this is developer beta software, so Apple is bound to make tweaks between now and the public beta and eventual launch.

Update: Our Apple WWDC 2025 live blog is up and running. Check it out now for all the last-minute rumors and biggest news.

Apple's annual developer conference is almost here. To see everything announced at WWDC 2025 you'll want to watch the keynote live stream, which kicks off on June 9 at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 6 p.m. BST.

This year's big rumor hints at totally redesigned operating systems across all of Apple's product portfolio.

From 'Solarium' and the rebranded iOS 26, to a dedicated gaming app and potential hardware surprises, here's how to watch the WWDC 2025 live stream from anywhere.

How can I watch the WWDC 2025 keynote live stream?

Apple generally hosts the keynote on its website, where the WWDC 2025 livestream will appear as we get closer to the 10 a.m. PT launch time on Monday, June 9.

The WWDC 2025 keynote livestream will also be available on the Apple YouTube channel. Right now you'll find a placeholder for the WWDC 2025 keynote livestream, which you can see above.

If you own an Apple TV or have a device like the iPhone which features the Apple TV app, you'll also be able to watch the WWDC 2025 keynote from that device. A keynote live stream will be available in the TV app.

When is the WWDC 2025 keynote?

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is an annual get-together for the people that build the software that run on various Apple devices — everything from phones and tablets to watches and laptops. Apple typically uses the event to preview software releases coming out later in the year, so that developers can update existing apps and build new software that takes advantage of the coming features.

Typically, past WWDCs have included hardware announcements, and we might see a couple reveals this year. However, this year's edition sounds like it will be focused on a major design overhaul for iOS and a rebranding of every Apple operating system.

This year's edition of WWDC runs from June 9 to June 13. The event kicks off on Monday, June 9, with a keynote that begins at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET/6 p.m. BST.

What could Apple announce during the WWDC 2025 keynote?

Typically, WWDC is focused on software, but we might see a new Mac Pro equipped with an M4 chip and updated AirPods at WWDC 2025. That said, we believe this year's focus will be unified software interfaces and version numbers across Apple's operating systems.

Solarium: A couple of weeks before WWDC 2025, a huge rumor dropped that Apple is giving all of its software an interface overhaul dubbed 'Solarium.' Allegedly, inspired by the visionOS look and feel, Solarium should bring a new frosted glass look to your iPhone, Mac and other Apple devices.

Alongside that, Apple is expected to rebrand its operating systems with year-based versions numbers. Goodbye iOS 19, hello iOS 26. This will be done with other software as well including macOS 26 Tahoe, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS26 and visionOS 26.

It'll be the biggest design update for iPhone software since iOS 7 in 2013.

Apple Intelligence: Since WWDC 2024, Apple has openly struggled to implement its version of AI, Apple Intelligence. We haven't heard much about AI going into this year's conference, but we expect it to have a presence.

Apple will still push Apple Intelligence, even if it's just announcing features that were promised last year, including a revamped Siri or fine-tuning of features that were already released.

Reportedly, Apple will announce a developer tool that will make it easier to implement Apple Intelligence in apps, which might help it become more useful.

Hardware surprises: While WWDC is focused on developers and software, it's not unheard for new hardware to make an appearance.

New hardware that does show up will be aimed at developers, so we expect that if a new Mac is announced, it will most likely be a Mac Pro probably featuring an M4 chip.

One surprise might be a new smart home device that was reportedly delayed in March, a new hybrid HomePod Hub. The Home Hub was allegedly pushed back because of Siri problems.

But with changes to Apple's AI team, this device could make a surprise appearance, especially since the Home Hub is supposed to run on a custom homeOS — something Apple likely wants to share with developers.

Before WWDC 2024, rumors swirled that Apple would announce an updated Apple TV 4K streaming device, but that did not come to pass. Once again, rumors point to a new Apple TV launching in 2025. With a new OS, and a lack of upgrades since 2022, now might be the time.

Lastly, we may not see new AirPods during WWDC 2025, but Apple might make existing ones better with five rumored upgrades coming to the AirPods.

More from Tom's Guide

• WWDC 2025 — Apple can't afford to take a 'gap year' on AI
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 just tipped for early July launch — here's what to expect
• iOS 19's redesign had me worried — but now I think it will turn out fine

Apple's upcoming WWDC event could include a major upgrade for gaming across its family of devices.

In a recent report, Bloomberg revealed Apple is working on a standalone multi-platform app for games. This new addition looks to be replacing the current Game Center service, which was originally added back in 2010 as part of iOS 4.1.

For the most part, it looks like the new app will offer similar functions, allowing players to connect with friends, track achievements and more.

However, the new app is stated to be able to launch games directly and is better designed to promote Apple Arcade. Not only that, the new app will also include all the third-party games available in the App Store.

Interestingly, this isn't the first time we've heard of such a release. Last year, there were indications that Apple planned to release a similar-sounding app to help compete with Xbox.

Outside of phones, it looks like the app will have some major improvements for some of the best Macs, too. According to the report, the app will be able to tap into games that a customer downloads outside of the Mac App Store.

While it isn't confirmed, we'd hope that this means being able to link with Steam to launch games, track achievements and connect with friends through the app.

Apple seems likely to announce the app as part of WWDC, scheduled to take place on June 9. However, the app won't officially release until September, which would correspond with the likely release of iOS 19, iPadOS 19 and tvOS 19.

This isn't the only thing we're expecting to see at WWDC 2025. For instance, Apple will undoubtedly showcase iOS 19, including the new Solarium UI, which looks to be one of the biggest design changes in over a decade. We're also hoping that we get to see some Apple Intelligence upgrades, including more information on the long-awaited Siri 2.0 that has had a tumultuous history, to say the least.

This new addition for gaming might not be the most drastic change, but it's a quality-of-life improvement that many gamers will appreciate.

For more information, we'll have to wait until Apple's event in a couple of weeks. Until then, keep your eyes peeled for more information on our WWDC 2025 hub, which we'll keep updated with all the news and rumors as we hear them.

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It appears that iPhone users could soon be able to change their default AI voice assistant, meaning Siri will no longer have dibs on Apple users' digital assistant needs.

This news comes from a recent report from Bloomberg regarding Apple’s enforced opening of its operating systems due to European Union rulings. As a result of this, iPhone users in the affected countries will apparently be able to switch their default assistant to other options like Google’s Gemini or ChatGPT.

It is also important to note that the report specifically mentions “operating systems,” which would seemingly indicate that this will also be the case for iPadOS and macOS, too. This could be an enormous change for how Apple and its devices work, but it is worth noting that Apple is only applying the change in areas under EU law, which will, considering Apple’s keeping third-party app store availability on iOS to only EU countries, leave other countries like the U.S. without the option.

Interestingly, this could actually help to put Apple on par with Samsung and Google when it comes to AI on mobile devices. Currently, Apple users have been stuck in a constant cycle of waiting for Apple to release features that it announced alongside iOS 18 almost a year ago. But if Apple users were given the option to make use of a placeholder AI until Siri is ready? Well, that might be the best of both worlds.

There’s also a lot to love about Google Gemini, including the wealth of changes announced after The Android Show: I/O Edition. For instance, Google recently revealed several accessibility changes introduced for its AI, including improvements to Talk Back and the addition of expressive captions. Not only that, we also expect a lot more reveals in the upcoming Google I/O event on May 20.

So, say that Apple users elect to simply wait for the new and improved Siri, how long would they be waiting for? For the most part, it seems that Apple plans to unveil its revamped assistant in the Fall of this year. The question of if it will be worth the wait is harder to answer, but Apple stated that the new Siri will be more conversational, as well as have awareness of personal context and be able to take action for you within and across your apps.

For the time being, we’ll have to wait to see what the result of Apple’s AI plans are in the EU. However, there is little doubt that the company has a lot of ground to make up regarding AI if it wants to remain one of the best phones on the market.

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A common pain point among even the best iPads is Apple's janky iPadOS, which doesn't take full advantage of the powerful hardware under the hood. But that could soon be a thing of the past, as Apple aims to revamp its upcoming iPadOS 19 to make it "more like macOS," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman revealed that iPadOS 19 is one of several major overhauls Apple is planning this year across its ecosystem of products. With iPadOS 19, Apple's revamping the software to make the design of its operating system catalogue more consistent.

"I’m told that this year’s upgrade will focus on productivity, multitasking and app window management — with an eye on the device operating more like a Mac," Gurman wrote. "It’s been a long time coming, with iPad power users pleading with Apple to make the tablet more powerful."

While he didn't go into detail about what these improvements will look like, it's a huge step in the right direction. Apple has made a few improvements to the software over the years, like bringing keyboard and mouse support or the ability to format external drives from your tablet, as introduced with iPadOS 18. But despite these incremental upgrades, Apple's tablets have continued to lag behind the best MacBooks despite sporting comparable hardware.

"For years, users have said that it feels like the hardware capabilities of the iPad are well ahead of its software," Gurman wrote. "That could soon be changing." Based on what he describes, it sounds like iPadOS 19 could function similarly to how macOS does.

More to come at WWDC 2025

We'll have to wait until Apple's WWDC 2025 keynote in June to get the official word, but if history proves, there are sure to be plenty of leaks surfacing in the meantime.

So here's hoping we get a look at iPadOS 19 before the big day to see how it compares to macOS. Apple is expected to launch new iPad Pro models powered by the M5 chip this year.

Major design changes for Apple’s iOS 19 are also in the works, including Apple Intelligence-powered Siri, a significantly more intelligent and integrated voice assistant experience. Siri's revamped functionality was initially slated to debut with iOS 18 before Apple hit some embarrassing snags.

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If you've been holding on to your older Apple devices, it's time to go update them now.

On Monday, Apple issued critical fixes for three zero-day exploits that mainly target older iOS and macOS devices. The vulnerabilities have come under active exploitation in the wild on older model devices and previous versions of the operating systems.

In addition to the backported fixes, Apple additionally released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 to patch 62 flaws, macOS Sequoia 15.4 to fix 131 flaws, tvOS 18.4 for 36 flaws, visionOS 2.4 for 38 flaws and Safari 18.4, which corrects 14 flaws.

Though none of these newly disclosed shortcomings have come under active exploitation, users are — as always — recommended to update their devices to the latest version in order to protect their devices against potential threats.

What are the zero-day vulnerabilities?

The three zero-day vulnerabilities are:

CVE-2025-24085, which has a CVSS score of 7.3. It’s a use-after-free bug in the Core Media component.

It would permit malicious applications already installed on the device to elevate privileges. It has now been fixed in maxOS Sonoma 14.7.5, macOS Ventura 13.7.5 and iPadOS 17.7.6

CVE-2025-24200 with a CVSS score of 4.6. It uses an authorization issue in the Accessibility component to make it possible for a malicious user to disable the USB Restricted Mode on locked devices during a physical cyber attack. It has been fixed in iOS 15.8.4, iPadOS 15.8.4, iOS 16.7.11 and iPadOS 16.7.11

CVE-2025-24201 has a CVSS score of 8.8 and is an out-of-bounds write issue in the WebKit component. It could allow an attacker to craft malicious web content in a way that could break out of the Web Content sandbox. It has been fixed on iOS 15.8.4, iPadOS 15.8.4, iOS 16.7.11 and iPadOS 16.7.11

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Last month, Apple released a software update to compatible iPhones, and one of the most interesting iOS 18.2 features was the new-look Mail app. So far, this has been limited to iPhones, but now Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has revealed this AI-tinged software is coming soon to iPads and Macs.

For the latter, it will arrive in macOS 15.4 in April, Gurman writes. He clarified in a post on X that it would be coming to iPad too, but didn’t give an ETA.

“The Mac will get the upgraded Mail app that uses AI to prioritize messages and sort content into different inboxes,” he writes. It uses artificial intelligence to automatically sort incoming mail into different categories, putting receipts into a transaction category, newsletters into a promotion folder, and so on.

As 9to5Mac points out, this isn’t a huge surprise, given Apple itself already teased what the Mail app will look like on Mac back in October:

On iOS, Gurman is a fan, describing it as “terrific”. However, our Managing Editor, Philip Michaels, wasn’t too impressed when he tested the updated iPhone Mail app last month, identifying three main problems: the lack of message indicators, added complications in deleting messages and emails being cut off.

“I'm not necessarily a fan of the new look in iOS 18.2 Mail, primarily because it's hard to tell when new mail has arrived in the different folders,” he wrote. “Managing older emails from the same sender is also more difficult than it needs to be.”

April is some way off, so there’s a good chance that Apple will have refined things before it hits the new platforms. At the very least, turning it off should hopefully be as easy as it is on iOS: just hit the Mail settings area, and change the layout to “List View”.

Gurman reiterates that the April update will also see the long-trailed improvements to the Siri digital assistant, which will “be able to better tap into personal information and use App Intents technology to more precisely control apps.”

Before 15.4 arrives, other AI features will come to Apple desktops and laptops with the release of macOS 15.3 “in a few weeks”, Gurman says. That means you can expect things like the introduction of the Genmoji custom emoji on Macs.

Though Apple will also be reducing the reliance on AI elsewhere, Gurman adds. "Rather than quickly fixing its AI models, Apple is simply pulling the plug on summaries from news and entertainment apps," he writes. "You can also more easily disable summaries from the lock screen, and recaps are now italicized."

That’s perhaps not surprising, given the problems hallucinations have caused the company in recent weeks.

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A recent report has indicated that the next generation of iOS won't be dropping any models, but iPad users won't be so lucky.

Owning a phone is generally unavoidable these days, and part of that is making sure your device's software is up to date. However, phone makers can only support a device for so long, and with each subsequent new release, another phone or tablet is left by the wayside. In light of this, a recent report has given us a hint of what to expect from the next generation of Apple's software updates, including what will and won't be supported.

The news comes from French website iPhonesoft, who claim an undisclosed source revealed which Apple devices will be in line for the next set of updates. Firstly, the good news: it appears that iOS 19 will be available for the majority of devices, from the iPhone XS to the iPhone 17 Pro Max. However, older phones likely won't have access to the majority of new features, with most of those likely being saved for at least the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

However, it appears that the iPad won't be so lucky with the release of iPadOS 19. According to the report, the future update will supposedly require an A12 chip to function. As such, the iPad 7 and the iPad Pro 2017 (both of which use the A10 chip) will not be able to download the update. The update will only be available to the iPad mini 5, iPad 8th gen, third-gen iPad Airs, the 2018 iPad Pros and later.

There's still a lot we don't know about the next generation of iOS and iPadOS updates. However, they'll likely include more Apple Intelligence upgrades — hopefully, at a faster rate than the initial launch. However, with the release of iOS 18.2, Apple has made a big step with features like Visual intelligence and Genmoji. Apple Intelligence is also able to create summaries for the user, but that has recently come under fire as being inaccurate.

It should be noted that this news is from an unknown source, but it wouldn't be surprising to see some iPad models dropped. While your device will work without the latest updates, we would always recommend trying to keep up to date to make sure you have all the relevant security updates.

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Apple Intelligence has officially arrived with iOS 18.1, bringing significant AI capabilities across Apple devices. While Apple Intelligence can summarize audio notes and phone call transcripts, these features are just the beginning. The update brings a smarter version of Siri that better understands context and follow-up questions, and introduces Clean Up for Photos, Apple's own take on Samsung's Magic Editor feature.

Getting started with these features isn't quite as simple as a standard iOS update. Apple is managing the rollout carefully to ensure a smooth experience for all users, which means you'll need to follow specific steps to activate Apple Intelligence on your devices. Whether you're using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, the process requires joining a waiting list before you can access these new capabilities.

Note that Apple Intelligence features are available only on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, all iPhone 16 models, and Mac and iPad with M1 or later. Let's walk through how to activate Apple Intelligence on each of your compatible devices.

Now that you've activated Apple Intelligence across your devices, you can start exploring its features. If you're looking to tame your inbox, learn how Apple Intelligence can summarize all your emails. For help with documents and messages, Writing Tools is one of Apple Intelligence's most useful features — here's what it can do. And for less well-known features, check out iOS 18 Notes just got a major overhaul — here's how to use it.

Taking screenshots on the best iPhone or iPad is a common task, but sometimes a standard capture isn't enough. For those times when you need to save an entire webpage, a long conversation, or a full document, knowing how to take a scrolling screenshot becomes essential. 

As Apple continues to update its software, with features like customizing your Photos app, understanding these built-in tools becomes increasingly important. From practical uses to specialized applications like the cycle tracking feature, your iOS devices offer a range of helpful built-in functions. 

Whether you're a student saving research, a professional keeping track of those never-ending email threads, or someone who likes saving multiple posts to share with friends, getting the hang of scrolling screenshots can really up your digital game. Let's jump in and learn how to capture those extra-long screenshots like a pro.

After mastering scrolling screenshots, explore more iPhone features. Learn how to use Claude AI on your smartphone for intelligent assistance. Create custom routes in Apple Maps for personalized navigation, and how to update AirPods firmware for optimal accessory performance.

If you like keeping your devices for as long as possible while maintaining a connection to the most current updates, then the latest macOS Sequoia and iPadOS 18 updates will leave you scrambling if you're using certain Macs and iPads.

It makes sense that older Apple devices won't support Sequoia. Apple recently announced "Apple Intelligence" AI features will only work with Apple's M-series chips like the M1 or newer M4 processors.

That said, the newly announced iPhone Mirroring feature will be available for both Apple Macs with Apple silicon and those with Intel processors. The feature lets users control their iPhone via the Mac screen.

Devices not on the compatibility list will still work, but they won't receive patches and security updates from Apple going forward. And as apps and programs update, they also may no longer support older iterations.

macOS Sequoia compatible Macs

• MacBook Air: 2020 and later
• MacBook Pro: 2018 and later
• Mac mini: 2018 and later
• iMac: 2019 and later
• iMac Pro: 2017
• Mac Pro: 2019 and later
• Mac Studio: 2022 and later

Moving over to iPads, Apple is removing support for the first-generation iPad Pro and the second-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro. It also removes support for the sixth-generation iPad.

