If you have read or watched any of my content over the last few years, you might have realized that my iPad Pro is my main computer. Yes, I have a Mac Mini, but when it comes to getting actual work done, I always gravitate towards my iPad (I am currently writing this on my iPad). Something about the combination of gorgeous hardware and single app optimization nature of the software really makes the iPad a joy to use. With the release of iPadOS 18 we got an abundance of new features that has helped me double and triple down on this sentiment. We all know the headlining features, but I want to share a few other features that not many people know about. Lets get into it!
Be sure to check out my video below, where I go in-depth with the features I mention here and much more.
1. Built-in unit converter
With iPadOS 18, Apple finally gave the iPad a dedicated calculator app. The biggest differentiator came with all the new Math Notes features. But one thing that was added to the calculator app is that it now has a build in converter. It can converter almost any value. If you need to go from centimeters to feet, Pascals to Bar, or even US dollars to Rupees. This is all done on a device, too, so if you are in an area with no data, you will still have full access to this, and I love it.
2. Sharing wifi via QR code
We all know about these Apple Ecosystem Magic Moments, which are moments where things just work. For example, you can unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch or copy and post across devices. One of the best ones is being able to share your wifi with a guest in your home who has another iOS device. They just tap on your home Wi-Fi name, and then you can share access to it from your device. But of course this only happens with iOS devices. What if you have a guest with an Android phone? Do they have to physically type your crazy wifi password? No, they don’t!
The new Passwords app allows you to share your wifi by generating a QR code! Here’s how”
- Go to the Passwords app
- Tap on Wifi
- Tap on your home network
- Tap ‘show QR code’
- and then have the guest scan that code
- Boom, they are in!
3. Formatting drives on iPadOS
Now, this was huge for me. One key aspect of the Files app that was holding it back was the inability to format drives or SD cards. Every other file system has been able to do this for years. Well it is now something that you can do on iPadOS via the files app. Its very easy:
- Plug SSD into iPad
- Long press on the drive in the files app
- Tap ‘erase’ (don’t worry it won’t just erase)
- A menu opens up
- Tap which format you would like to use
- Tap “erase”
- You are now formatted and erased!
The home screen also got a great redesign and overhaul in terms of the ability to customize app sizes, colors and even tint. But one new option that came in was the ability to go from app icon to widget without going into customization mode. You can now long press on any app, and if it has a widget, you can transform it into a widget right there.
5. Hide distracting items
This is one of those features that you didn’t understand how useful it was until you found the use case. Safari introduced a new feature that allows you to remove entire sections of a web page. It can be an ad, a certain portion of a webpage, text, or pretty much anything. It will hide the object and keep it that way until you turn the mode off. Most people think of this and say this is nice to remove some ads from sites. But I found my perfect use case.
I like to use Google Sheets on my iPad a lot. But I don’t like the Google Sheets app. I prefer to use the web version of Google Sheets. The only way to do this is to make sure you have deleted the Google Sheets app. Otherwise, it will always auto-launch the app. So that is how you get to the web version. But when you use the web version of Google Sheets, you are constantly prompted to download the app with a banner at the bottom that takes up an annoying amount of screen real estate. So now I just tap it away with this new feature! Heere is how to do it!
- Go to any webpage in Safari
- tap the options menu in the URL bar
- Tap ‘Hide Distracting Items’
- Tap on the section you want to hide
- Tap ‘hide’
- Then it will just disappear
As long as you see the small blue eye icon that is crossed through, that means that something is hidden and it that will persist even if you leave the page and come back!
Other iPadOS 18 tips
These were just a few of the features and tips I discussed in my video. I highly recommend watching it because I discuss 15 more features that people will be happy to know about. But what do you think? Have you used these features? Did you know they existed? Let’s discuss some of your favorite features below!
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