iPadOS 18 doesn't have many iPad-specific features — most of the update's highlights are cross-platform, including new customization tools and app updates that are also on the iPhone — but one of the few features that is exclusive to the iPad is a customizable tab bar that promises to improve the Apple Music tablet experience.
iPadOS 18's new tab bar design is hit or miss
Apple is introducing a new tab bar design in iPadOS 18, and while it may not look very exciting, it's a more powerful change than you might expect.
Apple Music is a good example.
Apple's implementation of the new tab bar in its iPad apps has been hit or miss. Some apps, such as Apple Books, have actually taken a step back by abandoning the previous sidebar design. Others haven't used the new design at all.
Luckily, they're not entirely standard, and the Music app is a shining model for iPadOS apps to follow.
Because it offers a wide range of customization options.
Customize the Apple Music tab bar on iPad
The best example of iPadOS 18's new tab bar is the apps you can customize to your liking.
For example, in the Apple News app, you can add your most-read articles to your tab bar for quick access, as well as sections for saved stories, puzzles, and more, whatever is most important to you.
Adding these sections to your tab bar makes them easier to access.
Apple Music similarly offers great support for customization.
By default, the Music app's tab bar displays the standard options like “Home,” “New,” and “Search.”
But you can add more.
When you press and hold the floating tab bar in iPadOS 18, compatible sections in the sidebar will light up, and you can then drag those sections from the sidebar and drop them onto the tab bar.
For example, you can have all your different library sections in a tab bar, like so:
- Recently Added
- Artist
- album
- song
- Made for you
- Music Video
- Genre
- Already Downloaded
- others
Music tab bar playlists and folders
What I like about the Music app's tab bar is the ability to add individual playlists and playlist folders.
Do you have a favorite playlist that you watch over and over again? Or maybe you have several? You can add it to your tab bar for quick access.
You can also add playlist folders, which can only be created on your Mac but carry over to your iPad. The tab bar can get cluttered quickly with too many playlists, but folders are a great way to organize your favorites and access them quickly.
Apple Music's tab bar implementation in iPadOS 18 sets a standard, and we'll hopefully see other Apple apps follow suit.
What do you think of the Music app's new tab bar? How do you customize it? Let us know in the comments.
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