Like the Macs, iPadOS 18 brings new AI features to the operating system which requires more power than older chips can handle. 

iPadOS 18 compatiblity

• iPad mini: 2019 and later
• iPad: 2019 and later
• iPad Air: 2019 and later
• iPad Pro: 2018 and later

Apple announced the operating system updates during WWDC 2024. Currently, the updates are available to Apple developers. Every day users should see the updates released sometime in September.

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AirDrop remains one of the handiest ways of transferring files — especially photos —between Apple devices. But what Apple hasn't made obvious is how you can control what data gets sent along with the image.

As well as the basic photo, AirDrop can send over location data or image metadata to let another person see exactly where you took the photo, or let them make major edits to your shot. Alternatively it can send none of that, letting you keep control for yourself when necessary.

This guide will show you how to adjust your AirDrop settings when sending images from an iPhone. But don't forget that this process also works on iPads in basically the same way. So let's get to it.

How to change photo location and data settings in AirDrop

Let's see what difference these settings make, using an example of a portrait mode selfie I took on my iPad and then sent to my iPhone with different combinations of settings.

On the left is the photo I exported using standard settings, which is marked as portrait mode, but can't be edited. On the right is the image with All Photos Data transfer switched on, which gives you the option to adjust the portrait effect both in the standard photo app view, and in the Edit view (see below).

In this view, we can see two differences. First, that the regular settings have sent the photo as a pre-baked JPEG file, while the full settings have sent the photo as in the larger but also more editable HEIF format.

Second, the first image was sent without location data enabled, hence why it's prompting you to add one. The second had location data turned on, which is why you can see the map and location name as part of the photo info. Or you would if I hadn't blocked it out.

Our how-to pages are bristling with more tips on how to get the most out of your Apple devices. For example, you could have a look at how to make your iPad keyboard larger for easier typing, how to combine Live Photos into a single video to make more of your images, and how to enable Call Quietly on iPhone so you can call the emergency services discreetly.

iPadOS 18 promises to be the most versatile and potentially "smart" operating system for the best iPads. 

This update (finally) brings the Calculator app, which features new handwriting tools designed for Apple Pencil. Like iOS 18, iPadOS 18 lets you customize the Home Screen and Control Center. The operating system also features a redesign of the Photos app and new ways to express yourself in Messages.

One of the most notable features is called Math Notes, which lets you write math problems on the Calculator app and have the iPad solve them for you. This feature also works for Notes. Similarly, writing on the iPad is now more intuitive thanks to the Smart Script feature that cleans up your handwriting.

Here's everything you need to know about iPadOS 18. Be sure to read our iPadOS 18 hands-on review to learn more.

iPadOS 18: Cheat sheet: Biggest updates

• New customization options for Home Screen and Control Center
• Smooth animations when transitioning between apps
• Calculator comes to iPad
• You can write math problems with the Apple Pencil and have the iPad solve them. Works for calculator and Notes
• iPad can improve your handwriting.

iPadOS 18: Release date

Starting today, the iPadOS 18 public beta is available through the Apple Beta Software Program at beta.apple.com. Our how to download the iPadOS 18 public beta shows you all the steps.

iPadOS 18: Compatible devices

iPadOS 18 will be available as a free update this fall. Here is a list of the iPads that iPadOS 18 is compatible with, according to Apple:

• iPad Pro (M4)
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later)
• iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later)
• iPad Air (M2)
• iPad Air (3rd generation and later)
• iPad (7th generation and later)
• iPad mini (5th generation and later)

iPadOS 18: New features

iPadOS 18 might not seem like a groundbreaking update but its utilization of Apple Intelligence could make it extremely useful.

Apple Intelligence (the company's AI) arrives on iPad, iPhone and Mac. According to Apple, this personal intelligence system combines the power of generative models with personal context to "deliver intelligence that’s incredibly useful and relevant." It can create language and images, takes action across apps and generally accelerates everyday tasks. As far as we know, only iPads featuring M-series chips will support Apple Intelligence.

Not only is the iPad getting the Calculator app, but it also supports a brand-new feature called Math Notes. You'll be able to type or write out math problems and see them instantly solved in your own handwriting. You can also assign values to variables when learning new concepts, calculate a budget and more.

There's even a new graphing feature that lets you write or type an equation and insert a graph with a simple tap. If you want, you can also add multiple equations on the same graph to see how they relate. Math Notes is also accessible in the Notes apps in the new Math Notes folder. Basic and scientific calculators on iPad allow you to view complete expressions before you complete them. Unit conversions let you convert length, weight, currencies and more.

If you're like me and have poor handwriting, you'll be happy to know that Smart Script can make your handwritten notes easier to read while still maintaining your personal handwriting. You're able to write fast and still maintain legibility since this feature smooths and straightens your handwriting in real-time.

With Apple Pencil, you're able to add space, write a quick sentence, or paste typed text in your own handwriting and the paragraph will automatically reflow to fit what you've added. The Notes app enhances typed text as well. For example, you can organize your notes by collapsing sections under headings or subheadings. You're also able to choose from five new text highlight colors if you need something to stand out.

iPadOS 18: iOS 18 features

A slew of new iOS 18 features are making their way to iPadOS 18. Our iOS 18 hub linked above has a full breakdown of said features, but here are some of the most notable ones coming to iPadOS 18.

Apple is allowing you to place icons freely on the home screen grid so that you can keep certain parts of the screen free of apps. This way, you can better admire your wallpaper. You can also customize the icons. For example, the dark mode option lets the icons blend-in when the rest of the interface goes into blackout at night. But if you want, you're free to add your own coloring to icons. An auto option pairs icons to colors on your wallpaper but you can also set them manually.

Control Center (accessible with a swipe from the top right of the screen) gets overhauled. Similar to adding widgets to your home screen, you can freely add or remove Controls from a gallery and place them on as many pages as you'd like.

A new tab bar now floats above app content and complements the sidebar. It blends into the sidebar so you can "dive deeper" into an app's full functionality, according to Apple. You're able to reorder or add other tabs from the side bar for even greater customization.

iPadOS 18: Outlook

iPadOS 18 offers some nice updates that should make using the tablet easier to use for those who frequently use it with the Apple Pencil.

Adding the Calculator app seems like a long time coming, and having the tablet clean up your handwriting is another welcome feature. It'll also be interesting to see if the AI features the company detailed can truly enhance the iPad experience.

We'll update this page with any and all relevant iPadOS 18 news so be sure to come back for more.

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Apple’s next generation iPad may well be the perfect AI device. Rumors suggest it will have the powerful, AI-first M4 chip and with iPadOS 18 will make heavy use of locally running AI models.

With this power will come a host of new privacy-focused and AI-powered features including better transcription, on-device text summary and improved image editing capabilities.

These features are unlikely to be part of the updated iPad lineup expected to be revealed at the Let Loose event on May 7, as they will rely on updates to iPadOS and the Apple Silicon chipset not likely to be unveiled until WWDC in June.

What can we expect from future iPads?

Future iPads, likely released in the fall, will have a heavy AI focus thanks to the M4-series of chips that, according to rumor, are designed to be able to run powerful AI loads on device.

However, even this generation of iPad makes for a compelling AI device. It is able to run models like Llama 3, handle complex AI tasks such as image generation and video editing and with the camera perform a range of AI vision tasks like those revealed for the new Meta Ray-Bans.

What we can expect from Let Loose is updates to the current family of iPads with better screens, the M3 chip and general hardware improvements across the board. Apple will likely brand them as AI capable, or even the best AI tablet on the market.

What I’m waiting for is the true AI tablet and I don’t think we’ll see that this side of the summer if Apple’s usual next-generation release schedule is anything to go by.

What features I’d like from the next-gen iPads

1. Easy integration of third-party models

Apple is expected to put the M4 into the iPad and with this a major improvement to the neural engine. Running large language models on a neural engine is more energy efficient and often faster than running it on a GPU.

On the Mac, Apple has MLX, a new framework designed to make it easier than ever to integrate third-party AI models into the operating system and work with them through apps. I think Apple should make this a core part of a future iPadOS.

The company has been rumored to be working with companies like Google, Baidu and OpenAI to bring models to the Apple ecosystem and this is likely to make the technology available for developers to integrate into apps without having to rely on sending data to the cloud.

2. Better image editing

AI image editing and image generation has come on significantly since the release of iPadOS 17 last year and Apple has struck a deal to license images from Shutterstock to train a generative AI image model.

What I’d like to see is Photos getting a major AI upgrade with the equivalent to Photoshop’s generative fill as a core feature. There are already some fun AI image features on the iPad including being able to pop out a person from a background or remove a background.

With better generative AI integration we could also see the ability to change the orientation or change the canvas size of an image and have AI fill in the missing pieces — without having to crop to change to landscape or portrait.

3. Better Spotlight

Spotlight is both the best and worst feature on any Apple device. It has the potential to be game changing, especially if Apple integrates generative AI into the workflow.

Look at what The Browser Company has been doing with Arc, including creating content pages on the fly about a particular search topic with the help of AI. This is something Apple could do with Spotlight, including bringing in information on your iCloud files and data.

An improved Spotlight would make it easier to find content on your iPad, work with that content and even make connections. It could be in the form of a ChatGPT-style chatbot where you use natural language prompts to work with your own content and browse the web.

4. Better Siri

I like Siri a lot more than some people seem to on social media. It gets a bad rap in part because Apple sacrificed some functionality in favor of security and running on-device. With the arrival of improved AI chips and on-board models that problem goes way.

Apple should look to what Meta is doing with MetaAI in the Ray-Ban smart glasses as a way to improve how Siri works. It uses on-device processing as well as the cloud, has access to AI vision features to describe the real world and can offer advice.

Apple’s research team has published a series of new models like Ferret-UI that are capable of understanding what is happening on screen and providing analysis. This could be built into a new Siri to allow for a deeper integration with iCloud and the operating system.

5. Improved customization

Apple settled on a layout for apps and said “good enough” a few years ago. A few minor tweaks such as the addition of widgets aside, it really hasn’t changed much since version one. For me, that isn’t much of a problem as it works — but what if AI could give everyone a layout that works for them?

Bringing together many of the other feature ideas, generative AI and natural language prompts could make it easier than ever to customize every aspect of your iPad from the shape of icons to where they are positioned on the screen.

It could allow you to generate wallpaper from a text prompt and create widgets based on the output of multiple apps instead of having one widget per app. This could also then be integrated into the new-look Spotlight and allow you to change settings by typing something like “automatically make the screen darker at 9pm every night.”

How likely are these changes?

While I think some of this will happen, particularly around GenAI in photos, an improved Siri and deeper integration of AI into the operating system — some of it will be from developers not Apple.

There are rumors of an AI App Store coming and Apple is likely to create a new suite of APIs and developer kits that app makers can use to get the most out of the power of the M4.

We might see some high profile third-party integration like Adobe running GenAI locally in Photoshop or Express for iPad. We also might see Apple’s own apps get an AI upgrade including text completion in Pages or AI editing in iMovie — but the deeper system changes might have to wait until iPadOS 19.

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If you've been a longtime iPad user, you've no doubt noticed that it's missing an essential app: a calculator. It seems like such a fundamental piece of any operating system, but Apple never made an official calculator app that leverages the extra screen size offered by the iPad. 

Thankfully, that looks to be changing. According to a report from MacRumors, which cites a source familiar with the matter, Apple is planning to bring a dedicated iPad calculator app to iPadOS 18. 

The new iPad app is expected to be revealed at Apple's annual WWDC developer conference on June 10. This means we won't have to wait long to see it in action and see if Apple got it right after all these years in the making.

Another report from AppleInsider indicates that Apple is planning a refresh of its Mac calculator app for the first time in a decade. It's possible that the two apps could be built upon each other. The timing certainly matches up well, and the fact that the Mac calculator is reported to have a resizable window with rounded buttons adds credence to that possibility.

If Apple does release an official iPad calculator app, it could end a long-running social media meme mocking the app's nonexistence. It could also hurt the many third-party iPad calculator apps, which have found a place thanks to Apple's lack of an official app. Of course, some users will be used to the additional apps and want to stick with them, but we expect many to flock to the app that comes natively with the OS. This could be especially true for new users who purchase 2024's iPad models.

In June 2020, an Apple engineer told popular tech YouTube personality Marques Brownlee that the company "hadn't gotten around" to releasing a calculator app. The engineer added, "That day may come." It appears that day may come indeed, and it may come in the relatively near future, as iPadOS 18 is expected to be released in September 2024 alongside iOS 18 for presumably the iPhone 16. We also expect the first beta of iPadOS 18 to launch immediately following Apple's WWDC keynote so that we could get our first taste of the calculator app even sooner.

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Apple may be about to make it easier to check the battery health of your iPad, based on a new feature uncovered in the iPadOS 17.5 beta. 

MacRumors’ Steve Moser and Aaron Perris have uncovered a bunch of references to a Battery Health Menu, and it doesn’t sound too dissimilar to the one found on iPhones.

Judging from the references, the new menu is likely to display the iPad’s maximum battery capacity and the current cycle count. Cycle count being the number of times your battery has fully charged and discharged. iPhone 15, which has similar battery health monitoring tools, is rated to retain 80% capacity for 1,000 charge cycles.

So by seeing both statistics in one place, you can immediately see if the battery is performing the way Apple promised it would. Knowing the capacity also means you can also diagnose battery life issues, and whether you’d be better off swapping out your existing battery for a new one.

Currently the iPadOS 17.5 beta is only available for developers, so we haven’t had a chance to look for the battery health menu ourselves. However MacRumors claims that the manu isn’t showing up on existing iPads, suggesting that it may be exclusive to the iPad Pro 2024 and iPad Air 2024 — both of which are expected to arrive at an undetermined point in the near future.

It doesn’t mean battery health definitely won’t be added to older models when they’re able to upgrade to iPadOS 17.5, but there’s no guarantee either. As shown with the iPhone 15, Apple isn’t above keeping certain battery health statistics locked away on the latest model.

Personally, I’m still unsure why it’s taken Apple this long to add the feature to the iPad. Battery Health has been a feature on iPhones since the launch of iOS 11.3 in 2018, with further enhancements coming on the iPhone 11 the following year. iPads have zero battery health features for users to exploit, so this upgrade is seriously overdue.

iPadOS 17.5 will presumably be available to public beta testers in the coming days, ahead of a stable release at some point in the near future. The next wave of iPads is currently rumored to arrive sometime before the end of this month, and you can follow all the latest news and updates in our iPad Air 2024 and iPad Pro 2024 hubs.

More from Tom's Guide

• Android 15 is changing up the status bar — here’s what to expect
• iPhone 16 Pro design could feature a new type of glass in 4 different shades — what we know
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 leak reveals the weight and size of this year’s foldable —and it's good news

You'll want to know how to make your iPad keyboard larger if you're having trouble seeing or hitting the on-screen keys.

Non-Home button iPads, like the iPad Air, come by default with three sizes of on-screen keyboard. There's the standard full sized keyboard in both vertical and horizontal orientations (the latter being larger). But there's also a miniature "floating" keyboard, which is much smaller and can be moved about on screen for typing one handed. If you're wondering how to make your iPad keyboard larger because it's too small, there's a good chance you've accidentally set your keyboard to the small floating keyboard. This guide will show you how to change back and swap between all keyboards, and how to get to the largest one.

Home button iPads have a split keyboard instead of the floating keyboard. This splits the keyboard equally between both sides of the screen. We'll also show you how to rectify that and return your iPad's keyboard to default.

This guide only covers the iPad's default keyboards. In our testing, we couldn't find any decent third party keyboard applications that actually increased the entire keyboard size. There are numerous apps that can increase the size, font and boldness of the keyboard symbols, but these are often paid, lack basic features or don't work in certain apps, so we wouldn't recommend them. If you need a bigger and better keyboard than the on-screen one, we would recommend investing in one of the best iPad keyboards.

How to make your iPad keyboard larger

Here's how to make the default iPad keyboard larger.

For more iPad tutorials, check out our guides on how to check iPad battery health, how to set up parental controls on an iPad and how to check your iPad model and generation.

If you bought an iPhone XR back in 2018, you might be fretting that this fall's iOS 18 release might be the software update that finally forces an upgrade. After all, Apple typically drops support for phones after five years of software updates.

But a new report suggests that might not be the case. According to an anonymous X account that's said to have a good track record with iPhone-related leaks, iOS 18 support will include the same iPhones that can currently run iOS 17. That means devices released in 2018 — the iPhone XS and XS Max in addition to the iPhone XR — will live to fight another year.

We'd love to point you to the X/Twitter account in question, but it's a private one, and the post has subsequently been deleted. However, MacRumors spotted the post before it disappeared and notes that the poster also has a track record for removing posts that nevertheless turn out to be accurate.

Assuming all that is solid enough support evidence for you, that means the following iPhones will be able to upgrade to iOS 18 when the software arrives later this year. (We'd assume iOS 18 will come pre-installed on Apple's new iPhone 16 models as well.)

• iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max
• iPhone SE (2022) and iPhone SE (2020)

It's not unprecedented for Apple to include six-year-old devices among the supported iPhones for an iOS update. Two years ago, the iOS 15 update included support for the original iPhone SE, a device that debuted in 2016. It's also worth remembering that just because a device can run one of Apple's software updates, not every feature will work on older phones, as some require more recent chipsets.

That could well be the case with iOS 18, which is rumored to be leaning into AI-powered features that may require a lot of processing power. It's possible some of those AI capabilities could turn to the cloud instead of on-device processing power, though.

