iPadOS 27 brings some of Apple’s biggest iPad-specific changes in years, with major upgrades to window management, Apple Pencil, multitasking, external displays, and Apple Intelligence. The update makes the iPad more capable as a laptop alternative while retaining the flexibility of a tablet.
Apple is also expanding features such as Image Wand, Visual Intelligence, searchable handwriting, Descibe a Shortcut, and the new Siri AI experience. Here is a complete list of the new iPadOS 27 features, including changes added during Apple’s beta testing.
iPadOS 27 Features At A Glance
The biggest iPadOS 27 features include:
- New and faster window management
- More flexible multitasking
- Improved external display support
- New Apple Pencil and handwriting features
- Searchable handwritten notes
- Image Wand in Notes
- Visual Intelligence on iPad
- AI-generated Shortcuts
- Siri AI and personal context
- Improved Files and document management
- Automatic Safari tab organization
- AI-generated Safari extensions
- Better keyboard and trackpad support
- Faster app launches and system interactions
- New accessibility features
iPadOS 27 Design And Interface Changes
iPadOS 27 continues the Liquid Glass design introduced with iPadOS 26, while Apple refines the interface with new customization options and more responsive controls.
1. Liquid Glass Customization
A new Liquid Glass setting lets users adjust the appearance of translucent interface elements, with options for a clearer or more tinted look.
2. Improved Liquid Glass Readability
Apple is refining refraction, contrast, and other visual elements to make controls easier to see across the iPad interface.
3. Updated App Icons
Apple continues refining system app icons and the overall Liquid Glass visual language.
4. More Responsive Animations
System animations and transitions have been refined to make the iPad feel faster when opening apps, switching windows, and navigating the interface.
iPadOS 27 Windowing And Multitasking
Window management is one of the biggest areas of change in iPadOS 27. Apple is building on the desktop-style windowing system introduced in iPadOS 26 to make working with multiple apps more flexible.
5. Faster Window Management
Opening, resizing, moving, and switching between windows is more responsive in iPadOS 27.
6. More Flexible App Windows
Apps can be resized and positioned more freely, making it easier to create a workspace around different tasks.
7. Improved Multitasking
iPadOS 27 makes it easier to work with multiple apps and windows at the same time, particularly on larger iPad displays.
8. Better External Display Support
Apple continues improving the external display experience, giving users more flexibility when using multiple windows across an iPad and connected monitor.
9. Resizable iPhone Apps
iPhone apps running on iPad can be resized more flexibly, making them easier to use alongside other apps.
10. Keyboard And Trackpad Improvements
Apple is refining keyboard shortcuts, cursor behavior, and other controls for users working with a Magic Keyboard or external keyboard and trackpad.
11. Magic Keyboard Automation
iPadOS 27 can use attaching or removing an iPad from a Magic Keyboard as a trigger for Shortcuts and automations.
This allows users to automatically run actions when switching between a keyboard-based workspace and tablet mode.
Apple Pencil And Handwriting Features
Apple Pencil gets several important improvements in iPadOS 27, particularly around handwriting recognition, Notes, and developer support.
12. Searchable Handwritten Notes
iPadOS 27 can recognize and index handwritten text, allowing users to search for information written with Apple Pencil.
13. Improved Handwriting Recognition
Handwritten content can be recognized more accurately across supported apps, making Apple Pencil notes easier to find and work with.
14. Expanded PencilKit Capabilities
Apple is giving developers deeper access to Apple Pencil features through PencilKit, including handwriting, strokes, selections, and erasing.
15. Apple Intelligence For Handwritten Content
Apple Intelligence can work with information contained in handwritten notes, making it possible to search, summarize, and act on information written with Apple Pencil.
Apple Intelligence And Siri AI On iPad
iPadOS 27 brings Apple’s new Siri AI experience to compatible iPads, along with several Apple Intelligence features designed around the larger display.
16. Dedicated Siri AI App
The new Siri app provides a dedicated space for longer conversations, follow-up questions, and conversation history.
17. Siri Personal Context
Siri AI can use information from supported apps such as Messages, Mail, Notes, Photos, and Calendar to answer questions using information already available on the iPad.
18. Onscreen Awareness
Siri can understand information displayed on the iPad and answer questions about webpages, documents, messages, images, and other content.
19. Cross-App Actions
Siri AI can perform supported actions across apps, including creating reminders, notes, and Calendar events.
20. Write With Siri
Users can ask Siri AI to generate, rewrite, summarize, or improve text virtually anywhere they can type.
21. Visual Intelligence On iPad
Visual Intelligence lets users analyze information displayed on the iPad and ask questions about what they see.
Users can also circle content with their finger or Apple Pencil to get more information about it.
22. Visual Intelligence For Images And Objects
Visual Intelligence can identify and analyze objects and information, including plants, animals, food, and other visual content.
