Apple today announced that its iWork suite of apps for iOS will be updated next week with enhanced Apple Pencil integration. Keynote, for example, will gain new animation options that let users draw an animation path for any object, and an all-new user interface for implementing build effects such as move, rotate, and scale.

Keynote 2019
iWork apps for iPhone and iPad include Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. All three apps are available for free on the App Store.

Other new features will include the ability to create and share animated GIFs by exporting one or more slides in Keynote on iOS and macOS, add vertical text in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages to the body of Pages documents on iOS, increase max zoom to 400 percent in Numbers on iOS, and more.

All three iWork apps for iOS will also gain:

  • Improvements to collaboration: edit grouped objects while collaborating. Maximum file size has increased to 2GB.

  • Save and sync shapes, templates, and themes: save custom shapes, templates, and themes on iOS. These will sync across macOS and iOS devices using iCloud.

  • Image placeholders: create image placeholders to replace images without affecting the formatting of your page, slide, or spreadsheet.

The news was shared alongside the launch of new iPad mini and iPad Air models today.

Related Forum: iPad Accessories

Top Rated Comments

sracer Avatar
79 months ago
As a fan and heavy user of iWork (on macOS and iOS) I look forward to any updates. Now please, please add back full support for linked text boxes as they worked in iWork '09.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BWhaler Avatar
79 months ago
Can’t wait.

I love iWork. Use it against the enterprise norms and it’s still worth the workarounds and scolding from colleagues.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ELman Avatar
79 months ago
Writing to text would be nice.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sracer Avatar
79 months ago
Totally serious question... What's the use-case here? Why would I want to go from page 3 to page 1? Some kind of funky, foldable brochure?
Exactly...brochures, bulletins, and newsletters. (though that use case describes PocketMods which IS funky and foldable).

A simple booklet using Letter (or A4) page in landscape folded in half (horizontally). To get things to flow easily, I set up block#1 on the right side of page 1, block#2 on the left size of page 2, block#3 on the right size of page 2, and block#4 on the left side of page 1.

I also have some extensive books (40+ pages) for seminars using that technique. The text boxes are linked in a double-helix format so that the half-pages get displayed in correct order when printed, folded, and stapled.

I have both iWork 09 and the latest version of iWork installed on my iMac and Macbook Air. For those situations where I need the full-featured linked text boxes, I fire up Pages '09 and can whip out a printable document with ease.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TJGilbert21 Avatar
79 months ago
This is absolutely incredible news. I love iWork and have used Pages, Numbers, and Keynote since their inception, but the one very important feature that has always been lacking for me has been vertical text input in Japanese (and other languages). Text Edit has always been able to do vertical text input, so it has mystified me why Apple couldn't integrate it into Pages.

I wonder where MacRumors found out that they would be adding vertical text input? It's not written in the press release... And it'd be weird if only iWork for iOS got this feature as this article seems to imply. I'll need it on Mac too.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Enclavean Avatar
79 months ago
I use pages when taking typed notes, the smart annotations is a game changer that no other app has
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Tuesday March 25, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing. Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1. Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...
ios 19 messages app

Here's What Apple's iOS 19 Messages App Might Look Like

Tuesday March 25, 2025 11:52 am PDT by
Leaker Jon Prosser today shared a mockup of what he says the Messages app will look like in iOS 19, demoing an interface with rounded, translucent bubble-shaped navigation buttons at the top and softer, rounder corners for the keyboard and word suggestions. Jon Prosser's Messages app mockup The return button, a button for going back to the Messages list, and the FaceTime button have a deeper...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

Thursday March 20, 2025 12:01 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month. In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone ...
airpods max 2024 colors

Don't Buy Into Apple's Hype About AirPods Max Gaining Lossless Audio

Monday March 24, 2025 4:24 pm PDT by
Apple today announced that AirPods Max with a USB-C port will be gaining support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio with a firmware update next month, alongside the release of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4. For context, audio files are typically compressed to keep file sizes smaller. There are lossy compression standards like MP3 and AAC (Advanced Audio Codec), which...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

Gurman: Jon Prosser's iOS 19 Mockups 'Aren't Representative' of Redesign

Tuesday March 25, 2025 4:47 pm PDT by
The iOS 19 mockup images that leaker Jon Prosser shared today are not representative of the actual iOS 19 design, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on social media. According to Gurman, the images that are "floating around" are based on "very old builds" or "vague descriptions," and are lacking key features. Gurman says that we can "expect more from Apple in June." Gurman made the same comment ...
Apple Lumon Terminal Pro

Apple's Mac Site Features Fictional 'Lumon Terminal Pro'

Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site. The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...
macbook pro blue green

When Will Apple Release the M5 MacBook Pro?

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall. Design There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...