Today at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, the company announced new features coming to iPad with iPadOS 27, including optimizations like apps that launch up to 30 percent faster by intelligently preloading necessary information and more responsive switching between multiple apps.
As with new versions of other Apple operating systems launching this year, including iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate 27, the biggest updates to iPadOS 27 will come courtesy of the new Siri AI. Siri will be accessible through iPadOS Spotlight Search, which will automatically know when you’re telling the assistant or simply searching for apps and documents. Siri AI will also be available through a new dedicated Siri app that can be used like the ChatGPT app to chat with the smart assistant and access and revisit previous chats. Apple Intelligence and Siri AI will be available on iPad models with M1 chip or later, as well as the iPad mini with Apple’s A17 Pro chip.
Screen Time is getting a major overhaul in iPadOS 27, giving parents and caregivers the ability to schedule when and for how long kids have access to specific apps and services. Apple will also introduce new APIs for parental controls and a new Declared Age Range API so that individual apps can offer a personalized or limited experience depending on who is actually using them. Updates to child accounts will allow caregivers to limit access to specific apps, as well as who children can talk to on iMessage. Children can also be made to request approval to view websites, and that safety feature is automatically activated for children under 13 years old.
Apple is improving the speed and performance of the iPad with its next operating system. Transferring files to an external drive connected via USB-C or simply browsing its content will be up to five times faster. Launching apps will also be faster, as will AirDrop transfers.
Keeping your browsing organized will be a little easier in Safari. iPadOS 27 will introduce an Organize Tabs feature that automatically sorts open tabs into various groups based on the content of each site.
Siri AI will also drive improvements to Apple’s Shortcuts app to make it easier to use. Apple isn’t removing the ability to create shortcuts and automations manually, but with iPadOS 27 you’ll be able to ask the Shortcuts app to create one automatically using natural language prompts that describe what you want it to do.
When it launched last September, iPadOS 26 debuted with more than just a new name based on its major annual updates. Along with iOS 26, the iPad received a major facelift with Apple’s Liquid Glass design language that introduced a combination of glossy and translucent UI elements that the company then refined to improve readability. With iPadOS 27, Apple is further refining Liquid Glass to “ensure exceptional readability with smoother refraction and improved contrast,” according to Apple’s website. App icons will be sharper and more detailed, while a new slider will let you further customize the look of Liquid Glass, from ultra-clear to fully tinted.
Accessibility improvements include VoiceOver updates that improve understanding of what’s on screen with more detailed image descriptions. iPadOS 27 will automatically generate subtitles for any video you watch, including videos you recorded yourself, and will be able to translate existing subtitles into other languages.
With iPadOS 26, Apple also moved its tablets closer to being more capable laptop alternatives with a new resizable window system that reflects how multiple apps are managed on macOS, including a menu bar accessible from the top of the screen tailored to the current app. Last year’s iPad update introduced a mobile version of Apple’s Preview app for viewing, annotating, and editing PDFs, plus an improved version of the Files app with a Mac-like list view.