iPad OS 17 released with new ways to personalize, work with your iPad

iPadOS 17 is available today and delivers new ways for users to personalize the Lock Screen and interact with widgets. You can download it by going to Settings > General > Software Update. 

Among other things, with iPadOS 17 working with PDFs should be easier with AutoFill, which intelligently identifies and fills fields in forms, and Notes brings a new experience for marking up and collaborating on PDFs. Messages gets updates, including a new stickers experience, and users can now leave FaceTime video and audio messages. 

The Health app comes to the iPad with interactive charts, and HealthKit enables developers to create innovative experiences designed for the iPad display. iPadOS 17 is available as a developer beta today, and will be available as a free software update this fall.

Taking full advantage of the iPad display, users can now customize the Lock Screen to make it more personal, useful, and beautiful, according to Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. New photo features allow users to set their favorite images on the Lock Screen and stylize them in new ways. 

Users can select a photo from their personal library, a dynamic set of photos that shuffle throughout the day, or a Live Photo for a slow-motion effect whenever they wake iPad.

Users can choose a wallpaper from the Lock Screen gallery, pick from a set of expressive font styles and colors to customize the look of the date and time, or create designs with their favorite emoji and color combinations.

Live Activities comes to iPadOS, allowing users to stay on top of things that are happening in real time right from the Lock Screen, such as a sports game, travel plans, or a food delivery order.

iPadOS 17 is compatible with the iPad (6th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2nd generation and later), 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and 11-inch iPad Pro (1st generation and later).