As well as iOS 17, iPadOS 17 also saw the light during the opening event of WWDC23 held on June 5th. The new operating system for Apple tablets brings with it many new features, but in this article we want to focus on the five that we recommend you try immediately. In the list we emphasize the most obvious ones for the end user, which really change the way of using the device or that in any case immediately stand out to the eye.

Custom lock screen

One of the first things iPadOS 17 users will want to try is certainly the custom lock screen. It’s lockscreen iOS 16 maqcitynet, but also one of the biggest absences of iPadOS 16. Many had not understood Apple’s choice not to allow such customization even on iPad. Evidently, in that of Cupertino they just needed more time to allow the same degree of customization also on iPad.

And so, with iPadOS 17 it will allow you to create custom lock screens, being able to set colors and sources as desired for the watch and other elements on the screen. You can also insert different widgets on the Lock screen, with the particularity that they will be different depending on the orientation of the iPad.

And in fact, it will be possible to insert widgets on the left column when the iPad is in landscape mode (horizontal). These will disappear when you put the iPad vertically: in this case you can add widgets just below the clock. Depending on how the device will be oriented, one or the other will be shown.

Health App

Also in this case it seemed inconceivable the absence of the Health app on iPad, much appreciated on the iPhone. If it is true that initially this could be used mainly by sportsmen who carried the iPhone with them, it is equally true that over time the app is developed as a platform where the user can record and read a lot of data related to their health. And so, such a well-structured platform could not miss on iPad.

For the first time, thanks to iPadOS 17, Apple’s Health app makes its appearance on Apple’s tablet. Of course, the app will be almost unrecognizable at first glance, because it will be fully optimized for the big screen, with an all-new design that will adapt to the iPad screen, with highlighted data and interactive graphs.

Favorites in particular have a specific look: the user receives information about his health with trends, highlighted data and detailed interactive graphs. Now, on iPad, you can also monitor and manage medications, use Cycle Monitoring, record momentary emotions and daily moods, view health records from multiple institutions, and more, all in a secure, confidential central location.
Health and fitness app developers can now use HealthKit on iPad, so they can create innovative experiences in their apps that integrate the information the user has chosen to share, while adhering to the same strict privacy and data security protocols as the Health app.

Stage Manager

Stage Manager is certainly not a new feature to Apple users, but it does not seem to be among the favorite functions for those who use Apple devices. With iPadOS 17, however, will come a system certainly improved, which could this time be efficient. And in fact, by activating Stage Manager on iPadOS 17, users will be able to better manage floating windows of their running apps. This time, each window in use can be resized at will by the user and moved freely on the available screen area. This will make it easier to tile multiple windows, being able to switch between apps with just a tap. In this way Apple tries, once again, to narrow the gap between macOS and iPadOS.

Interactive Widgets

They will also arrive on iOS 17. We’re talking about interactive widgets. If Apple had been conservative with widgets until now, making them in fact just a mirror in which to read information, without the possibility of intervention, with the new operating system it will be another story. And in fact, widgets will not only have the function of informing users, but will allow them to act without having to open the reference app.

An example above all: with the Apple Home widget it will be possible to turn on or off the lights in the fall simply by clicking on the icons inside the widget, without having to open the app. To achieve this result with iOS 16 you had, instead, to resort to third-party apps.

Safari – Face ID

It is a function that has gone unnoticed, but it will certainly make many happy. By default on iPadOS 17, private Safari pages will be protected by FaceID. This is a function that, in fact, makes a lot of sense. If you have decided to work on a private Safari tab, it is probably because you want to keep that browsing session away from prying eyes. What better way to protect those pages with FaceID. Every time you close Safari you will be able to reopen those private pages only by unlocking FaceID.