iPadOS 17 is available now. The annual update lacks a single headline-grabbing feature, but the sum of its smaller changes enhances the experience of using Apple’s tablet. Changes include Stage Manager refinements, along with Lock Screen additions and interactive widgets to match the iPhone’s new features from a year ago.
You can install iPadOS 17 on recent models. It supports the iPad Pro 12.9 (2nd-gen or later), iPad Pro 10.5, iPad Pro 11 (1st-gen or later), iPad Air (3rd gen or later), standard iPad (6th gen or later) and iPad mini (5th gen or later). If you don’t know which device you have, you can navigate to Settings > General > About > Model Name to determine which one it is.
Once you know your device is eligible, you can head to Settings > General > About > Software Update to manually initiate the download and installation. If you had auto-updates turned on, it would install eventually, but perhaps not until later in the week.
iPadOS 17 catches up on a couple of iOS 16 features that didn’t make it to the iPad last year, including a revamped and more customizable Lock Screen (including an easier and more robust wallpaper picker) and interactive widgets. In addition, the Health app makes its way to the bigger screen and you can more easily adjust Stage Manager to fit your needs. Finally, iOS 17’s FaceTime and Messaging updates are included on the tablet software as well. You can read more about iPadOS 17’s features in Engadget’s full preview.