23. Image Wand In Notes
Image Wand can turn rough sketches or written descriptions in Notes into generated visuals.
For example, users can draw a quick diagram with Apple Pencil and use Image Wand to transform it into a more polished image.
24. AI-Generated Shortcuts
The Shortcuts app can use Apple Intelligence to help create shortcuts from natural-language descriptions.
Instead of manually building an automation, users can describe what they want the shortcut to do and let iPadOS help create it.
Files And Document Management
iPadOS 27 continues Apple’s effort to make the iPad a more capable computer for work and productivity.
25. Faster File Browsing
Apple has improved file browsing and system responsiveness, making it faster to navigate and work with documents.
26. Faster File Transfers
File transfers, including AirDrop, are faster in iPadOS 27.
27. Improved Document Workflows
The Files experience receives additional refinements for managing folders, documents, and files across apps and external storage.
Safari
Safari gets several Apple Intelligence and organization features in iPadOS 27.
28. Automatic Tab Organization
Safari can automatically organize open tabs into relevant topics using Apple Intelligence, making large collections of tabs easier to manage.
29. AI-Generated Safari Extensions
Users can describe the type of browser extension they want, and Safari can generate an extension using Apple Intelligence.
30. Improved Safari Browsing
Safari receives additional performance, privacy, and interface refinements throughout iPadOS 27.
Messages
Messages gets many of the same improvements introduced in iOS 27.
31. New Message Effects
Apple adds additional ways to personalize conversations with message effects.
32. More Flexible Reactions
Users can respond to messages with a wider range of emoji-based reactions.
33. Apple Intelligence In Messages
Apple Intelligence can understand the context of conversations and help users turn information from messages into actions.
Photos
Photos receives additional browsing, organization, and AI improvements.
34. Improved Photo Browsing
Apple continues refining navigation and organization throughout the Photos app.
35. Smarter Photo Search
Natural-language search makes it easier to find photos using descriptions rather than exact keywords.
36. AI-Powered Photo Editing
Apple Intelligence adds new tools for editing photos, removing unwanted elements, and changing the composition of images.
Apple Music
Apple Music gets several of the same improvements introduced on iPhone, including:
- Improved AutoMix transitions
- Landscape support
- Redesigned artist pages
- Friends playlist
- Larger Apple Music widgets
The larger iPad display gives Apple more room to present artwork, lyrics, playback controls, and other music information.
Accessibility
iPadOS 27 expands Apple’s accessibility features across the iPad.
37. AI-Generated Subtitles
Apple Intelligence can generate subtitles for videos that do not already include captions.
38. Smarter VoiceOver
VoiceOver’s Image Explorer can provide more detailed descriptions of visual content, including photos and documents.
39. Natural-Language Voice Control
Voice Control can understand more natural commands, allowing users to interact with apps without memorizing exact labels or commands.
40. Accessibility Reader Improvements
Accessibility Reader can better handle complex documents, including tables, multiple columns, scientific papers, and images.
iPadOS 27 Performance Improvements
Apple is also making broader performance improvements throughout iPadOS 27.
41. Faster App Launches
Apps can open more quickly, reducing the delay between tapping an app and getting to work.
42. Faster Multitasking
Window switching and other multitasking operations have been optimized for better responsiveness.
43. Faster AirDrop
AirDrop transfers are faster in iPadOS 27.
44. Faster System Interactions
Animations, transitions, and other system processes have been refined to make everyday interactions feel more responsive.
Other iPadOS 27 Changes
iPadOS 27 also includes smaller changes throughout the operating system, including:
- Keyboard improvements
- Trackpad refinements
- New Settings options
- AirDrop changes
- Updated sounds and haptics
- Additional privacy controls
- Security improvements
- Notification refinements
- Better resource management
- New developer APIs
iPadOS 27 Features Still In Development
Apple continues changing iPadOS 27 during beta testing. Some features may be introduced in later betas, activated separately, or changed before the final release.
We’ll continue updating this section as Apple adds, removes, or changes features.
iPadOS 27 Supported iPads
iPadOS 27 supports a range of recent iPad models, including:
- iPad Pro with M1 and later
- iPad Air with M1 and later
- iPad mini with A17 Pro
- Other iPad models supported by Apple’s final release
Apple Intelligence has stricter hardware requirements. Siri AI and other Apple Intelligence features require an iPad with an M-series chip or the A17 Pro chip.
When Will iPadOS 27 Be Released?
Apple is expected to release iPadOS 27 in September 2026 following several months of developer and public beta testing.
Apple’s September 9 “Surprise and Shine” event will be the key date to watch for the final iPadOS 27 release timeline and the next-generation iPad lineup. The final software may still differ from the current beta as Apple continues refining features ahead of release.
iThinkDiff will cover Apple’s September 9 event and the iPadOS 27 release as they happen. We’ll also keep updating this guide as Apple releases new betas and introduces additional features.
