It is a fact that The iPad was due for a major change since the announcement of iPadOS. Apple’s response has been direct and strong; it will be complementary, not like macOS. In addition, they launched the first iPads with M1 chips and now the iPad Pro is the most powerful of the iPad and Mac series with M4 chips. With the arrival of iPadOS 18, it seems there is nothing beyond Apple IntelligenceA great innovation shared with iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia. However, there is a very valuable detail worth underlining.. Switching from side menus to fully floating menus in some apps, like Apple TV and Apple Music.

More space for apps that need it, thanks to iPadOS 18’s floating menus

This has also been seen in apps like Apple TV and Apple Music, but when viewed directly, Looks like they took inspiration from the Apple Music menu on tvOSThe truth is that A great and necessary change as more space is required when searching for specific content on the iPad.This is useful if we take the smallest iPad size as a reference, the 8.3-inch iPad mini.

Change side menu to floating menu in iPadOS 18

It is a bit strange that this change comes after several versions of iPadOS. In addition to having more space to display both Apple Music and Apple TV content, the menus can also be customized to our liking. In Apple Music, you’ll see the classic Home, New, and Search tabs, and you can add more tabs based on your preferences..

The new floating menu in Apple Music in iPadOS 18. Photo: 9to5Mac

If you have one or more playlists that you listen to at the beginning of the day or at the beginning of a particular activity, Now these lists can be found in this sliding menu to access them with a simple click. Only Long press on the floating menu and then add supported sections that will appear on the left of the screenThe same thing happens on Apple TV, you can add channels like RTVE Play, atresplayer, Netflix, Max, etc. that you have included in the application.

The App Store and Apple Books have also been redesigned by default in this regard, App Store floating menu cannot be changedIt is worth noting that this type of floating menu will appear when the iPad is in landscape or portrait mode.

Apple will open support for developing developer apps via an API

According to documentation on the Apple Developer site, a preview of how the new floating menus will work is available to developers who want to implement them through their apps. Creating a slide-out menu and assigning it an “array of objects” would be via an API..

iPadOS 18 introduces a new navigation system that gives people the flexibility to choose between using the tab bar or the sidebar. The newly redesigned tab bar provides more space for content and other features. Learn how to use SwiftUl and UlKit to enable customization features like adding, deleting, and reordering tabs to give your app a more personal touch.

There was a session at WWDC 2024 dedicated to this topic, so if you’re a developer and interested in bringing these new menus to your apps, check out the session posted on the Apple Developer channel.

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