iPadOS 14 vs iPadOS 16 – Key Features & Differences

When Apple unveiled iPadOS 14 in 2020, it promised “new features and designs designed specifically for iPad” apple.com. This update emphasized a distinct iPad experience: incoming FaceTime and phone calls appeared as compact banners instead of full-screen interruptions, and Siri and Search gained a streamlined interfaceapple.com. Apps were redesigned with unified sidebars and toolbars to suit the large display. Importantly, iPadOS 14 introduced powerful Apple Pencil enhancements – including Scribble (on-device handwriting-to-text conversion), Smart Selection, and shape recognition – so you could write in any text field and have it auto-converted to typed textsupport.apple.com. It also brought ARKit 4’s Depth API for richer AR appssupport.apple.com. In summary, iPadOS 14 laid the foundation for modern iPad UI:

• Compact UI: Incoming calls and Siri use lightweight banners (not full-screen)apple.com.
• Apple Pencil: Scribble handwriting, Smart Selection of handwritten text, and shape recognition make note-taking more intuitivesupport.apple.com.
• Redesigned Apps: Many built-in apps (Photos, Files, Music, etc.) got new sidebars and pull-down controls to utilize the larger iPad screenapple.com.
• AR Enhancements: ARKit 4’s new Depth API enables more realistic augmented reality on iPadsupport.apple.com.

By contrast, iPadOS 16 (released 2022) builds on that foundation with a focus on productivity and collaborationapple.com. Leveraging the power of Apple’s M1 chip, iPadOS 16 introduced Stage Manager, a completely new multitasking interface that allows multiple overlapping, resizable app windows and full external display supportapple.com. This makes the iPad feel more like a true desktop workspace. iPadOS 16 also made collaboration seamless: you can now start a document or spreadsheet with others directly from Messages, and the new Freeform whiteboard app (coming late 2022) offers a shared canvas for brainstorming togetherapple.com. Other notable iPadOS 16 upgrades include:

• New Apps & Widgets: The iPad finally got a native Weather app (with full-screen graphics)apple.com, and a new iCloud Shared Photo Library lets up to six family members contribute and share photos automaticallyapple.com.
• Enhanced Messaging: Messages can be edited or unsent after sending, and you can recover deleted texts or mark threads as unreadapple.com. SharePlay (watch or play together) is integrated in Messages for synced viewing/listeningapple.com.
• Safari & Security: Safari adds Shared Tab Groups for browsing with friends, and introduces Passkeys (password-less login) for next-generation web securityapple.com.
• Mail Improvements: New smart tools in Mail let you schedule emails, cancel send just before delivery, and set up reminders on draftsapple.com. (Search in Mail is also much smarter.)
• Pro Features: For creative pros, iPadOS 16 offers Reference Mode (color grading support on high-end iPads) and Display Zoom (more screen space by increasing pixel density)apple.com.

iPadOS 17: The Next Big Leap

In 2023, Apple previewed iPadOS 17, taking personalization and AI-driven features even furtherapple.com. The Lock Screen becomes fully customizable: users can set animated or emoji-pattern wallpapers, choose new fonts/colors for the clock, and shuffle a dynamic photo setapple.com. Best of all, interactive widgets now work on both the Home Screen and Lock Screen – for example, you can tap a weather widget on the lock screen to see detailed forecasts or control smart home devices without unlockingapple.com. Productivity is boosted by intelligent PDF features: iPadOS 17 auto-detects and autofills form fields in PDFs, and Notes gains better annotation and collaboration toolsapple.com. The iPad also finally gains a Health app tailored for its displayapple.com (with interactive charts and new HealthKit possibilities). Messaging and FaceTime continue evolving: iPadOS 17 introduces a unified Stickers experience in Messages and lets you leave audio/video messages in FaceTime, among other enhancementsapple.com.

Together, these OS updates show how rapidly iPad software has advanced. Just three years after iPadOS 14’s more straightforward UI changes, iPadOS 17 offers rich on-device intelligence and customization. For example, handwritten notes (Scribble) in iPadOS 14support.apple.com have evolved into intelligent PDF autofill and markup in iPadOS 17apple.com. Similarly, the basic home screen of iPadOS 14 has turned into a personalized Lock Screen with active widgets and Live Activities in iPadOS 17apple.comapple.com. In short, iPadOS 14’s innovations (banner calls, sidebars, Scribble, etc.) now feel like last-generation features compared to the sophistication of iPadOS 16 and 17 (Stage Manager, Passkeys, Shared Libraries, interactive lock screen, etc.).