With iPadOS 18 being a few months ahead of us, I'm eagerly anticipating some fantastic changes. After the positive reception of my "Hopes for iOS 18" list on r/iOS, I couldn't resist sharing my wishlist for iPadOS 18 with all of you. I also get I made a post similar to this last June or July, but I have made some changes as new products such as the Vision Pro have been released, along with proposed improvements to the iPad hardware. While I'm definitely looking forward to Siri enhancements, AI advancements, and the potential for sideloading, I'm not necessarily expecting a barrage of fresh features this time around. Instead, I'm hoping for Apple to refine and expand upon the existing features to really polish the OS and make it feel more consistant with other Apple products, along with overdue features that exist on other Apple products.

Here's a breakdown of my top hopes for iPadOS 18:

Stage Manager, Multitasking, and External Display Improvements:

• Seamlessly integrate Stage Manager features throughout the operating system for a more consistent user experience.
• Consider introducing a desktop mode akin to Samsung Dex, accessible via Control Center, for enhanced productivity with external peripherals.
• Allow for freeform window positioning similar to MacOS.
• Increase the number of windows allowed on both the iPad and external screen simultaneously to boost workflow efficiency (Have unlimited amount of Windows per screen on the iPad Pro).
• Enable wireless functionality for Stage Manager via screen mirroring or AirPlay.
• Provide the option to self-adjust screen resolution for various external display setups.
• Enhance display settings to include options for mirroring, extending, and selective screen viewing.
• Introduce support for external touchscreen monitors.
• Redesign the App Switcher to mirror the functionality of Mission Control on MacOS.
• Extend Stage Manager compatibility to iPad 10th gen, albeit with limitations for non-Pro users (such as 4 Windows per screen, maximum display resolution 4K).
• Implement AI-powered multitasking features for optimal window layout and arrangement.
• Expand shortcut options for Split View and app switching to streamline navigation.
• Introduce a virtual keyboard and touchpad to reduce dependency on external inputs for Stage Manager.
• Improve multi-monitor support for enhanced productivity.

New Control Center:

• Revamp the Control Center to resemble the MacOS counterpart while offering additional customization options.
• Turn the control center into a pop out menu rather than disabling the rest of the screen.
• Extra buttons, such as restart, power off, close all apps/ force quit.
• Add notification center to the control center.
• Or, make a full screen control center analogous to Samsung Tablets to make use of the wasted screen space.

Support for Multiple Users:

• Introduce support for multiple users to cater to diverse user needs within a household or professional setting.

Sideloading and PKG File Compatibility:

• Following the introduction of sideloading in iOS, extend this capability to iPadOS along with PKG file compatibility to access desktop programs like the Desktop (Mac) Version of Chrome and Steam.

Files App Update:

• Enhance the Files app to resemble Finder on MacOS, making file management more intuitive and comprehensive.

Home screen and app grid:

• Allow icons to be placed anywhere on the home screen.
• Allow placement of files on the homescreen.
• Allow users to adjust the home screen app grid for personalized organization and layout.

Official Calculator App:

• Introduce an official calculator app rather than installing third party apps.

New UI:

• Add some MacOS UI elements to the iPad, such as an adjustable dock size.
• Update the iPad cursor to mirror the Mac cursor for a consistent user experience.
• Redesign the UI to have Vision Pro-like styling, such as Neumorphism and Glassmorphism.
• Building onto the Multitasking improvements, glassmorphism would look great while multitasking, which could be toggled on or off.

Always on Display:

• Addition of standby mode and always on display.

Gaming features:

• Game mode (expected for iPhone) with FPS boost in games.
• MacOS Game controller emulation for keyboards. Could virtually use a keyboard and mouse for games that don't natively have keyboard and mouse support. This could save developers time from having to add the support to games.

Bug Fixes:

• This is an inevitable problem, but I am hoping that the OS will have less bugs and glitches than before.

In addition to these exciting features, the impending arrival of sideloading has me particularly thrilled. By focusing on refining Stage Manager and potentially opening up avenues for desktop program compatibility, iPadOS 18 has the potential to take productivity to new heights. If most of these features could be added, hopefully my expectation list will decrease for iPadOS 19. Thankfully iPadOS has come a long way since iPadOS 16 with Stage Manager. Let's keep our fingers crossed for an update that truly elevates the iPad experience!

What are your thoughts on these enhancements? Share your wishlist in the comments below!