As for the iPadOS 18 update that will launch at the same time as iOS 18, not every currently supported device could make the cut. According to a separate MacRumors report, that same X/Twitter account says that iPads running on the A10X Fusion chip won't be able to upgrade to the new version of iPadOS coming out this year. That would leave the first-generation 10.5-inch iPad Pro and second-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro out in the cold. It would also spell the end of support for A10 Fusion-powered tablets including the sixth- and seventh-generation iPads.

Keep in mind that none of this is official, as we won't know Apple's official support plans until the release of the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 betas. That figures to happen at WWDC 2024, Apple's developer conference, which we'd expect to take place in June.

More from Tom's Guide

• iOS 18 tipped to get a redesign — what I’d like to see Apple introduce
• iPhone 16 Pro just tipped for a big camera upgrade — and it's stolen from the Max
• Apple reportedly kills Apple Car after a decade of work

Microsoft’s latest AI chatbot, Microsoft Copilot, has just been made available to download for iOS and iPadOS. If you feel the need for another AI tool to tinker with, both can be downloaded from the App Store for free right now.

Microsoft Copilot (which was originally known as Bing Chat) is very similar to ChatGPT, and the other chatbots that litter the web. You put in your prompt — whether that's a question or a request for help penning an email or summary — and it'll spit out what's required. Copilot can also generate images from text due to an integration with the text-to-image generator, DALL-E3.

Interestingly, Copilot is capable of running GPT-4, which is shorthand for generative pretrained transformer. It's the software that allows the AI to generate human-like responses, and to accept both text and image inputs. For reference, the free version of ChatGPT currently makes use of GPT-3.5.

This isn’t the only difference between the two. Microsoft Copilot limits how many responses a user can make in a thread to around thirty. It'll also not allow access to image generation without creating an account. However, while testing both out it seemed Copilot was willing to give far longer answers to each question I offered. ChatGPT seemed to offer more human-like answers and felt less like it was just searching the web for responses. 

Currently, it appears Copilot does not save any threads for you and you are unable to upload files other than photos. However, this is a vast improvement over ChatGPT which makes analyzing a photo far more complex than it needs to be.

I didn’t find much difference in speed when using either app. Both Copilot and ChatGPT were fast in their responses, although ChatGPT was slightly quicker. Finally, I asked both to compose an email to a distant friend asking to catch up. Microsoft Copilot responded with a template filled with options to help personalize the response from me, meanwhile, ChatGPT didn't offer alternative options but had a better composition.

It seems there are benefits to both apps at the moment, but there is nothing that would help to push one ahead of the other on Apple’s products. The biggest hindrance for Copilot is the limit on responses, which may be changed in the future if the app sees more use. 

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple in 2024: Apple Vision Pro, iPhone 16 and all the new products on the way
• 5 must-download AI apps for 2024
• My favorite 10 iPhone apps to download to your new iPhone

When you know how to set up parental controls on an iPad, you can rest a little bit easier when your child is using the tablet. Since there are many ways of potentially exposing kids to content that you would rather they didn’t see or hear, being able to alter settings to make the device more kid-friendly becomes pretty much essential.

As well as limiting the amount of time a child should spend on the iPad, you need to take into account the apps they will use, the websites they will browse and the streaming services that they will not doubt become drawn to. You need to ensure children can game safely, especially with titles that allow players to communicate with each other. 

It’s also important they don’t rack up big bills on your account.

So let’s check out how to set up parental controls on an iPhone which you can do in tandem with the best parental control apps, if you wish. 

Set up Screen Time on iPad

To access the parental controls on your iPad, you need to turn on Screen Time – the built-in Apple service which shows how long your tablet is being used for each day. This is a simple enough process. 

You just need to launch the Settings app and select Screen Time from the left-side menu. Next, tap App & Website Activity and select Turn on App & Website Activity.

If you scroll down on the right-hand side of Screen Time settings, you can also protect Screen Time with a passcode. Just tap Lock Screen Time Settings and enter a four-digit passcode.

Full Guide: Screen Time: Everything you need to know

Limit iPad usage

In Screen Time, which you can access if you open the Settings app and tap Screen Time, you will see a section called Limit Usage. This is where you get to control which apps can be used on your iPad and for how long.

Tap Downtime and you can determine when restrictions come into play: you can either turn on Downtime immediately if you select Turn on Downtime Until Tomorrow or you can tap Schedule and set times.

Let’s say, you want to restrict access to X. Once you open the Settings app and tap Screen Time, you just need to tap App Limits, select Add Limit and choose the app. It’s actually possible to select more than one app and you can also choose an entire category of app to limit. When you tap Next, you will be able to use the carousel to set the amount of time. You can also tap Customize Days to set limits for specific days

Your iPad also has an important setting. When the time runs out, a prompt appears asking if you’d like more time. If you have set a Screen Time passcode, you can toggle on Block at End of Limit. This means the Screen Time passcode would need to be entered in order to extend the time – if a child doesn’t know that passcode, then the app cannot be used without your intervention.

When finished, tap Add and Toggle on/off App Limits.

Full Guide: How to set time limits on your apps with Screen Time

Set communication limits

If a child has your iPad, you will likely want to restrict who they can communicate with. In the Communications section (accessed if you open the Settings app and select Screen Time), there are two options: Communications Limits and Communication Safety. 

If you tap Communication Limits, you can set restrictions that apply to Phone, FaceTime, Messages and iCloud contacts. You can set these so that they apply at any time in the day or only when the iPad is in DownTime (see the above section). 

If you tap Communication Safety, then select Continue, you can also toggle on Check for Sensitive Photos so that age-inappropriate images are not visible.

Hide apps on iPad

An effective way to stop a child from using an app is to hide it from the Home Screen. It won’t remove the app – you can easily bring it back – but you can hide as many as you like. Open the Settings app and tap Screen Time then tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. Make sure Content & Privacy Restrictions are turned on. Now tap Allowed apps and toggle off apps that you don’t want. 

Alternatively, and this also works for apps that you have installed yourself, go to the Home Screen of your iPad and hold down on an app. Select Remove app and select Remove from Home Screen. You will need to go to the App Library (which you will reach if you swipe all the way to the right) to access it as a later date.

Prevent App Store purchases

You sometimes see horror stories of children racking up big bills by making in-app purchases without permission. In some cases, they’ve downloaded expensive apps. To prevent children from having full access to the App Store, open Settings and tap Screen Time then tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. Now tap iTunes & App Store Purchases.

There are three choices. You can tap Installing Apps and either allow or don’t allow app installation. You can also select In-app Purchases and also decide if you want to allow or don’t allow. There is also an option that prevents children from deleting apps. Just tap Deleting Apps and select don’t allow.

Block websites

The world wide web is potentially dangerous for children so it’s worth placing restrictions on a child’s browser access on your iPad. If you open Settings, tap Screen Time and tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, you can tap Content Restrictions and select Web Content. At this point, you can choose to limit adult websites or select Allowed Websites. 

The first option lets you create a list of allowed and disallowed sites (just tap Add Website under each section). The second option lets you limit access to websites of your choice. Again, tap Add Website to create a list.

You can also restrict Siri from searching the web. After you tap Content Restrictions above, scroll down to Siri and select allow or don’t allow next to Web Search Content and Explicit Language.

Full guide: How to block websites on iPhone

Restrict age-inappropriate content

Music, movies, TV shows, games, books, apps and podcasts are rated for their suitability for children and you can take advantage of such classification by ensuring the content kids see and hear is suitable for their young eyes and ears. Again, open the Settings app and tap Screen Time. Then select Content & Privacy Restrictions then tap Content Restrictions. Now select a type of content such as movies or TV and determine the age-rating you are happy with (or select Clean if that is the option available).

Restrict access to games

Games are great and one of the reasons why kids will want access to an iPad. But games can also put kids in touch with strangers and that’s something to be concerned about. To tackle this, open the Settings app and tap Screen Time. Now select Content & Privacy Restrictions and tap Content Restrictions. Scroll down to the section called Game Center and go through each option in turn: just tap allow or tap don’t allow for each one.

So now you know how to set up parental controls on an iPad but there is more you can do. For example, why not learn how to set up Netflix parental controls so that you can rest easier if your kids are watching shows and movies via this popular streaming service? You can also learn how to set up Disney Plus parental controls. It’s also worth discovering how to set up YouTube parental controls. 

When Apple released the iPad in 2010, many pundits scoffed and felt it was an unnecessary release. They’re not saying that now. Ever since then, other manufacturers have got in on the act but the iPad remains top of the best tablets and it’s likely to stay there for quite some time.

When you launch your iPad for the first time and start playing around, you’ll find you have a lot of power under your fingertips. But whether you opt for an iPad Air or an iPad Pro, you can unleash so much more — the trick is to know which settings you need to tweak to get the most out of the device.

So here we take a look at 11 tips for setting up your new iPad to not only personalize your device but make it work for you. You can also discover 11 tips for setting up/using your new iPhone.

11 features you should try first on your new iPad

Before we get started, you should ensure your iPad is running the latest version of iPadOS. We can show you how to update an iPad if you need a pointer.

Now that you've got 11 great features mastered, it's up to you to delve into your new tablet and discover more. That being said, we have a huge range of tutorials here at Tom's Guide — including lots of iPad tutorials — which can help you get the most out of your tech. Why not check out our guides on how to check your iPad battery health, how to use split screen on iPad and how to use an external USB webcam with your iPad.

When the Apple Vision Pro was announced at WWDC, Apple said that the “spatial computer” VR headset would be able to run iOS and iPadOS apps in addition to new visionOS apps. And they promised that these would all be available from a single App Store.

Now, it looks like Apple is following through on this initial promise. In an Apple Developer blog post (h/t The Verge), Apple announced that a new App Store is officially coming to the Vision Pro. And, as promised, it will have access to “hundreds of thousands of iPad and iPhone apps” alongside brand-new visionOS apps.

But the biggest news is that developers will now get their hands on this new App Store — and soon. According to Apple an upcoming fall developer beta for visionOS will include this “brand-new App Store.” Furthermore, all new iOS and iPad OS apps will automatically publish to this new App Store, provided they are compatible.

And Apple expects nearly every iOS and iPad app to be compatible with the Vision Pro. However, if there is something in an app preventing its compatibility with the Apple headset, App Store Connect will indicate this error so developers can provide alternative functionality or update the user interface.

Apple Vision Pro has the potential for a massive content library

Right out of the box, adding compatibility for nearly every iOS and iPad OS app gives the Apple Vision Pro a huge app library and a potential competitive advantage over other platforms like Meta Quest.

But that doesn’t mean it will have a huge library of immersive apps. In fact, some companies are skipping the immersion of visionOS altogether, including Netflix, which has said it won't have a native Apple Vision Pro app at launch. 

Other companies though, seem to be embracing this new platform. In our Apple Vision Pro hands-on review, our editor-in-chief Mark Spoonauer got to see firsthand how Disney’s immersive Disney Plus visionOS can be. The NBA has also hinted that NBA games could be coming to the Vision Pro as an immersive experience, and of course, there is Apple’s own streaming service — Apple TV Plus — which is shooting shows in spatial video to give viewers 180-degree video. And the best VR games should be coming to visionOS thanks to PolySpatial, which allows developers to create immersive and windowed games for the Vision Pro with relative ease.

This will be key to whether or not the Vision Pro’s massive content library drives success for Apple’s first headset. If apps and companies adopt visionOS for immersive experiences, then the Vision Pro’s combination of immersive and practical apps gives it a serious advantage over headsets like the Meta Quest 3. But if it’s just a $3,499 Mac or iPhone strapped to your face then the appeal of the first “spatial computer” could be diminished — at least at first. 

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple Vision Pro vs Meta Quest 3: What we know so far
• Watch out, Apple Vision Pro — Meta and LG teaming up on new Quest Pro headset
• Forget Apple Vision Pro — the next headset sounds way better

If you’ve installed the iPadOS 17 public beta on your iPad, you can now use an external USB camera with your tablet. This is handy if you don’t want to use the iPad’s front-facing camera and would prefer one of the best webcams instead. So long as you have one of the best iPads with a USB-C port, you can try this new feature out.

Apple confirmed that any USB camera will work on a plug-in-and-play basis. As soon as you plug the camera in, it will be available to use without any additional set-up or configuration. If your camera uses a USB-A connection, you’ll need an adapter. Other than that, this is a straightforward process.

Here’s how to use an external USB camera to an iPad.

How to use an external USB webcam on iPad 

Before fully diving into this article, there are a few things we need to go over. First, you’ll need an iPad with a USB-C port, which I’ve listed below: 

• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation and later)
• iPad Pro 10.5-inch
• iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later)
• iPad Air (3rd generation and later)
• iPad (6th generation and later)
• iPad mini (5th generation and later)

Secondly, you need to install the iPadOS 17 public beta (or iPadOS 17 when it comes out). Our how to download the iPadOS 17 public beta guide will show you the necessary steps.

If your webcam uses a USB-A connection, you’ll need an adapter to establish a connection between the iPad and webcam. For this how-to, I used the UGreen Revodok 7-in-1 USB-C Hub, but any USB-C adapter with at least one USB-A port will suffice.

With that established, let’s connect an external webcam to your iPad.

That’s all there is to it! External webcam support is a feature folks have been requesting for a long time so it’s good to see it available on iPadOS 17. 

For more iPad guides, check out how to check your iPad model and generation if you want to know how old your iPad is, or how to turn a Live Photo into a video on iPhone and iPad to share clips more easily with others. Similarly, you'll want to make sure you know how to use AirDrop on iPhone and iPad. 

More from Tom's Guide

• How to use iPad as a screen for Steam Deck
• Best iPad keyboards in 2023
• This iPad Pro keyboard is the best iPad accessory ever

Apple's basic iPad is one of the best tablets on the market for good reason: For $450 you get a capable tablet with great components and a slick, popular operating system that runs all your favorite apps.

Of course, you're still paying nearly $500 for the privilege, and really you ought to be paying $600 for the upgraded 256GB model since the 64GB of storage Apple equips the entry-level iPad with is a recipe for heartbreak down the road. 

If you want a tablet in your life but don't want to pay that much, many of the best Android tablets deliver similar functionality at a lower price. Amazon's Fire tablets are some of the most popular choices for folks on a budget, in part because they're readily available direct from the retail giant at prices starting as low as $60 for the (admittedly underwhelming) Amazon Fire 7. 

But one of the big warnings you'll hear from us and other outlets when buying an Amazon tablet is to beware the limitations of FireOS. That's Amazon's version of Android, and it drives every Fire tablet on the market.

FireOS is designed to showcase Amazon apps and services, so it's great if you like the idea of having your Prime watchlist or Kindle library right on the home screen of your tablet. It's less great if you like the idea of owning a robust, versatile Android tablet, because on FireOS you can't (easily) access Google apps or the Google Play storefront.

This might seem like a minor issue, but it does mean you have to fundamentally change the way you use a tablet if you're counting on having access to any of the common apps (including everything from Dropbox to Gmail) that aren't available on the Amazon Appstore. We note this on every Fire tablet review because Amazon's FireOS is more limiting and more limited than anything fielded by Apple or Google, affecting everything you do with the tablet.

I know this remains true because I recently returned from a cross-country family trip toting Amazon's new Fire Max 11 tablet, and I was frustrated by my inability to access some of my favorite and most-used apps. But after spending so much time criticizing Amazon's slates for the shortcomings of FireOS, I wanted to make sure and make time to call out one of the nice things about Amazon's tablet operating system that even Apple could stand to learn from.

I'm talking, of course, about sharing.

Amazon is light-years ahead of Apple in family sharing

See, on a Fire tablet it's easy to set up multiple user profiles, including child profiles that give you parental controls to stay on top of things like screen time. 

The ability to set up multiple profiles is nice to have, even for childless wastrels like me, because FireOS lets you customize the home screen on each profile and offers tailored recommendations based on who's using the tablet. Apple's iPadOS, by comparison, has basically no tools for creating separate user or child profiles.

This may seem like a feature so minor it's not worth mentioning, and maybe that's true for many people. It sure seems minor enough that it's a wonder Apple still hasn't bothered to implement something nearly as useful.

But on my recent family trip I could set up different profiles on the tablet for each person in the car and we could pass the slate around all weekend, confident that when we signed in each of us would get a home screen tailored to our preferences.

That may not be the key selling point of a tablet, but it is a nice feature to have and it made me appreciate FireOS a little bit more. It's also exactly the sort of thing you'd expect to see in an Apple commercial: Family members laughing and passing an iPad around the tree at Christmas, holding it up to capture those Precious Moments for posterity.  

Now, as we get ready to see what Apple has planned for the next generation of iPad, I look at the most exciting new features coming in iPadOS 17—interactive widgets, new lockscreens, etc—and I'm a little disappointed to see no mention of user profiles.

C'mon Apple. Everyone else is doing it, and doing it better. What's wrong with a little profiling, between users?

More from Tom's Guide

• iOS 17 Messages — 8 biggest changes coming to your iPhone
• 3 macOS Sonoma features Windows 11 can't match
• The best iOS 17 features coming this fall

It's strangely difficult to find out what your iPad's battery health is. Even now iPadOS 18 is here, there's no sign of a full battery health setting coming to devices other than the new iPad Pro or iPad Air, which have their own Battery Health menus.

Keeping an eye on your iPad's battery health can be important not only for your own interest, but for Apple too.

Apple doesn't replace iPad batteries for free under Apple Care Plus unless they're under 80% of their original capacity, so it can be good to know if your iPad is eligible before wasting your time booking and waiting for a Genius appointment.

Fortunately, your iPad is likely recording key battery data already. The annoying thing is you have to enable the analytics, then comb through the technical gobbledegook to actually find the figures, unless you use a handy shortcut we'll share with you shortly.

So without further ado, this is how to check your iPad's battery health without using other apps, or until Apple adds Battery Health to iPadOS.

How to check iPad Pro 2024 or iPad Air 2024's battery health

If you've got the latest iPad Pro (launched in 2024 with an M4 chip) or iPad Air (launched in 2024 with an M2 chip), you can use the super-easy method to check your tablet's battery health.

