Apple releases iOS 13.1 and iPadOS

After its buggy iOS 13.0 release last week, Apple is now releasing iOS 13.1 to eligible iPhones today. The firm will also be releasing iPadOS, based off of iOS 13.1, to its iPad line of devices.

The reason for the short turn around time is a bevvy of bugs that for one reason or the other, made it to iOS 13’s initial release. From app crashes to freezes, to random reboots, iOS 13.0 was not Apple’s best work. The firm also had a few features like the presence of the U1 chip it had announced as part as iOS 13, but iOS 13’s initial release had omitted them.

The more interesting release here is iPadOS which turns makes iPads more desktop-like and more capable of replacing laptops. The homescreen is evolved to be more flexible, multi-tasking is improved, and the powerful new file explorer is added. The regular iOS 13 updates like dark mode and the photos app are of course present.

“iPad transforms how people work and express their creativity, and with iPadOS, we’re taking it even further by delivering exciting capabilities that take advantage of its large canvas and versatility,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “iPadOS delivers exciting features, including a new Home screen with widgets, more powerful multitasking and new tools that make using Apple Pencil even more natural.”

iOS 13.1 and iPadOS are now available for download today.