iPadOS 16.1, iOS 16.1 and macOS Ventura finally arrive next week

Live Activities, Weather and Stage Manager are the highlights

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

WhileApplerecently announced abunch of updatesto theiPadandApple TV, it was also confirmed that October 24 is the date formacOS VenturaandiPadOS 16.1to debut for your devices.

At the bottom of thepress releaseandVentura’s page, there’s now confirmation of this date, so if you’ve got aMacor aniPad, you’ll be able to finally take advantage of the new features.

iPadOS 16.1has had a rough time mainly due toStage Manager, Apple’s latest effort to redesign multitasking on the tablet. It’s had its fair share of issues, such as crashing, a confusing design, and a delay of external display support to a later release.

Yet macOS Ventura has had the opposite since it was announced back in June atWWDCwith minimal fuss, mainly due to this being more of a maintenance release, but how could these updates benefit you?

Small features could make a big impact for you

Much like Apple’s other updates this year, there’s been one tentpole feature, followed by a bunch of minor updates across theoperating system. Stage Manager is also included in Ventura, but it’s more of a minor feature compared to iPadOS, as you’re not restricted by an invisible grid and just one way of multitasking on the Mac.

You could argue that the newWeather appis what leads the pack withmacOS Ventura, as you get the design and notifications that’s been included in iOS for the last couple of releases.

Alongside this, you get benefits ofiOS 16, such as being able to edit or unsend a message in iMessage, or being able to schedule an email in the Mail app. Its search feature, Spotlight also gains quick actions, so if you need to set a quick timer in the new Clock app, now you can.

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

While Apple hasn’t confirmed it as yet, it’s safe to assume thatiOS 16.1will arrive on October 24 as well, which features Live Activities. These are widgets on the Lock Screen that will keep track of ongoing events, such as sports games and deliveries.

All of these updates are going to benefit in some way - whether that’s the Weather app in iPadOS or useful features for Mail and iMessage in Ventura. However time will tell if Stage Manager will need to be worked on further once it’s available to more users from October 24, as a bigger voice of feedback could spur Apple to refine it even more.

Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he’s written a book, ‘The Making of Tomb Raider’. His second book, ‘50 Years of Boss Fights’, came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called ‘Springboard’. He’s usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that’s about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.

I tried the iPad mini 7 and it’s the perfect (and cheapest) device for Apple Intelligence

Quick! The latest iPad Air is down to its lowest-ever price at Amazon

A new form of macOS malware is being used by devious North Korean hackers