For users with older models, skip ahead to the next section.

How to check your iPad's battery health

Firstly, we'll show you the longer, more in-depth method. However, there's also a method using iOS/iPadOS Shortcuts, which we'll cover afterward.

The former is the calculation that an iPhone makes when you look at the Battery Health setting in iOS, and is more accurate than the MaximumCapacityPercent one because it accounts for the original capacity of your specific iPad's battery.

However, the rated capacity calculation is the one Apple will make when deciding if your battery is eligible for replacement or not, so that could be the one you need to do instead.

If you're interested in checking how many complete charging cycles your iPad's been through (another indicator of battery wear), search for CycleCount.

How to quickly check your iPad's battery health with Shortcuts 

If you're familiar with the Shortcuts app for iOS and iPadOS, then there's an easier way to do all of this.

Installing this Battery Stats shortcut (courtesy of Reddit's r/iPad and users u/nairazak and u/ericswpark) allows you to quickly get your key details with the Analytics file open in the Settings menu.

Assuming your iPad's battery is up to it, how about trying out some more fun and handy features? Among our repertoire of guides, we can show you how to avoid CAPTCHA popups on iPhone to breeze through online security checks, how to use Google Lens on iPhone and iPad to search Google with your iPad's camera, or how to type the Apple logo on iPhone, iPad and Mac to show your appreciation for the company behind your tablet.

Still not enough? Then check out how to check your iPad model and generation if you can't remember what age or type your iPad is, or how to turn a Live Photo into a video on iPhone and iPad to more easily share clips with others.

Which is also the reason you'll want to make sure you know how to use AirDrop on iPhone and iPad.

FAQs

More from Tom's Guide

• EU could force Apple to make iPhone batteries replaceable — what you need to know
• Your Apple ID is about to kill the password in iOS 17 — what you need to know
• Apple My Photo Stream shuts down soon — here's how to save your photos

Did you know you can avoid CAPTCHA popups on the iPhone if you're running iOS 16 on your device?

If you’re not familiar with the term, CAPTCHAs are essentially those (rather pesky) authentication puzzles, where websites and app sign-in screens require you to complete a small challenge. You may have seen these in the form of being asked to ‘select every photo containing traffic lights’, ‘select every photo containing mountains’ or my least favourite of all, to make sense of a line of squiggly text.

It’s a bit of a mouthful, but CAPTCHA stands for ‘Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart’ and the idea is that only humans have the recognition skills needed to pass the test.

In short, they’re designed to verify whether you’re a human or a bot. But, as I’m sure nearly everyone will agree, CAPTCHAs can become time-consuming and annoying, particularly the more frequently they appear.

This is where Automatic Verification comes in – a feature that lets you bypass and avoid website CAPTCHAs on iOS or iPadOS. It uses what Apple describes as Private Access Tokens to notify websites that the user is human, without having to complete any tests.

Automatic Verification can be easily enabled or disabled from your settings in a few simple steps. You’ll just need to check you’ve downloaded iOS 16 and installed it first.

This feature is supported on iPadOS 16.1 and later, so the following steps also apply on iPad, too.

How bypass website CAPTCHAs on iOS or iPadOS

1. Open Settings > Tap on your Apple ID
2. Go to Password & Security
3. Toggle on Automatic Verification

Read on to see more detailed instructions for each step.

And that’s all there is to it – an easy way to bypass website CAPTCHAs and avoid those pesky puzzles.

While we’re on the topic of iPhones, why not check out our guides and tutorials on getting the most out of your phone? If you find those app rating pop ups super annoying, learn how to disable app rating pop ups on iPhone. And if you’re looking to boost your iPhone productivity, you’ll want to read about these features that make working on your iPhone way easier.

Planning a vacation this year? Here’s roundup of the hidden iPhone features you need to know for summer travel. Plus, tips for helping you sleep better on a plane if you’re heading overseas.

Knowing how to take Quick Notes on iPhone enables you to scribble down thoughts, ideas, and information within nearly any app on your device.

Usually, when you find something that sparks your interest online, you’d need to close your current app, open up Notes, jot down your text, then return back to where you were. Quick Notes, however, lets you write and save notes easily without even opening the Notes app – no switching necessary.

If, like me, you’ve ever needed to quickly save a link, photo, or line of text without losing your place, you’ll find this nifty iPhone feature very useful.

Essentially, Quick Notes acts as a little floating note window. And once saved, you’ll find all your Quick Notes in the Folders section of your Notes app, meaning they’ll be accessible to refer back to and edit whenever you fancy.

What’s also really useful is that Quick Notes will sync across to all your Apple devices, so you’ll still be able to pull up those notes whenever you need from your iPad or Mac.

There are two main ways of making a Quick Note on your iPhone and both are really simple.

Before getting started though, you’ll first need to make sure you’ve downloaded iOS 16 and installed it on your phone ready to go.

How to take Quick Notes on iPhone via the Share button

1. Open Safari (or the app you want to take notes from)
2. Highlight
3. Tap Share
4. Add to Quick Note
5. Save

Read on to see more detailed instructions for each step.

How to take Quick Notes on iPhone via the Control Panel

1. Open Settings > Control Centre
2. Tap Quick Note
3. Move Quick Notes to your desired place in Control Centre
4. Close Settings > Open Safari (or the app you want to take notes from)
5. Highlight
6. Open Control Panel
7. Select Quick Note Icon
8. Save

Read on to see more detailed instructions for each step.

And there you have it – you’ve now mastered the handy Quick Notes feature on iPhone.

If you'd like more advice on getting the most out of your iPhone, our range of tutorials has you covered. We’ve rounded up the best hidden iPhone features you should be using, all the essential tips and tricks for Apple Maps, features to make life way easier when working on your iPhone and how to lock notes with Face ID on iPhone which is another useful know-how for avid note takers.

New iPhone users will want to check out how to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone or how to transfer Google contacts to iPhone. If you’re looking to switch up your ringtone to something a little different, read how to set a ringtone on iPhone.

When you know how to disable app ratings pop ups on iPhone, you can finally put a stop to one of the biggest annoyances of owning an iOS device.

By default, app ratings pop ups are enabled. This means that, as you're using apps, you'll regularly experience a pop up asking you whether you like the app, and whether you'd like to rate and review it in the iOS App Store.

While I love my iPhone 14 Pro and think it's one of the best phones around, I still find these pop ups unnecessary and annoying. If I really like or dislike an application, I'll go and leave a review of my own volition. As such, the pop ups asking me to leave a review simply get in the way of whatever I was trying to do, so I always tap Not Now. 

Until recently, though, little did I know that these pop ups can actually be disabled. What's more, disabling them is super easy and only requires a few taps in the Settings menu. However, if you didn't know exactly where to look, you'd easily miss the toggle you need to do so.

That's why we've decided to write this guide and show you exactly how to do it. So, if like me you find those app ratings pop ups on iPhone super annoying, read on to find out how to turn them off.

How to disable app ratings pop ups on iPhone

1. Open Settings 
2. Tap App Store
3. Toggle off In-App Ratings & Reviews

Read on to see full illustrated instructions for each step.

That's how simple it is! You'll no longer be pestered by those annoying pop ups. If you'd also like to block ads, we can show you how to use the iOS Safari Reader Mode, which makes websites much easier to read. We can also show you other hidden features, like how to enable view outside the frame on iPhone, which recreates the extended view of a DSLR's optical viewfinder, and how to enable lens correction on iPhone, which helps your photos look more natural.

We've just got an early look at some iOS 17 features thanks to a surprisingly comprehensive update from an official Apple Newsroom post.

The new features are focused on accessibility, and will apparently arrive "later this year." That certainly sounds like they'll be arriving with the new iPhone software, and also iPadOS 17 and macOS 14, which we expect to see revealed at WWDC 2023 in June.

Live Speech

The first of the big new features we'll look at is Live Speech. This is a text-to-speech feature for use during calls, or with another person in real life, letting you type a message into your iPhone, iPad  or Mac and then have the device read it out. You can save messages for later or repeated use in a Phrases bookmarks section. It heavily resembles Bixby Text Call on recent Samsung Galaxy phones, except with wider potential applications.

Personal Voice

You'll also be able to use Live Speech with another headline feature: Personal Voice. It's marketed as a way of keeping a copy of one's voice alive even as someone's actual speech declines due to certain medical conditions.

Apple promises that after 15 minutes of reading out text prompts to an iPhone, iPad or M-series chip-powered Mac, it'll be able to produce a synthesized copy (saved and processed on-device for privacy) of your voice that you can then use to talk through TTS, for what sounds like will be a much more natural experience than having a default Siri voice do the job.

Point and Speak in Magnifier

The iPhone's built-in Magnifier app is getting an improvement in the form of a Detection Mode feature which enables "point and speak" for users who rely on the app to navigate the world around them.

What this does is let your device process dense areas of text like normal,  but only read it aloud when the user points to a specific area in-frame — useful for reading things like labelled buttons, as Apple's demo video shows with a user operating a microwave. 

However, this feature requires the use of "iPhone and iPad devices with the LiDAR Scanner," a sensor found only on the iPhone 12 Pro and later Pro iPhones and recent iPad Pro models. This sounds like users with older or more basic iPhone models may won't be able to use this feature unless they upgrade.

Assistive Access

The last of the big new additions to iOS is Assistive Access, a super-simplified interface, with large and easy-to-read text and buttons that makes using essential Apple apps like Camera, Photos, Music and Messages much simpler to understand and navigate.

It also combines Phone and FaceTime together into a new hybrid Calls app, meaning an unconfident user won't have trouble figuring out which app is needed for contacting someone.

The home screen can also be arranged in two new layouts in this mode, giving a simplified grid with double-sized icons or a list of apps.

Other new iOS 17 features

Apple's updates encompass lots of other smaller accessibility improvements, including hearing aid pairing for Apple Silicon Macs, easier text size adjustment, Siri talk speed adjustment, and phonetic suggestions for easier navigation of similar-sounding words when using text-to-speech.

These changes are of course welcome inclusions for users with conditions and limitations who want to use their device as comfortably and easily as any other user. But even for the average iPhone owner, these new settings could prove useful. You only have to think of something like the iPhone Back Tap gesture, a popular way of adding an additional shortcut to your phone that's enabled through Accessibility settings, to start imagining creative ways these new features could be used beyond their stated purpose.

As major as these updates are, we still suspect Apple's holding back some announcements for WWDC 2023. As well as additional iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and macOS 14 features, we're hoping to see some new hardware too, with a 15-inch MacBook Air model and an all-new Apple AR/VR headset both rumored.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple Reality Pro to 'far exceed' capabilities of rival headsets
• Forget new iPhone 15 Pro — here's why you should wait for iPhone 16 Pro
• This hidden iOS feature solves one of the iPhone’s most annoying problems

The super-sized iPad rumored for next year could be equipped with a mighty M3 Pro chip says leaker Revegnus, adding yet another absurd-looking spec to Apple's alleged new tablet.

Apparently offering a new top-tier iPad with a 14.1-inch display, extra RAM and storage and an enhanced iPadOS experience (along with a major price hike) wasn't enough. This rumor now suggests it'll be equipped with the same type of chip that Apple normally reserves for its MacBook Pro laptops.

While having a chip that powerful in a tablet sounds very tempting, we have to be realistic. The current iPad Pro, with its Apple M2 chip, is already blazing fast and is arguably overkill for what people typically use tablets for. 

Perhaps this rumored iPadOS upgrade, which will supposedly bring more macOS-style capabilities to the 14.1-inch iPad, would allow users to make the most of the chip's might. And if rumors of Apple's full Mac-grade Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro apps coming to iPadOS next year (via analyst941) are correct, that could certainly encourage some users to move to this iPad instead of just getting another MacBook or Mac desktop. 

The leaker says in their tweet that Apple is "building a monster" and that "iPadOS will also get a big update. Many features from macOS are coming to iPadOS." So we'll have to see how much Apple borrows from macOS and for the iPad. 

When will the 14-inch iPad launch?

The Apple M3 chip family hasn't arrived yet, although going by previous reports we should see the vanilla chip debut this year, with Pro, Max and possibly Ultra variants appearing in 2024. That schedule would fit with the alleged launch timing for this new iPad model, as well as other iPads using OLED displays instead of the current LCD/mini LED screens. 

It's not clear if the 14.1-inch model would also use OLED, but considering everything else Apple's said to be adding to this tablet, it may as well use its latest display option as well.

The status of the 14.1-inch iPad iPro s unclear, as it's been rumored to have been canceled by some sources, with others claiming it's just been held back a year or more. We'd be very interested in this alleged iPad if it does come out, since it could be a device capable of challenging both the best tablets and best laptops.

The 14-inch iPad Pro could also provide more direct competition like the 14.6-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, another giant tablet with amazing specs but currently little-to-no real competition. 

Another rumored incoming Apple product is a monitor that can double up as a smart display.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple issues Rapid Security Response update for iPhone and iPad — download now
• Future iPad Pros could finally replace your laptop thanks to an advanced OS
• OnePlus Pad vs iPad (10th gen): Which tablet wins? 

It's official — Apple announced WWDC 2023's keynote presentation will take place on June 5, kicking off a week-long summit focused on software development for the iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac and more.

And while the expected announcement of iOS 17 will certainly make headlines, the iPhone's software could be overshadowed by the rumored reveal of Apple's AR/VR headset. Recent reports point to the device taking the stage at Apple's annual developer conference, but in what capacity remains to be seen.

Otherwise, we should get our first look at the OS changes to coming to Apple's existing hardware. Upgrades to iOS 17 for iPhone, iPadOS 17 for iPad and watchOS 10 for Apple Watch will be covered during WWDC, assuming Apple sticks to its usual programming. We should see new features for Apple TV, plus a refreshed MacOS version, discussed at the conference, too.

There's more space for speculation regarding the hardware Apple will announce. In WWDC's history, some years featured new Mac products, while others strictly stuck to hardware. For example, WWDC 2021 introduced no new devices, while WWDC 2022 saw the launch of the MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022).

Apple Reality Pro could steal the show

If Apple has new hardware planned, it could be the long-awaited mixed reality headset which is reportedly called Apple Reality Pro. That said, current rumors suggest the device might be teased, with actual availability coming later this year or beyond. Either way, the launch of an all-new product category for Apple would make this year's WWDC event one of the company's most momentous to date.

Apple's AR/VR headset is rumored to feature a new operating system and offer a 3D-like vie of an iPhone interface. Bloomberg says that you'll also get advanced virtual videoconferencing and immersive video streaming. The headset will reportedly be powered by Apple's M2 chip or similar, sport 4K displays and an array of cameras. 

In addition, the Apple Reality Pro headset is tipped to feature eye and hand-tracking. Unfortunately, the device is rumored to cost as much as $3,000 and require a separate battery pack to work. We've also seen a couple of reports that point to internal tension within Apple, as apparently the design team has fought to have the AR/VR headset launch pushed back. 

As for other possible hardware announcements planned for WWDC, rumors of a 15-inch MacBook Air featuring the M2 chip or a new Mac Pro with M2 Pro silicon could come true. We'll just have to wait and see.

WWDC 2023 will take place in-person at Apple's Cupertino campus. We expect the June 5 keynote event will be streamed live for everyone to watch the big announcements as they happen.

More from Tom's Guide

• This could be the next Apple product to ditch Lightning after iPhone 15
• 5 iPhone 15 rumors we’re most excited about
• Apple Watch Series 9 — early rumors

After releasing a series of emergency security updates to patch a new WebKit zero-day flaw last month, Apple has now backported these patches to older iPhones and iPads.

The vulnerability (tracked as CVE-2023-23529) is a WebKit type confusion issue that was discovered by an anonymous researcher. If exploited by an attacker though, it could be used to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable iPhones, iPads and Macs after a user navigates to a malicious website.

While the best iPhones and best iPads were patched back in February with the release of iOS 16.3.1 and iPadOS 16.3.1, Apple is now bringing a fix for the issue to its older devices, according to a new report from BleepingComputer. This is great news especially since a recent report indicated that this WebKit zero-day “may have been actively exploited” in the wild.

Although we know that hackers may have leveraged this flaw in their attacks, Apple has remained quite tight-lipped and hasn’t provided any details. However, the company often operates this way so that its customers have more time to update their devices. Once hackers know how another attacker has exploited a zero-day vulnerability, many of them will try and launch similar attacks using it.

Which iPhones are receiving updates?

Unlike with the best Android phones that no longer receive security updates once they’ve reached their end of support date, Apple knows that many of its customers continue to use older iPhones.

For instance, back in January, the almost a decade old iPhone 5s received a security update for a remotely exploitable zero-day flaw. If you’re curious as to whether or not you can keep using an older smartphone, check out our guide on when an old smartphone becomes unsafe to use.

This time around, Apple has backported its recent security update to the iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, iPhone SE (1st gen), iPad Air 2, iPad mini (4th gen) and even the iPod touch (7th gen).

If you’re still using one of these devices, it’s highly recommended that you download and install this new security update when it becomes available. This way you can stay safe from hackers looking to exploit this flaw in their attacks since they often target users that fail to update their devices.

How to keep your iPhone safe from hackers

Besides keeping your iPhone and other Apple devices updated with the latest software and security patches, there are some other steps you can take to help keep them more secure.

Although there isn’t an iPhone equivalent for the best Android antivirus apps due to Apple’s restrictions on malware scanning, one of the best Mac antivirus software solutions does offer a workaround. With either Intego Mac Internet Security X9 or Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9, you can hook up your iPhone or iPad to your Mac and have the software scan your devices for malware.

For general iPhone security though, you want to avoid opening emails and attachments from unknown senders and you also want to be careful regarding which apps you install on your devices. The Apple App Store has loads of security restrictions in place but malicious apps do manage to slip through the cracks from time to time.

