When iPadOS 16 arrived last year, one of iOS 16’s most important features was missing: the redesigned lock screen. But it now looks like it will arrive on the iPad this year, always on display and all.
According to Mark Gurman, iPadOS 17 will “lay the software foundation for refreshed iPad Pro models coming next year with OLED displays.” While he doesn’t share details on what features might come with the update, the first that comes to mind is the iPhone 14 Pro’s always-on display, which benefits from the low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) OLED display .
This probably also means that iPadOS 17 will bring the personalized lock screen to the iPad. When Apple unveiled the new lock screen as the main feature of iOS 16, it neglected to bring it to iPadOS 16. However, as we learned when the iPhone 14 Pro arrived later that year, the lock screen is linked to the always-on display, so the lock screen will probably come in iOS 17 before the new OLED iPads introduce the always-on display.
Apple took a similar step with home screen widgets and the app library in iOS 14, waiting a year before bringing it to iPadOS. We haven’t heard much about the features coming to iPadOS 17 yet, but there are rumors that iOS and macOS are more focused on maintenance and stability than new features. iOS 17 will reportedly include some of the “most requested features” by users.
There have been rumors for a while that the iPad Pro will get an OLED screen, but the timing is unclear. Gurman’s report indicates it will release next year, which likely means a spring release, about 18 months after the M2 model arrived.