Even if you’re not ready to buy an iPhone 14 just yet, it’s good to see that Apple continues to support its older devices longer after many other companies would have abandoned them.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple just announced WWDC 2023 event
• iPhone 15 leak just tipped secret weapon Android can’t beat
• iOS 17 reportedly adding several new features

iOS 16.4 has just launched for recent iPhones, but you should pay attention to iPadOS 16.4's arrival too as Apple Pencil hover has also got a new ability with the OS update. 

In an interview with Apple director of Input Experience Leslie Ikemoto and director of Platform Product Marketing Stephen Tonna conducted by TechCrunch, we learned that Apple Pencil hover has been improved too, although you can only use this on the iPad Pro M2.

To be precise, the iPadOS 16.4 update now adds tilt and azimuth support to the Apple Pencil hover feature, which in simple terms means the iPad can now track the vertical and horizontal angles at which you're holding the Apple Pencil, and adjust the preview on-screen as a result.

Like with the original version of Apple Pencil hover, this enhancement will work with third-party apps like ProCreate as well as Apple's own apps such as Notes and Markup, with the API easy to implement on any app according to Ikemoto.

High rollers only

It's a shame this feature is exclusive to Apple's most recent and most expensive iPad models, with the cheapest iPad Pro M2 starting at $799/£899/A$1,399. While these models deserve their status as our no. 1 pick of the best iPads, that's a lot of money to fork out just for one feature.

Hopefully, as future iPad refreshes appear, more users will be able to take advantage of Apple Pencil hover as Apple adds more powerful silicon like the Apple M2 chip to the new models. We'd expect the successor to the iPad Air 2022 to have an M2 chip or better, and perhaps future base 10.9-inch iPad or iPad mini models will move from A-series to M-series chips too.

iPadOS 16.4 still offers a reliability update for the Apple Pencil in the Notes app for all users, per Apple's patch notes. Plus it contains almost all of the same features as iOS 16.4, so even if you don't have an Apple Pencil, there's still fresh stuff to try out. You could take a look at your new emoji options, make use of Safari-based web notifications, enjoy the new animations in Apple Books, or just appreciate the other small fixes that should make your iPad subtly more pleasant to use.

More from Tom's Guide

•  iOS 17 update could be bigger than expected — here’s what I want to see 
•  iPad Pros with OLED displays tipped to start at crazy high $1,500 
•  7 hidden iOS gestures that will change how you use your iPhone 

Knowing how to appear offline on an Xbox means you won't be bothered by others when playing games on your console. It will let you simply kick back with your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S without being disturbed by notifications inviting you to play or chat. 

In activating the offline status, you will still be able to play games online. You can also operate your Xbox as normal. Of course, you just need to reverse the process when you're feeling social and want to go back to appearing online. So, without further ado, here's how to appear offline on an Xbox.

How to appear offline on an Xbox console

1. Select your profile image
2. Select Appear Online
3. And select Appear Online again

Read on to see detailed instructions for each step.

1. Select your profile image on the on your Xbox Series S | X Home Screen. To do this, navigate to the profile image and press A on your controller.

2. You will see four options. Select Appear online.

3. Now simply select Appear Offline from the drop-down menu. Doing so will immediately make your profile appear as if you're away.

You could select Do Not Disturb instead. You don't appear offline but you'll at least be informing others that you don't want to be approached.

How to appear offline using the Xbox app

You can also make use of the Xbox app on Android or iOS/iPadOS. Download the Xbox app from the Google Play store or the App Store depending on whether or not you have an Android device or an iPhone/iPad. You will then need to sign into the app using your Xbox account username and password.

Simply tap the profile icon in the bottom right corner and select Appear Offline.

And there you go. You now know how to appear online on an Xbox. If you would like to do the same on a Playstation 5, then check out how to appear offline on PS5. And, if you're a parent following the steps above because you want your child's account to appear offline, you can go even further by learning how to set up parental controls on Xbox Series X or S. For additional privacy, discover how to clear the cache on Xbox Series X and S. 

Apple has released emergency security updates in order to patch a new zero-day vulnerability that’s being used to hack vulnerable iPhones, iPads and Macs.

As reported by BleepingComputer, this zero-day vulnerability (tracked as CVE-2023-23529) was discovered by an anonymous researcher and has now been patched with the release of iOS 16.3.1, iPadOS 16.3.1 and macOS 13.2.1.

The flaw itself is a WebKit confusion issue and if exploited by an attacker, it could be used to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable iPhones, iPads and Mac after a user navigates to a malicious website.

To make matters worse, Apple is aware of a recent report which indicates that this zero-day vulnerability “may have been actively exploited” in the wild. This is why the iPhone maker has quickly released emergency security updates for iOS, iPadOS and macOS.

Impacted devices: iPhones, iPads and Macs

Since this zero-day vulnerability affects iOS, iPadOS and macOS, the list of impacted devices is quite extensive.

For instance, the iPhone 8 and all subsequent iPhone models are affected as well as every model of the iPad Pro, the iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 5th generation and later and the iPad mini 5th generation and later according to a support page from Apple. At the same time, every Mac running macOS Ventura is also affected.

While Apple has said that it has received word about this zero-day vulnerability being actively exploited in the wild, the company hasn’t provided details about these attacks at this time. This is likely because it wants as many iPhone, iPad and Mac users as possible to update their devices with these new security updates before it reveals more.

If you own an impacted device, it is highly recommended that you download these new security updates and install them as soon as possible as the hackers behind these attacks are likely waiting to target those still using vulnerable devices.

How to keep your Apple devices safe from hackers

Besides installing the latest security updates, there are several other ways to ensure that your Apple devices are protected from hackers.

If you use a MacBook, iMac, Mac Mini or any other Apple computer, you may want to invest in one of the best Mac antivirus software solutions as these programs can help keep you safe from malware and other threats. Likewise, using one of the best password managers can help keep your credentials out of the hands of hackers.

While there aren’t actually any iPhone antivirus apps due to Apple’s own restrictions, Intego Premium Bundle X9 is a Mac antivirus app that can also scan your iPhone and iPad for malware when connected to your Mac via a USB cable.

Although we don’t actually know that much regarding this new zero-day vulnerability and how it’s being exploited in the wild, the fact that Apple released emergency security updates for all of its platforms is reason enough to take this threat seriously.

Apple is well known for supporting its devices with software and security updates for several years. But that support doesn’t last forever, and Apple will eventually stop rolling out major updates. So the fact a security patch has just been released for devices dating back almost 10 years, is pretty noteworthy.

Devices getting a new update include iPhones, Macs, MacBooks and iPad models dating as far back as 2013. The iPhone 5s is one of the oldest to receive an update, having been released in September 2013 and losing access to major iOS updates with the launch of iOS 13 in 2019.

These updates include MacOS Big Sur 11.7.3, MacOS Monterey 12.6.3, iOS 12.5.7, iOS 15.7.3 and iPad OS 15.7.3. Though they aren’t alone. Apple’s support page includes information on a huge range of security updates that were released on January 23, covering just about every device released in the past decade; from iPhones to Apple TVs.

The updates don’t appear to all be targeting the same things, according to the patch notes, which is pretty interesting. The iOS 12 update, for example, only covers a bug in WebKit that may have put users at risk from “maliciously crafted web content." 

The iOS 15 update, on the other hand, solves problems in the Kernel, Mail Exchange and offers updates to features like Maps and Screen Time, but no mention of the WebKit. The update to iOS 16 offers even more changes, including a WebKit fix that sounds pretty similar to that from iOS 12.

Why? Who knows, but it’s not that it really matters. The fact is there were problems out there that could have impacted various older Apple devices. Rather than ignoring the issue, Apple released an update to fix it. It’s commendable, even if, in all likelihood, the number of people that are affected could be pretty low. 

Updates released by Apple include:

• iOS 12.5.7: (iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, and iPod touch [6th generation])
• iOS 15.7.3 and iPadOS 15.7.3: (iPhone 6s [all models], iPhone 7 [all models], iPhone SE [1st generation], iPad Air 2, iPad mini [4th generation], and iPod touch [7th generation])
• iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3: (iPhone 8 and later, iPad Pro [all models], iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later)
• macOS Monterey 12.6.3
• macOS Big Sur 11.7.3
• macOS Ventura 13.2
• Safari 16.3: (macOS Big Sur and macOS Monterey)
• tvOS 16.3: (Apple TV 4K [all models] and Apple TV HD)
• watchOS 9.3: (Apple Watch Series 4 and later)

Keeping your phone updated is incredibly important, especially if you have an older device that stopped getting regular update support some time ago. If you have automatic updates enabled, your devices will handle the problem by itself, likely when you’re sleeping. 

If not, you can manually install the update by heading to Settings > General > then Software Update. Alternatively you can check out our guides on how to update an iPhone and how to update a Mac.

It's important you learn how to block pop-ups on Safari when you're using the iPhone or iPad version of the browser. Despite being some of the best phones and best tablets around, iPhones and iPads are not immune to pop-ups.

As you may already know, pop-ups are a menace. Not only do they get in the way of the content you're trying to read or watch, they can also present security concerns, directing you to nefarious websites. Needless to say, then, blocking them is pretty much a necessity.

But how do you block pop-ups on your iPhone? You'd be forgiven for thinking you have to sign up for or purchase one of the best ad blockers. But although those are great, luckily, you don't need them — your iPhone comes pre-loaded with a Safari pop-up blocker. All you need to do is make sure it's turned on, and this guide is here to show you how. 

Read on to see how to block pop-ups on Safari for iOS and iPadOS.

How to block pop-ups on Safari for iOS and iPadOS

1. Open the Settings app, then scroll down and tap Safari.

2. Toggle on Block Pop-ups.

That's really all there is to it. Safari will now block pop-ups for you, meaning you don't have to think about them again. Unfortunately, there's no option for blocking ads too, but we've got a guide on how to block ads on iPhone using Opera browser which, if you haven't already tried it, may tempt you away from using Safari for good thanks to free a built-in ad blocker, pop-up blocker and other cool features. 

If you'd like to read more iPhone guides, we've got you covered with our range of tutorials. Just got a new iPhone? Learn how to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone and get everything transferred over smoothly. Is your iPhone being a little sluggish? Find out how to clear RAM on iPhone, as this can usually help speed things up. You may also want to check out how to hard reset an iPhone, which could also help kick your iPhone back into gear. Dropped your iPhone in water? Learn how to eject water from an iPhone. Got a load of Live Photos? Here's how to turn Live Photos into video on iPhone. Want to end your TikTok addiction? Here's how to set time limits on iPhone apps with Screen Time. Going skiing? Learn how to disable Crash Detection on iPhone so your phone doesn't call the ambulance when it shouldn't.

When you learn how to turn a Live Photo into a video on iPhone and iPad, you can share your moving photos much more easily. You'll also be able to view them as they were intended to be viewed without having to hold down on the screen.

With Live Photos turned on, instead of just taking a single frame when you press the shutter button, your iPhone's camera captures lots of frames. When viewed together, this creates a moving picture. Essentially, it takes a short video.

You can then view a photo in context and see what your subject was doing as you took the picture, from laughing to pulling silly faces. Playing them back is easy — all you have to do is tap and hold a live photo to see it come to life. And when you share a Live Image with another Apple user, they can view the photos in live format on iOS, iPadOS and macOS devices too. Live Photos are a really fun way of capturing and sharing memories, and are one of those little features that help make iPhones some of the best phones around.

Issues can arise, however, when sharing a Live Photo outside of the Apple ecosystem, where they can't be viewed as moving images.  In that case, you'll want to know how to make a Live Photo a video. You may also love the moving image so much that you simply want to keep it as video forever.

Either way, doing so is super easy, and we're here to show you the steps. Here's how to turn a Live Photo into a video on iPhone and iPad.

How to turn a Live Photo into a video on iPhone and iPad

1. In iOS Photos, open a Live Photo
2. Tap the three dots icon
3. Tap Save as Video

Read on to see detailed instructions for each step.

1. Open the Photos app and find a Live Photo you want to turn into video.

To find all Live Photos quickly, tap Albums, then scroll down and tap Live Photos.

2. Tap the three dots symbol, top right.

3. Tap Save as Video.

Your new video will now be stored in your Videos album. In your Camera Roll, it'll be saved next to your Live Photo. If you'd like to read more iPhone tutorials, we've got you covered. Just got a new iPhone? Learn how to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone and get everything moved over smoothly. Is your iPhone being a little sluggish? Find out how to clear RAM on iPhone, as this can usually help speed things up. You may also want to check out how to hard reset an iPhone, which could also help kick your iPhone back into gear. Dropped your iPhone in water? Learn how to eject water from an iPhone. Sick of annoying pop ups? Learn how to block pop ups in Safari on iPhone. Got too many identical snaps? Learn how to remove duplicate photos on iPhone Want to end your TikTok addiction? Here's how to set time limits on iPhone apps with Screen Time. Going skiing? Learn how to disable Crash Detection on iPhone so your phone doesn't call the ambulance when it shouldn't.

We're here to help you learn how how to enable Advanced Data Protection on iPhone now that this feature's arriving on iPhones with iOS 16.3.

Originally arriving in the iOS 16.2 update, this setting enables end-to-end encryption for more types of iCloud data, meaning that only you are able to access them. However, it was limited to the U.S., but now it's available globally in iOS 16.3.

There are a couple of hurdles to clear to ensure you're able to use it risk-free, but once you're past them you can rest peacefully with the knowledge that more of your important data is protected by the encryption umbrella.

If you’re curious about this, let us show you how to enable Advanced Data Protection with the steps below.

How to enable Advanced Data Protection on iPhone

To begin with, you need iOS 16.2 or later installed on your iPhone, or iPadOS 16.2 or macOS Ventura 13.1 if you want to enable it for an iPad or Mac.

Assuming none of that's a problem for you, here's what to do now.

1. Open the Settings app and tap your name to open your Apple ID page.

2. Next, tap iCloud.

3. At the bottom of the iCloud menu, tap Advanced Data Protection.

4. In the Advanced Data Protection menu, tap Turn on Advanced Data Protection or Account Recovery below it. It doesn't matter which you select, as your iPhone will force you to set up a recovery method (a recovery key or a nominated contact) before enabling ADP either way. Without a back-up, you'll have no way back into your account, so Apple wants to make sure you have that sorted.

5. If you've already set up your recovery method, or have just been made to do so, then feel free to tap Turn on Advanced Data Protection. And with that, you're done!

To explain more specifically what Advanced Data Protection is, it's a setting that enables more of your iCloud data to be secured with end-to-end encryption.

Some of your iCloud data is already encrypted this way, like passwords or your Health app data. ADP applies this to more areas, like Messages and Photo back-ups, the contents of your iCloud Drive, your bookmarks in Safari, and passes in your Apple Wallet.

When you turn on ADP, your iPhone downloads your encryption keys from Apple's servers and then deletes them from the servers so you have the only copies. That's why you need to set up a recovery key or recovery contact in case you lock yourself out. As a result, even if iCloud ends up getting breached by hackers, your data will still be inaccessible.

One problem you may face during set-up is your iPhone blocking you from turning Advanced Data Protection on with a pop-up saying it's not available. If that's the case, it's because Apple doesn't allow box-fresh devices to turn it on initially. This is a deliberate feature to avoid hackers trying to lock you out of your data, by logging into your account from a new device for instance.

This safety waiting period is unfortunate if you'd rather enable encryption sooner rather than later. The good news is Advanced Data Protection is enabled across all devices no matter how you turn it on, so if you have an older Apple device that still runs the newest software, you can set up encryption on there and have it apply to all devices using your Apple ID. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until the date given in the pop-up message

One final note is that if you use the browser version of iCloud to access documents and so on remotely, you won't be able to by default with Advanced Data Protection switched on since it requires giving the browser and Apple access to your encryption keys again. You can give temporary access however, letting you edit and download your files flexibly like before.

We’ve got more how-tos for you and your iPhone if you want to get the most out of it. If you're new to your iPhone, then you'll want to check out how to change the time on iPhone and how to change passcode on iPhone to make sure you have the basics covered.

More advanced users may be keen to learn  how to turn on iOS 16's Clean Energy Charging on your iPhone or how to enable the Dvorak keyboard on iPhone to be more efficient in their charging and typing. Meanwhile, users wanting to use their iPhone to better look after themselves may want to look up how to use Safety Check on iPhone or how to set up Medications on iPhone.

Comparing the Apple iPad Pro 2022 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra makes a great deal of sense. After all, they each have large displays, strong performance and a sleek, modern design. They also have optional attachable keyboards that can help them double as laptop replacements. Their respective digital pens also enable artists to bring their works to life.

There’s no doubt that the iPad Pro 2022 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra are versatile devices and some of the best tablets you can buy. But which one is right for you? We’ll go over each of their major features to help answer this question.

I reviewed both the iPad Pro 2022 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. The former features a 12.9-inch XDR display, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, while the latter has a 14.6-inch (2960 x 1848) AMOLED display, 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM. As configured, our review units cost $1,999 and $1,399 (respectively). These are the configurations we'll compare below.

iPad Pro 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: Specs

iPad Pro 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: Price

The iPad Pro 2022 is available on the Apple online store. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro costs $1,099/£1,249/AU$1,399. Since this is an entry-level model, it only offers Wi-Fi connectivity.

If you want Wi-Fi + Cellular, the 12-inch Wi-Fi + Cellular model starts at $1,299/£1,429/AU$2,149. The Apple Pencil 2nd gen ($129) and Magic Keyboard ($349) are sold separately and add significantly to the cost.

You can buy the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra from Samsung’s website for a starting price of $1,099/£799/AU$1,799. In the United States, you can get a discount by trading in a qualifying device (or checking our Samsung promo codes page). This configuration has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage and comes in graphite. As with the Galaxy Tab S8, Samsung is only selling Wi-Fi models of the Tab S8 Ultra.

To complement the Tab S8 Ultra, you can purchase the Book Cover Keyboard for $349. This, combined with DeX mode, effectively converts the tablet into an Android laptop.

Both tablets start at $1,099 in the United States. However, if you include their respective peripherals, Samsung's tablet costs $1,448 while Apple's costs $1,597. The tablet's keyboard attachments cost $349. However, the Samsung Book Cover Keyboard comes with the S Pen, whereas you have to buy the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard separately.

iPad Pro 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: Design

Design-wise, the iPad Pro 2022 is indistinguishable from the iPad Pro 2021 and iPad Pro 2020. This isn’t a negative since its thin bezels and sleek machined aluminum chassis remain as striking as ever.

The iPad Pro 2022 measures 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.25 inches and weighs 1.5 pounds, which is exactly the same as last year’s model. The Magic Keyboard bumps the weight up to 3 pounds, which is just a smidge heavier than the MacBook Air 2022 and Dell XPS 13 OLED 2022, which weigh 2.7 pounds each. Without the keyboard attachment, the tablet’s light weight makes it easy to hold for long periods of time.

Nothing has changed with regard to buttons and ports. There’s a button along the top right edge (when the iPad is held vertically like a sheet of paper) for locking the screen and using Touch ID, two buttons on the right side to raise or lower the volume and a single Thunderbolt 4/USB-C port on the bottom edge of the device.

At 12.85 x 8.21 x 0.22 inches, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is a gargantuan tablet. It’s so big that you can imagine Moses bringing it down from Mount Sinai. However, despite its biblical size, it’s surprisingly light at 1.04 pounds. Though it’s difficult holding it in one hand, it's comfortable holding it with two hands.

The Tab S8 Ultra shares the same light and slim chassis that Samsung’s flagship slates are known for. The tablet retains its overall svelte look even when connected to the Book Cover Keyboard. It’s easy to carry around, whether it’s in your backpack or in your hands.

You’ll find the power and volume buttons along the right side of the slate. There’s also a microSD card slot near the bottom right side, though you’ll need to use the included tool to open the compartment housing the slot. The back of the Tab S8 Ultra has rear-facing cameras and a magnetic strip to hold the S pen. A USB-C port and two speakers rest at the bottom edge. There’s no headphone jack to speak of, meaning you’ll need to connect headphones via the USB-C port or wirelessly through Bluetooth.

Both tablets play it conservatively when it comes to their designs. You'll get ultra-thin, modern-looking slates, no matter which one you choose. In that regard, both are equal. However, the larger Tab S8 Ultra certainly commands more attention,

iPad Pro 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: Display 

The iPad Pro 2022 I reviewed has a gigantic 12.9-inch mini-LED display with a resolution of 2,732 x 2,048 pixels and up to a 120Hz refresh rate. That’s a whole lot of screen space for watching your favorite YouTube videos or Netflix shows. And if you’re enjoying HDR content, the gorgeous XDR display makes everything on the screen look even better.

The ginormous 14.6-inch (2960 x 1848) AMOLED display is the Tab S8 Ultra’s defining feature. Its screen is bright and vibrant and makes whatever you’re looking at – from YouTube videos, streaming content and games – look absolutely stunning. The 120Hz refresh rate ensures that web pages scroll smoothly and that apps open quickly, though you can lock it to 60Hz to conserve battery.

Per our brightness test that involves using a light meter, the iPad Pro tops out at 586 nits with adaptive brightness off. Conversely, the Tab S8 Ultra archived an average brightness of 337.7 nits in the center, but when we shined a flashlight on it with adaptive brightness turned on, the brightness kicked all the way up to 583 nits

Color-wise, the iPad Pro’s display covered 117.1% of the sRGB color gamut and 82.4% of the more demanding DCI-P3 color space. In contrast, the Tab S8 Ultra achieved 132% and 94% (respectively) in Natural mode. In Vivid mode, Samsung’s tablet covered 218% and 154%, respectively.

In the Delta-E test, where lower numbers point to more accurate displays, the iPad Pro 2022 scored 0.3. The Tab S8 Ultra scored 0.2 in Natural and 0 in Vivid.

iPad Pro 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: Performance

The iPad Pro 2022 packs the Apple M2 chip while the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra features a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 CPU.

In Geekbench 5.4, which measures overall performance, the iPad Pro 2022 scored 1,862 on the single-core portion and 8,500 on the multi-core test. These values absolutely destroy the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-driven Galaxy Tab S8 (1,223 single-core, 3,380 multi-core).

When it comes to graphics, the iPad Pro 2022 scored 25,259 and hit 151 frames per second on the 3D Mark Wild Life Unlimited test. The Tab S8 Ultra couldn’t come close, scoring 9,152 and hitting 54 fps in the same test.

In our Adobe Premiere Rush video transcoding test, the new iPad Pro took 23 seconds compared to the Tab S8 Ultra’s 47 seconds.

iPad Pro 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: Battery life 

On the Tom’s Guide battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits of screen brightness, the iPad Pro 2022 lasted for 10 hours and 39 minutes over Wi-Fi. In the same test, the Tab S8 Ultra lasted for 9 hours and 22 minutes.

Charging times are decent when using the included 20W charger. In our testing, it took 15 minutes to charge the iPad Pro to 10% and 30 minutes to reach 20% battery capacity. The Tab S8 Ultra charged up to 15% in 20 minutes and 41% in 30 minutes.

iPad Pro 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: Keyboard and pencil

The Apple Magic Keyboard ($349) and Apple Pencil 2 ($129) are two of my favorite peripherals. The former gives the iPad Pro laptop-like functionality while the latter allows you to write or draw on the tablet. The floating cantilever design allows you to get the perfect viewing angle.

The keyboard itself has enough space to let you type comfortably for hours, while the trackpad is both smooth and responsive. As always, my only complaint about these peripherals is their respective prices. Shelling out an additional $478 (before taxes) stings after you’ve already purchased an expensive tablet.

Similarly, the Tab S8 Ultra has an optional Book Cover Keyboard with S Pen for $349. As with the iPad Pro’s optional peripherals, spending an extra $349 on top of the $1,099 you spent on the tablet will make your wallet whimper.

But if you can stomach the price, you’ll find the peripheral indispensable. The large keyboard feels good to type on and gave my big hands enough space to move. I also liked how the back cover has a compartment for the S Pen. The Book Cover Keyboard looks great on the Tab S8 and keeps it protected against accidental drops.

However, the Book Cover Keyboard isn’t on par with the Apple Magic Keyboard. The Magic Keyboard keeps the iPad Pro locked in place and the keyboard portion provides a solid and sturdy base. Samsung’s peripheral feels flimsy in comparison. Because the kickstand on the Book Cover Keyboard is so thin, it can sometimes be difficult to prop the tablet up without it falling over due to its size. I could’ve forgiven the kickstand's finicky nature if the peripheral was priced lower, but for $349, I expect a product on par with Apple's Magic Keyboard.

iPad Pro 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: Software

The iPad Pro 2022 comes pre-installed with iPadOS 16. You can read our full iPadOS 16 review to see everything the new operating system has to offer. Features like Stage Manager and Apple Pencil Hover preview give Apple’s tablet added versatility.

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes pre-installed with Android 12. I found the latest iteration of the operating system functional. It’s not better than previous versions, nor is it worse. If you’re used to Android then you’ll know what to expect. If you never liked Android, then Android 12 won’t convert you. The slate also comes with the usual slew of Samsung apps.

iPad Pro 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: Webcam 

The new iPad Pro’s cameras are exactly the same as last year’s model. That’s both a positive and a negative, depending on your expectations. Since both the front and rear cameras take solid pictures, I don’t have an issue that they remain unchanged.

I’ll never be an advocate for taking selfies with a tablet, but if you’re so inclined, you’ll be happy to know the iPad Pro’s 12MP front-facing camera will make you look your best. This is also true when video conferencing with co-workers, friends or family members. The 12MP camera on the back also takes solid photos.

The only bummer is that the front camera is positioned on the short edge of the tablet's display. We'd prefer the camera to be on the longer side, which would be easier for video calls, especially with the Magic Keyboard attached to the iPad Pro 2022.

The Tab S8 Ultra has two front-facing 12MP cameras capable of shooting regular and ultrawide shots. On the back, you’ll find 13MP and 6MP cameras. All cameras can record video at up to 4K resolution and at 60 frames per second.

I used the front-facing cameras in our well-lit office and was impressed by the quality. Video calls are the only thing I’d use the front-facing cameras for since I’m not exactly a fan of taking selfies with a tablet – especially one this gigantic. But if you want to snap a couple of photos of yourself, you won’t be disappointed. The rear cameras also do a good job of capturing details.

iPad Pro 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: Audio

Like its predecessor, the iPad Pro delivers punchy, room-filling sound thanks to its four speakers. Music and streaming content sounds phenomenal, though the bass wasn’t as prominent as I would have liked.

The Tab S8 Ultra’s speakers get reasonably loud when you crank the volume up to max. Sound quality is clear and crisp, no matter if you’re watching your favorite content creator or listening to music. There’s also Dolby Atmos support, which you can enable in the Settings menu. Like the iPad Pro, I wasn’t a fan of this tablet’s thin bass.

iPad Pro 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: Which tablet should you buy?

Both the iPad Pro 2022 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra have similar features. Each is ideal for watching videos, browsing the web and video conferencing. Their touchscreens are also great for writing and drawing. And thanks to their keyboard peripherals, they also make halfway decent laptop replacements.

So which is best for you? If you want a tablet with a huge screen, then the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is a no-brainer. However, if performance is more important, then the iPad Pro 2022 is the better option. And if you’re married to either the Apple or Samsung ecosystem, get the corresponding tablet.

A good student tablet has to do more than stream shows between lectures. It needs to be light enough for a backpack, powerful enough for research and assignments, and affordable enough to make sense on a student budget. With back-to-school shopping season approaching, now is a smart time to work out whether you need a simple slate for notes and reading, a low-cost laptop alternative or something powerful enough to handle a full day of classes.

For most students, the iPad 11 is the safest all-round pick thanks to its portable design, strong app support and reliable performance. It's not Apple's flashiest option, but it balances affordability with a school-ready performance. On a budget? The Lenovo Duet 3 is best suited to students who want a cheaper ChromeOS option with a keyboard included, while the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is the pick for anyone who needs Windows 11 and full-desktop apps in a tablet-style device.

Here at Tom's Guide, we review all the latest slates from top companies like Apple, Google and Samsung every year, so I get to see the latest and greatest up close, and I keep an eye out for the best student tablets among them. Read on for our full list of the best student tablets you can find right now, including a few recommendations on making an upgrade and a full breakdown of tested battery life direct from our testing lab!

The best student tablets you can buy today

The best student tablet overall

I think the iPad 11 is the best all-purpose tablet for most students because it's the most likely to keep up with a student's busy life.

In our testing, the iPad 11 managed 11 hours and 25 minutes of continuous web browsing with the screen set at 150 nits, which is more than enough for a packed schedule of classes and study sessions. And with Apple's A16 Bionic chip under the hood, this slate never feels sluggish, even when you're juggling research, notes and apps.

What stands out in daily use is just how portable and comfortable the iPad 11 is to carry around campus. The 11-inch Liquid Retina display (2360 x 1640) is crisp and vibrant for reading textbooks or streaming video, and weighing just 1.01 pounds, it slips easily into any backpack.

Performance is a highlight, especially if you're coming from an older iPad. Compared to my iPad Air 2020 with its A14 chip, the iPad 11's A16 made everything feel snappier and more responsive—no slowdowns, even when I fired up more demanding Apple Arcade games or tackled big research projects. It just works, whether you're a multitasker or an occasional gamer.

Downsides? You'll have to buy a keyboard or stylus separately, and the iPad 11 doesn't support Apple's latest Pencil Pro or AI features. But for most students who want a single device that covers classwork, research, note-taking, and downtime, this is the tablet I'd trust to get the job done.

Read our full iPad 11 review.

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The best budget tablet for students

The Lenovo Duet 3 (or Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3, depending on where you buy it) is a great Chrome tablet for students that can be yours for as low as $359.

This is effectively a bigger, more expensive follow-up to the Chromebook Duet Lenovo released in 2020, a surprisingly capable and inexpensive Chrome tablet that's still decent if you want something even cheaper. I like and reviewed both, which is why I recommend the Duet 3: it's more powerful and capable than the Duet, so it will serve you better and last you longer.

While I loved the original Duet for its great battery life, solid performance and decent packed-in keyboard cover, all of which could be had for roughly $250. The Duet 3 costs a bit more, but it also delivers a bigger, brighter display, more ports, and the added power of a beefier Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 chip, all of which are nice to have as a student.

But what really makes this tablet such an easy recommendation for me is that it's the only tablet on this list that comes with a detachable keyboard at no extra charge. What's more, it's actually a pretty decent pack-in, so you can order one of these tablets and have it arrive ready to get to work.

Read our full Lenovo Duet 3 Chromebook review.

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The best tablet to replace your laptop

Note: Microsoft has launched a 12-inch Surface Pro 11 that offers lower specs in a smaller body than the Surface Pro we reviewed, but for $200 less. It might be worth checking out if you want a Windows tablet experience but for less money.

Microsoft's Surface Pro 11 does the best job yet of making Windows 11 feel usable on a tablet, and it delivers remarkable speed and battery life thanks to the inclusion of Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon chips. And if you're looking for a tablet that can replace your laptop as opposed to working alongside one, this is my top recommendation. It’s portable and powerful, easy to throw in a bag to take to school for note-taking, writing homework and watching videos.

The Snapdragon chip pushes this tablet to new heights of speed and power efficiency, making it the fastest tablet on this list. It also helps that this slate lasts just over 12 hours in our battery tests, which means you can carry it for a full day without worrying too much about plugging in.

And while you can get by just fine with the base model ($999) and its 13-inch LCD display, those who can afford to splurge by spending $600 on upgrading to the OLED-equipped version should appreciate the additional vivacity and brightness of the display, which gets brighter than the iPad Air (2024) in our display tests.

However, there are a few caveats to know before buying. While this Windows tablet is remarkably useful as a productivity device, Microsoft will gouge you on peripherals in a very Apple-like way if you go that route. At time of review, for example, the detachable Surface Flex Pro keyboard cost an additional $349 and the Surface Slim Pen 2 stylus cost another $100, which means you’re paying nearly another $500 just to outfit this Windows tablet with the accessories that allow you to use it to maximum effect.

But if you can afford it, this slate can be kitted out with gear that I think makes it the best ideal 2-in-1 tablet for students.

Read our full review of the Microsoft Surface Pro 11.

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The best premium student tablet

The iPad Air M4 is an upgraded iPad for students ready to level up, packing a blazing M4 chip that is a mighty piece of silicon even by laptop standards. If you're already in the Apple ecosystem and want a tablet that feels genuinely premium—thin, light, and fast—this is the next step up from the base iPad.

In my testing, watching movies, TV shows, or YouTube on the Air’s screen was a delight. Text looks crisp, colors are punchy, and it's bright enough to stay readable in most lecture halls or late-night study sessions.

Battery life, though, is where the Air shows its age. On the 11-inch model, we got 9 hours and 44 minutes in our battery rundown test — solid for a tablet this thin, but not quite enough to finish a long campus day without a top-up if you're streaming, notetaking, and multitasking all afternoon.

To be clear, that's good for most daily use, but if you’re upgrading with dreams of true all-day battery life, the Air falls just shy. Earlier models like the iPad Air M1 and iPad Air (2020) actually lasted longer in our lab tests, nudging past the 10-hour mark.

Bottom line: If you want a thin, powerful iPad with a genuinely great display — and you’re already set up for iPadOS — the iPad Air M4 is the upgrade pick. Just budget for Apple’s accessories and expect to plug in before midnight. If battery life or keyboard value are your top priorities, you might want to stick with the basic iPad or look to a Chrome tablet instead.

Read our full iPad Air M4 review.

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The best student tablet for note-taking

The ReMarkable Paper Pro is a little less capable than all the other tablets on this list, so I don't recommend it for folks who need an all-purpose device they can use to send emails, browse the web or watch movies.

But if you love to write or doodle on paper, I think you should consider ReMarkable's products because their unique e-paper displays do the best job of replicating the physical sensation of dragging a pencil or pen across paper. It's possible thanks to the Paper Pro's textured display, color ink particle technology and high-tech Marker stylus, which moves across the 11.3" screen in a way that makes using a stylus on any other tablet feel like a disappointment by comparison.

That's why I recommend the ReMarkable Paper Pro to students who plan to do a lot of note-taking, handwriting and doodling at school. ReMarkable's software makes it fairly easy to customize notebooks and get written material on or off the tablet, including your own handwritten notes as well as annotated documents.

That's right, you can load documents and even whole textbooks onto the ReMarkable Paper Pro and then read them on the color e-paper display, then annotate the text and make notes in the margins to your heart's content. In my experience this feels a lot better on ReMarkable tablets than the Kindle Scribe (Amazon's similar writing-focused e-paper slate) because the ReMarkable software does a way better job of keeping your annotations, highlights and notes right on the page as you read through the document.

Just be prepared for a bit of frustration, because like most e-paper displays the ReMarkable slate's screen has a noticeable delay when you turn the page, finish or erase a line.

And since this is the first ReMarkable e-paper slate to support color you can write, make notes and doodle in just over 10 different colors. You can also buy one of ReMarkable's detachable keyboard folios if you'd prefer to type your notes, though at that point you may as well get another tablet on this list since it would cost almost as much and the ReMarkable tablets are less feature-rich.

Even so, I love the feeling of writing on these e-paper slates and recommend them to students who do too. If the full-sized ReMarkable Paper Pro is too hefty or expensive for your needs, the company also sells a smaller, cheaper ReMarkable Paper Pro Move that's basically the exact same product but in a more pocketable size with a 7.3" display.

Read our full ReMarkable Paper Pro review.

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Battery life compared

Battery life is one of the key things to consider when buying a tablet, especially for a student, because you don't want to be left with a dead device in the middle of class or an all-night study session in the library.

That's why it's important to know how long these slates actually last, which is why we put every tablet we test and review through a series of battery tests, then average the results and compare them against the competition. I've assembled the tested battery life of every tablet on this page here in one handy chart, so you can make a more informed purchase!

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How we tested these tablets

First, we run as many benchmarks as that tablet will allow, to see how fast they are in ways that can be compared directly against competitors. We say "will allow" as some tablets, like Amazon's Fire slates, have trouble with side-loaded Android apps.

We then use colorimeters and light meters to measure how colorful and bright these tablets’ screens can get. After that, we put them through our in-house battery test, which times how long it takes — while surfing the web with brightness at 150 nits — to drain a tablet of a charge.

After that, we do the same things you do — browse the web, watch YouTube, play games, compose emails — and then a lot more. We try and write some (or all) of our tablet reviews on the tablets we're testing, if there's a keyboard for it that is. Nobody wants to write a magnum opus on a glass screen, trust me.

For more information, check out our how we test page for Tom's Guide.

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How to choose the best student tablet for you

To figure out the best tablet for you to bring to school, start by thinking about the operating system you live in. That means opening your pocket and thinking about how much you rely on your smartphone. iPhone owners may jump straight to the iPad or iPad Air, and they'd be right to do so — iMessage integration and the shared app ecosystems across iOS and iPadOS are an ideal combination.

If you're more of an Android fan, good news: the OnePlus Pad 3 is a great Android tablet that rivals the iPad Air and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Neither do its accessories, which is lovely to see.

That all being said, if you're on a tight budget there's no harm in snagging one of the Lenovo Duet 3 Chromebooks that come with their own detachable keyboard. As long as it's connected to the Internet a Chromebook is pretty capable, and if you've used Windows before I don't think you'll find Chrome to be a rough adjustment.

Of course if you'd rather stick with Windows, trust me: Microsoft's Surface Pro 11 is a better Windows tablet than you'd expect. Windows 11 is more usable via touch than ever, and the Surface Pro 11's Snapdragon chips give it remarkable speed and battery life. Now it lasts as long as an iPad but can run full Windows apps, which makes it amazing for students who want a Windows laptop that's actually a tablet.

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Looking for the best cheap tablet? Good news, as you don't have to spend over $500 for a device to just browse the web, watch shows, read books or play games on. In fact, with the budget tablets my team of experts and I test, you'll find that you can still have a premium experience — without emptying your wallet.

Yes, the best tablets will come with high-powered features in ultra-slim designs, but most of the time, all I want my slate to do is simply scroll through websites, stream my favorite shows on a well-sized, travel-friendly screen and let me access all the apps I need.

When there are tablets like Apple's iPad 11 up for grabs, you don't need to spend a fortune on a similar device sporting a literal laptop chip. After years of testing and reviewing dozens of tablets from Apple, Samsung, Amazon, Motorola and more, here are the best cheap tablets on the market right now.

The best cheap tablets you can buy right now

The best cheap tablet overall

What you need to know
Apple's iPad 2025 isn't a significant update over its predecessor, the iPad 10, but its A16 chip gives it a performance boost that's hard to beat at its $349 price. For those on a budget, that's hugely welcome, and it even comes with an upgraded 128GB base storage, longer battery life and a display that's bright and bursting with colors.

It's a huge power boost over the iPad 10, and with the power of Apple's ecosystem and iPadOS, you're getting the best, easy-to-use tablet experience around. Just note that there aren't any Apple Intelligence features, but if that's hardly a concern for you, then the iPad 11 is worth grabbing.

Design: The iPad 11 shares the same design as the 10th-gen model, dropping the home button for a look that's similar to its sleek iPad Air siblings. Coming in at 9.79 x 7.07 x 0.28 inches and weighing 1.01 pounds for its Wi-Fi version, the 11th Gen iPad keeps the sleek, slim and lightweight portability of its predecessor, but introduces a suite of attractive colors, including Silver, Pink, Blue and a very striking Yellow.

Display: The display also stays the same, but in our tests, it turns out it's actually slightly brighter, with 506 nits of brightness, and more color accurate, reaching 108% sRGB color gamut coverage. The 11-inch Liquid Retina display (2360 x 1640) still offers detailed and vivid imagery, and it's a joy to watch TV shows and movies on it. You won't be able to tell the difference between this and its predecessor, but it's still an amazing display for the price.

Performance: Leave it to the A16 chip, the same one found in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15, to deliver speedy performance to juggle multiple apps in split-screen via iPadOS 26 and deliver the power needed to run games. I found the iPad to be snappy and never lag in the slightest, even with multiple tabs open at once. And yes, it can even play games like Destiny: Rising at 60 frames per second (FPS).

Battery life: While the 10th Gen iPad already received a much-needed boost in stamina, the iPad 11 takes this even further. Actually, to the point of becoming one of the longer-lasting iPads around right now (except for the iPad Pro M5).

In our testing, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi with a device’s display set to 150 nits of brightness, the iPad 11 was able to last 11 hours and 25 minutes. That not only tops its predecessor, but it also beats the iPad Air M4 and iPad mini 7.

Read the full Apple iPad 11 review

Note: Apple has raised the price of all its iPads, with the base model going up by $100/£100. Don't get caught unaware if you purchase this tablet!

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The best cheap Android tablet

What you need to know

The Motorola MotoPad (2026) stands out as the best Android pick for budget-minded buyers, thanks to its full Android app access and an impressive 10 hours and 31 minutes of battery life. If a flexible app ecosystem and reliable all-day use matter to you, all at a sub-$250 price, this slate covers both bases out of the box.

Design: Even at its price, the MotoPad offers a splash of style with its sturdy aluminum chassis and color, making it quite a premium-looking device. Plus, it's wrapped in a lightweight 1.06-pound chassis that’s just 0.28 inches thick. That makes it easy to toss in a bag or hold for hours.

Display: The MotoPad’s 11-inch (2560 x 1600) LCD panel offers plenty of portable screen real estate and sharpness for streaming and reading, making it a reliable binge-watching machine for shows and movies. With its strong color coverage and accuracy, expect whatever you stream to be a visual treat for the eyes.

Performance: With a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 and 8GB of RAM, don’t expect gaming prowess here. In our reviewer's experience, even basic 3D games struggled to hit 30fps at the lowest settings. For streaming, web browsing and light gaming, it’s fine, but heavy multitaskers or gamers will want more power.

Battery life: It may not be the longest-lasting tablet around, but it still beats the battery life of the likes of the iPad Air M4. In our battery test, the MotoPad lasted a strong 10 hours and 31 minutes, meaning you won't need to reach for a charger throughout the day. For watching shows on the couch or slipping this in your bag for travel, this will give you the charge you need.

Read the full Motorola MotoPad review

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The best cheap Amazon tablet

What you need to know
The Amazon Fire HD 10 is a sleek, stylish tablet in the hand with supremely impressive value for money to boot. Previously, there was a slightly better HD 10 Plus, which has been discontinued.

While we do like the larger, beefier Fire Max 11 well enough, we still recommend the Fire HD 10 to those hunting for a great, cheap tablet because it's relatively cheap ($179 to start) for what you get. You can pay a small fee to remove lockscreen ads (which we recommend) or to double the storage to 64GB, which might not be worth it when you consider this slate has a microSD card slot and can support up to an additional 1TB of storage via microSD card.

Design: Measuring 9.7 x 6.5 x 0.4 inches and weighing just over a pound, the Fire HD 10 is an easy slate to tote around, and the sturdiness of this plastic design cannot be overstated.

There's a single USB-C port for charging, and the upgrade to the Plus model also brings with it the option of wireless charging, since this tablet is Qi certified and can charge via supported wireless charging pads.

Display: The 10.1-inch, 1920 x 1200-pixel display on the Fire HD 10 is a pleasant surprise at this price. It gets nearly as bright and colorful as an iPad screen despite costing nearly half as much, so you can count on whatever you're doing looking good.

Performance: The Fire HD 10 packs a 2.0 GHz octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM, which is more than enough to handle what you can do within FireOS. Flipping between menus and loading up webpages is plenty snappy, but don't expect graphically demanding games to run well on this tablet.

Battery life: The Fire HD 10 lasted for 12 hours and 39 minutes on our battery rundown test, making it one of the longest-lived tablets on this list. While the difference between 11 hours and 12 hours of runtime may seem minor, don't discount how annoying it can be to own a tablet that's constantly running out of juice.

Remember, great battery life means greater peace of mind, whether you're toting the tablet on a long flight or digging it out from between couch cushions every other weekend.

Read the full Amazon Fire HD 10 review

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The best cheap tablet under $100

What you need to know
The Amazon Fire HD 8 is one of the company's cheapest Fire tablets, and one of the best tablets you can buy for $100. Admittedly, it's only that cheap if you get the entry-level version with lockscreen ads, which can be disabled down the line for a one-time $15 fee.

While just about every tablet on this list offers better performance and a nicer screen, you can still wring a lot of value from the Fire HD 8. It offers great battery life, and while the screen isn't capable of achieving 1080p resolution, it's bright and colorful enough for browsing the web and reading books. Watching HD videos won't be as nice on this tablet as on those with higher-resolution screens, but you may not even notice.

Design: Weighing just under a pound and measuring a svelte 7.94 x 5.4 x 0.37 inches, the Fire HD 8 is one of the most portable tablets on this list. If you have big hands, you may be able to awkwardly palm it with one, and it's a nice size for reading books and browsing websites.

Like with other Fire tablets, there's a single USB-C port for charging, though you can upgrade to the Plus model to get wireless charging as well as some minor under-the-hood upgrades.

Display: The 8-inch (1280 x 800 pixels) display on the Fire HD 8 is sub-1080p, meaning you won't be able to watch HD videos in their full glory. However, that's the price you pay for a tablet this small and cheap, and if you're not sensitive to graphical detail, you may not even notice on the slim 8-inch display.

While its color accuracy can't match that of pricier tablets, the Fire HD 8's display does at least get nice and bright. In our lab, we clocked it peaking at around 474 nits of brightness, which is brighter than all of the tablets on this list.

Performance: Don't expect much in terms of performance from the Fire HD 8. With its 2GHz hexa-core CPU and 2GB of RAM, it will often lag or stutter when you're switching between apps, and you likely won't be able to play games unless they're slower fare like puzzlers and text-based games.

Battery life: The Fire HD 8 lasted nearly 14 hours (13:41, to be precise) in our battery rundown test, putting it within spitting distance of its larger, pricier sibling, the HD 10 Plus.

That's great battery life for this little tablet, and it reinforces its utility as a second screen you can keep near the bed or couch to browse websites and read books. The light weight and long battery life make it ideal for such uses, even if the disappointing screen and internals make the prospect of gaming or watching movies a little underwhelming.

Read the full Amazon Fire HD 8 review

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Battery benchmarks comparison

Best Cheap Tablets Battery life Results

In our battery test, we set the tablet's display to 150 nits of brightness and have it endlessly browse the web via Wi-Fi until it runs out of juice.

Battery life (hh:mm:ss)

Apple iPad 11

11:25:00

Motorola MotoPad

10:31:00

Amazon Fire HD 10

12:39:00

Amazon Fire 8

13:41:00

03.757.511.2515

hours

Battery life (hh:mm:ss) Data

Product	Value
Apple iPad 11	11.416666666666666
Motorola MotoPad	10.516666666666667
Amazon Fire HD 10	12.65
Amazon Fire 8	13.683333333333334

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Also tested

If you're willing to stretch the budget or want to find a fantastic deal on other tablets, there are a few amazing tablets you'll want to keep on your radar. Some of the slates we test don't make the cut on this list purely because they aren't worth your hard-earned cash, but others can be among the best tablets around — but they are pricey investments.

Check out the other tablets we've tested and rated, and find out if they suit your fancy.

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How to choose the best cheap tablet for you

Start by thinking about the operating system you live in, which means opening your pocket and thinking about how much you rely on your smartphone.

iPhone owners may jump straight to the iPad 11, and they'd be right to do so — iMessage integration and the shared app ecosystems across iOS and iPadOS are an ideal combination. Plus, with iPadOS 26 bringing in Mac-like features, it's a great system to get on board with.

Android users have a wider set of options, with the Motorola MotoPad being our current favorite. Android tablets tend to deliver a great, simplistic experience for a more affordable price compared to Apple's tablets. We don't recommend this for heavy-duty use, though, since its performance tends to be on the weaker side.

That all being said, if you've got a big enough family, and you're all living in the Amazon Prime ecosystem, go for the Fire 8 if you're trying to fit a tight budget (or just need a cheap tablet for the kids to use), and the Fire HD 10 if you want a bit more power and a nicer screen.

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How we test the best cheap tablets

First, we run as many benchmarks as that tablet will allow us to see how fast they are in ways that can be compared directly against competitors. We say "will allow" as some tablets, like Amazon's Fire slates, have trouble with side-loaded Android apps.

We then use colorimeters and light meters to measure how colorful and bright these tablets’ screens can get. After that, we put them through our in-house battery test, which times how long it takes — while surfing the web with brightness at 150 nits — to drain a tablet of its charge.

After that, we do the same things you do — browse the web, watch YouTube, play games, compose emails — and then a lot more. We try and write some (or all) of our tablet reviews on the tablets we're testing, if there's a keyboard for it, that is. Nobody wants to write a magnum opus on a glass screen, trust me.

For more information, check out our how we test page for Tom's Guide.

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I’m a broken man: as I approach 36, I have compromised sight in one eye, a growing beer belly, a bad back, and all the enthusiasm of my youth sapped by concerns over rising mortgage rates and electricity bills. When I stare at my tired visage in the mirror, sometimes I wonder: “is there any joy left in life?” 

Well, yes there is. Aside from a cool beer, a spicy curry and a good pun or two, nuggets of joy are still to be found in the year 2022. And one of them comes in the form of Lego Builder’s Journey on Apple Arcade. 

While available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and the Nintendo Switch, I feel the design and tactile nature of the Builder’s Journey lends itself well for touchscreen controls. 

It’s a pretty basic puzzle game in which you aim to shift a variety of Lego bricks and pieces around to get one character (made up of Lego parts rather than a figurine) to another, across small arenas/platforms also constructed of recognizable Lego parts. 

Overall, it's a fun and cerebral game to play on your commute, though the occasionally fiddly controls can make it a little tricky especially when you're in a train car that’s less than stable.

There’s also a creator mode, which lets you construct your own platform through what appear to be semi-randomly generated bricks and parts. And that’s about it; it’s gloriously simple.

But the real joy of Lego Builder’s Journey is in its presentation. A minimal user interface and a light atmospheric soundtrack practically screams Scandinavian design sensibilities, perfectly in sync with the clean presentation of Apple Arcade and iOS. 

Even though it’s on other platforms, Builder’s Journey simply feels like a game made for the iPhone or iPad. And playing it on an iPhone 13 Pro, with that excellent OLED Super Retina XDR display really makes Builder’s Journey look awesome.

Such simplicity allows for the virtual Lego to take center stage, helped by some beautiful rendering and lighting. This was the Lego game I had in my head as a kid, but never materialized; I’m not so into the Star Wars or Harry Potter Lego games.

But the process of moving around pixel-perfect Lego captures that zen-like feeling of building something out of an assortment of parts, slowly entering a flow-like state as you start to construct what your mind’s eye has pictured. Add in some lovely sound effects that capture the treble tones of sifting through small Lego bricks and pieces, to the ‘snikkit’ of fixing a brick in place, and Builder’s Journey is less of a game and more a nostalgia hit for people ages 28 to 42.

I would love to developer Light Brick run with this and create a fully building-centric game that taps into the various Lego themes; personal favorites of my being the Space and Castle theme of yore.

But for now Lego Builder’s Journey is another must-try Apple Arcade game, especially if you want a panacea to your energy-sapping commute by tapping into some nostalgia-flavored digital escapism.

Next: If you miss Game of Thrones, check out Game of Thrones: Tale of Crows — a must-play game for your iPhone on Apple Arcade.

Giving your child their first iPad is a big step and a big responsibility, so it's a good idea to make sure you're buying the best iPad for kids before you spend hundreds of dollars.

We test all the latest iPads here at Tom's Guide, so trust us when we say that the best iPad to get for your kid is whichever model best fits your budget and won't break the bank if you have to replace it.

That's why under most circumstances we will recommend the basic Apple iPad 11 as the best iPad for kids. It gives you the full iPad experience at the lowest price, with the most fun color options. If you want a budget option that's a better value, try to find a refurbished model or keep an eye out for iPad deals and find one on sale.

Those of you who want to splurge can pay a bit more for a smaller or fancier iPad, the iPad mini is the best upgrade pick for smaller hands because, while it's roughly $150 more expensive than the basic iPad, it's significantly lighter and more compact.

If your child prefers a bigger screen, you could upgrade to the iPad Air, a thinner and lighter version of the entry-level iPad that comes in two sizes (11" or 13") and delivers better performance. It costs more than the entry-level iPad, however, so be sure the kid you're giving it to is ready for the responsibility.

Once you make a decision, make sure to check out our guide on how to set up parental controls on an iPad as well. Looking into taking out an AppleCare+ plan wouldn't be a bad idea either!

But let's get into the list, and show you the best iPads for kids we've tried so far.

Best overall

The 11th-gen iPad is sleeker than its predecessors, with a larger display and great battery life. It's great for kids because it's effectively a big, tappable screen that can run any app in Apple's massive App Store, so your kid can use it as a one-stop shop for watching movies, reading books (or listening to audiobooks), making video calls with relatives, and playing games.

Heck, I know some schools issue iPads to students for homework and remote learning, so I'm confident it's a great choice for young kids, tweens, and anyone in school right now. It's a great entry-level tablet, and I recommend it as the best iPad for kids because it's the cheapest iPad you can get from Apple.

That means it's the easiest to replace when lost or stolen, so hopefully you'll feel good about trusting even a younger kid with this slate. Luckily, it's fairly durable, and even older models offer good speed, good cameras, and great battery life.

In fact, I recommend you look for a deal on older or refurbished models when buying an iPad for a kid, because the older versions are still plenty good enough and can often be had at a steep discount. However, I recommend you don't go older than the 10th-gen iPad (released in 2022) because older models no longer support the latest version of iPadOS.

Read our full iPad 11 review.

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Best for smaller hands

The iPad mini 7 is a great pint-sized slate that gives you all the benefits of an iPad in a smaller, palmable size. While I don't know if Apple designed it with kids in mind, it turns out to work well in smaller hands.

That's why I recommend it most often to parents who want to give their child an expensive gift to keep them occupied on long trips. This little thing weighs under a pound, but it can offer all the functionality of its full-sized siblings and can run every iPad app on the App Store.

It's great for games too, thanks to the A17 Pro chip inside, which actually makes it speedier than the basic iPad. That helps justify the added expense of this smaller tablet, which costs roughly $150 more than the base iPad despite being smaller.

But that smaller, palmable design makes it great for reading comics and picture books because the 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display is easy to hold in one hand and close in size to a sheet of paper. And you can use it all day too, thanks to the 10-hour battery life. Of course, Apple promises up to 10 hours, but in our battery tests, we actually saw the iPad mini 7 lasting 10 hours and 34 minutes, which is about 20 minutes less than its predecessor, but still a great run.

However, you should know that this tablet doesn't support the Apple Pencil 2 as older iPads did. You're stuck using the basic Apple Pencil USB-C or the Apple Pencil Pro if you want to doodle or take notes.

Still, it's an easy iPad to recommend for young kids who want an iPad but can't manage the extra size and weight of the full-size models.

Read our full Apple iPad mini 7 review.

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The best iPad upgrade option

The iPad Air (M4, 2026) stands out as the premium upgrade for kids, offering more power and potential for their developing needs.

Apple's default iPad Air has a roomy 11-inch screen, but the choice of an expansive 13-inch display would give young users a big leap in screen real estate for reading, drawing, or streaming shows.

Under the hood, the M4 chip delivers a clear edge in speed and staying power. In our benchmark testing, the iPad Air posted results that outstrip the A16/A17 Pro chips used in the iPad and iPad mini respectively. All that means that kids have the horsepower for schoolwork, games, and creative apps today. Parents can count on it staying capable through several iOS cycles.

Lab results show the 11-inch Air’s battery lasts 9 hours and 44 minutes in mixed use. So while this slate has its bigger, brighter display, and mighty chipset, the iPad Air will last you a full day of use without an issue.

Parents should factor in the cost of accessories before committing to an upgrade, though. While the Air supports Apple’s latest Pencil and keyboard, these extras add up quickly, and peripherals you bought for your old iPad won't necessarily work with the new device.

Compared to the best overall pick (the basic iPad), the Air offers a lot more overall, but not necessarily in areas your kid may need, such as Apple Intelligence features or larger storage options. The base model remains the longer-lasting option too, which could be a deal-maker if your kid wants to use their iPad for more than just the school day.

If you’re weighing this against the iPad mini, the Air’s larger screen and longer battery life make it better for homework and movies, but less ideal for small hands or frequent travel. For responsible, older kids who’ll make use of the display and power, the Air is a worthy splurge—just make sure your child is ready for a bigger investment.

Read our full iPad Air M4 review

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Best iPad accessories for kids

Apple's iPads are powerful multi-purpose devices all by themselves, but if you're willing to accessorize, you can unlock new ways of using the device and give your kid(s) access to a pretty capable content creation tool.

An iPad is a great artistic tool, but unless you buy an Apple Pencil (or one of the best Apple Pencil alternatives), your kid is going to be limited to using their fingers to draw and paint in the iPad's many artistic creation apps.

If you want your child to be able to do some schoolwork on the iPad or write emails to their friends and family, you should consider gifting them a compatible keyboard (perhaps one of those on our list of the best iPad keyboards) so they don't have to type everything out, tap by tap, on the iPad's virtual keyboard.

Finally, this should be obvious, but we highly recommend you invest in a decent case before you give an iPad to a child. The best iPad cases are designed to protect your pricey investment from drops and spills, and some even have handy features like a built-in stand or keyboard.

How to choose the best tablet for kids (yours or someone else's)

Still unsure which iPad is right for the kid(s) in question? Here are some important things to consider.

Screen size: Apple sells iPads in a variety of screen sizes ranging from 8 to 13 inches. If you expect your kid to be watching a lot of videos or playing games mostly at home, you'll want one of the larger models like the base iPad or the iPad Air. But if the kid in question will be toting the iPad around a fair bit, or has smaller hands, consider the iPad mini — it has a screen that's just as good as its bigger siblings, but it's a bit smaller and easier to hold.

Budget: You can spend anywhere between $350 and $800+ on an iPad for kids, and even more if you splurge on extras like an Apple Pencil or Magic Keyboard. If you can afford the higher end of that spectrum, the $599 iPad Air or the $799 iPad Air 13-inch are excellent tablets that will serve an older child well for years. If you have a smaller budget or don't want to trust a younger kid with such an expensive tablet, the base iPad ($349, or $299 with an educator's discount) is a better choice because it offers all the capabilities of an iPad without the higher price tag of its siblings.

Age: How old is the kid you're buying this iPad for? Obviously, if it's for you and your family, buy whatever you like, but if you're getting a tablet for a specific child, we recommend you don't shell out for the high-end options unless the lucky kid you're giving it to can be trusted not to break or lose a $500+ tablet. The entry-level iPad is plenty good enough for kids ages 5-12, though if you want something smaller, the iPad mini is also quite good. Still, it does cost $499. If this is for an older kid who can be trusted with an expensive device, the $599 iPad Air and $799 iPad Air 13-inch should serve them well for years.

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Battery benchmarks: comparison

Battery life is one of the key things to consider when buying an iPad for a child, and you shouldn't just trust Apple's claims about how long they'll last on a single charge. That's why we put every tablet we test and review through a series of battery tests, then average the results and compare them against the competition.

When we test tablet battery life, we run the tablet through our custom performance benchmark, which times how long the tablet can last on a full charge when endlessly surfing the web via Wi-Fi. Your kid will do more dynamic things with the slate, like blasting music while watching a movie with the screen cranked to max brightness. So while I stand by our testing and the battery life results we compare in the chart below, I want to be clear: your own experience will vary!

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How we tested these tablets

First, we run as many benchmarks as that iPad will allow, to see how fast they are in ways that can be compared directly against competitors. We then use colorimeters and light meters to measure how colorful and bright these tablets’ screens can get. After that, we put them through our in-house battery test, which times how long it takes — while surfing the web with brightness at 150 nits — to drain a tablet of a charge.

After that, we do the same things you or your kids do — browse the web, watch YouTube, play games, write messages — and then a lot more. We try to write some (or all) of our tablet reviews on the tablets we're testing, and we try to test out an attachable keyboard if possible.

For more information, check out our how we test page for Tom's Guide.

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The Apple iPad Pro 2022 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 9 discussion is one we’ve engaged in even well before the devices were officially announced. Each of the respective companies’ flagship tablets offers the key features you’d expect from a modern slate, including portability and intuitive touch-based functionality. The tablets can also serve as decent productivity machines, allowing you to use them as laptops.

Deciding whether to get the iPad Pro 2022 or Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is an easy decision for those who are entrenched within a company’s ecosystem. If you own devices like the best Apple Watch, best iPads, best iPhones or best MacBooks, then you’d probably opt for the iPad Pro 2022. Conversely, if you’re into Windows and are invested in apps like OneNote and Outlook, then the Surface Pro 9 is for you.

However, if you just want an all-around solid device irrespective of its manufacturer, then choosing which one to get can be somewhat tricky.

We reviewed both the iPad Pro 2022 and Microsoft Surface Pro 9. The former features a 12.9-inch XDR display, 16GB of RAM, 1TB of storage and 5G connectivity, while the latter has a Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, Wi-Fi connectivity and 256GB of SSD storage. As configured, our review units cost $1,999 and $1,599 (respectively).

Since we’ve reviewed each device, we’re able to provide you with all the crucial information you need to make an informed purchasing decision. Should you get Apple or Microsoft’s tablet? Read on to find out.

iPad Pro 2022 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 9: Specs

iPad Pro 2022 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 9: Price

The new iPad Pro 2022 is now available from the Apple online store. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799/£899/AU$1,399 while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro costs $1,099/£1,249/AU$1,399, though as these are entry-level models they'll only offer Wi-Fi connectivity.

If you want Wi-Fi + Cellular, the 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $999/£899AU$1,399. The 12-inch Wi-Fi + Cellular model starts at $1,299/£1,429/AU$2,149.

Note that the Apple Pencil 2nd gen ($129) and Magic Keyboard ($349) are sold separately and add significantly to the cost.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is available to purchase from the Microsoft Store with a starting price of $999 /£1,099/AU$1,649. This configuration features a 12th gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of SSD memory and Wi-Fi connectivity.

You can also get the aforementioned ARM version for $1,299 /£1,299/AU$2,599. It features a Microsoft SQ3 CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD and 5G connectivity.

The devices have comparable prices. The entry-level iPad Pro is $100 more than the Surface Pro 9 starting configuration. Each has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. If we factor the cost of peripherals, the iPad Pro jumps to $1,577 while the Surface Pro 9 goes up to $1,278. Based on price alone, the Surface Pro 9 could be more enticing to budget-mind folks.

iPad Pro 2022 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 9: Design 

Design-wise, the iPad Pro 2022 is indistinguishable from the iPad Pro 2021 and iPad Pro 2020. This isn’t a negative since its thin bezels and sleek machined aluminum chassis remain as striking as ever. Space Gray and Silver are the only two available colors. This could be a negative for those who wanted the iPad Pro to feature as many color options as the new iPad 2022.

The iPad Pro 2022 measures 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.25 inches and weighs 1.5 pounds, which is exactly the same as last year’s model. The Magic Keyboard bumps the weight up to 3 pounds, which is just a smidge heavier than the MacBook Air 2022 and Dell XPS 13 OLED 2022, which weigh 2.7 pounds each.

Nothing has changed with regard to buttons and ports. There’s a button along the top right edge (when the iPad is held vertically like a sheet of paper) for locking the screen and using Touch ID, two buttons on the right side to raise or lower the volume and a single Thunderbolt 4/USB-C port on the bottom edge of the device.

Microsoft didn’t alter the Surface Pro 9’s design in any significant way. To put it more bluntly, this year’s model is exactly the same as its predecessor. We're not exactly opposed to the design since it's still sleek and practical. But it is somewhat boring.

Both Surface Pro 9 models (with and without 5G) measure 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 inches and weigh 1.94 pounds. They feature an anodized aluminum body, with a kickstand on the back of the device and a magnetic attach for the keyboard. As before, the Surface Pro 9 is small and light enough to carry around wherever you go.

Color options include Platinum, Graphite, Sapphire and Forest, with the latter three colors only available on Wi-Fi models.

Both devices retain the same form factor as their predecessors — which is to say they look as good now as they always have. However, you could be disappointed if you wanted something different. So in these respects, both the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 9 are equal.

iPad Pro 2022 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 9: Display 

The iPad Pro 2022 we reviewed has a gigantic 12.9-inch mini-LED display with a resolution of 2,732 x 2,048 pixels and up to a 120Hz refresh rate. That’s a lot of screen space for watching your favorite YouTube videos or Netflix shows. And if you’re enjoying HDR content, the gorgeous XDR display makes everything on the screen look even better.

Like the Microsoft Surface Pro 8, the Surface Pro 9 has a 13-inch PixelSense Flow display (2880 X 1920) with a 120Hz refresh rate and 3:2 aspect ratio. The display won’t blow you away but it’s good enough for whatever you watching or working on.

Per our brightness test that involves using a light meter, the iPad Pro tops out at 586 nits with adaptive brightness off. Conversely, the Surface Pro 9’s display achieves an average of 431.6 nits and hits 447 nits around the center of the screen.

The new iPad Pro’s XDR screen uses local dimming zones for its 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Because of that, we looked at how bright smaller regions of the display would get. In our testing, 10% and 40% portions of the iPad Pro 2021's display rated at 1,409 and 1,577 nits, respectively, while the full-screen HDR brightness hit 1,290 nits.

Color-wise, the iPad Pro’s display covered 117.1% of the sRGB color gamut and 82.4% of the more demanding DCI-P3 color space (the closer to 100%, the better). These averages are above the Surface Pro 9's, which achieved 106.1% of the sRGB color gamut and 75.1% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

In short, the iPad Pro has a brighter and more colorful screen than the Surface Pro 9. HDR also makes Apple's device the winner in this category.

iPad Pro 2022 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 9: Performance 

The iPad Pro 2022 packs the company’s M2 chip while the Surface Pro 9 we reviewed has a 12th gen Intel Core i7 mobile CPU.

On Geekbench 5.4, which measures overall performance, the iPad 2022 scored 1,862 on the single-core portion and 8,500 on the multi-core test. In contrast, the Surface Pro 9 scored 1,633 and 8,541 (respectively).

In our Adobe Premiere Rush video transcoding test, the new iPad Pro took 23 seconds to complete the task. while the M1-powered iPad Air took 22 seconds. It’s somewhat strange that the M2-driven tablet is a hair slower in this test.

The Surface Pro 9 transcoded a 4K video to 1080p using Handbrake in 9 minutes and 34 seconds, which surpasses the time it took the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 to complete the same task (12:18). The Surface Pro 8 took a leisurely 13 minutes and 30 seconds, in comparison.

We played Genshin Impact on the iPad Pro and found it an overall smooth experience. We saw no perceptible frame rate drops, even during the middle of a battle. Genshin Impact is one of the more graphically demanding games on the App Store, so it’s good to see the iPad Pro 2022 handle it with ease.

On the Surface Pro 9, Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm averaged a pathetic 24 fps at 1080p resolution and an even worse 17 fps at 1920p. Because Microsoft’s machine relies on Intel Iris Xe graphics instead of a discreet graphics card, you’re going to have a rough time playing games locally on the device.

Based on the Geekbench test, the tablets have relatively similar performance metrics. However, this isn’t an indication that these machines offer the same performance across the board. In my own testing, I found no perceptible difference between the two tablets when watching videos or web browsing.

iPad Pro 2022 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 9: Accessories 

The Apple Magic Keyboard ($349) and Apple Pencil 2 ($129) are two useful peripherals for the iPad Pro. The former gives the iPad Pro laptop-like functionality while the latter allows you to write or draw on the tablet.

The Magic Keyboard’s base is sturdy and keeps the tablet in place no matter how hard you type. The floating cantilever design allows you to get the perfect viewing angle.

The keyboard itself has enough space to let you type comfortably for hours, while the trackpad is both smooth and responsive.

As always, our main complaint about these peripherals is their respective prices. Shelling out an additional $478 (before taxes) stings after you’ve already purchased an expensive tablet.

The Surface Pro Signature Keyboard with Slim Pen 2 is sold separately for $279 on the Microsoft Store.

As with last year’s model, we found the Signature Pro Keyboard to be a vital peripheral. Its keyboard and trackpad are both equally as responsive.

Though some may find the keyboard too flimsy, the keys produce a satisfying click when pressed and they also have a good amount of resistance.

The Slim Pen 2 is as good now as ever. Its haptic motors do an admirable job of imitating what it’s like to write on actual paper. While you could argue that the thicker and heavier Apple Pencil feels more like an actual pencil than the Slim Pen 2, Microsoft’s faux-pen works as well as intended.

I find Apple's peripherals better than Microsoft's due to their sturdier build quality. However, they're priced much higher. But either way, you'll need to pay more for these peripherals no matter which device you get.

iPad Pro 2022 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 9: Cameras 

The new iPad Pro’s cameras are exactly the same as last year’s model. That’s both a positive and a negative, depending on your expectations.

If you’re inclined to take selfies with a tablet, you’ll be happy to know the iPad Pro’s 12MP front-facing camera will make you look your best. This is also true when video conferencing with co-workers, friends or family members. The 12MP camera on the back also takes solid photos.

In our review, we used the rear camera to take a photo of Manhattan from a rooftop in Long Island City. Even on a cloudy day, the camera delivered an impressive image that was almost good enough to hang on the wall.

The only bummer is that the front camera is positioned on the short edge of the tablet's display. We'd prefer the camera to be on the longer side, which would be easier for video calls, especially with the Magic Keyboard attached to the iPad Pro 2022.

The Surface Pro 9 features a fairly crisp 1080p front-facing camera that will help you look good on calls. It also packs a decent 10MP camera on the rear if you’d like to take photos with this machine.

We tried both cameras in our office and found them adept at capturing images and video. We were particularly impressed by the 1080p front camera, which did a good job of capturing skin tones. The rear camera was almost as good, though the image quality appeared somewhat grainy and washed out compared to the front camera.

The camera quality of both devices seemed comparable to me so it's difficult to determine a winner in this category. So long as you have half-way decent lighting, photos and videos will look good on either slate.

iPad Pro 2022 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 9: Outlook 

Given how similar both devices are in terms of overall features, it's difficult to recommend one over the other to the average person.

Both are great for watching videos, browsing the web or video conferencing. They also each have solid touch screens you can draw or write on. Though we gave the iPad Pro 2022 a higher score than the Surface Pro 9, the latter isn't objectively a bad machine, even if its design is getting stale.

So which is best for you? If you’re on a budget, the Surface Pro 9 is the go-to option, even with peripherals included. If you want an HDR-capable display for watching videos, then the iPad Pro is the better bet. And if you’re married to a specific ecosystem, get the corresponding tablet.