iOS 9.3 for iPad adds multi-user support for students, new Classroom app

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in iPad
The forthcoming release of iOS 9.3 will add a number of new iPad features focused on the education market, including multi-user support and a new dedicated Classroom app.




Alongside the release of iOS 9.3 beta 1 on Monday, Apple published a new website previewing education features from the upcoming software update. Most notably, iOS 9.3 boasts a new feature called "Shared iPad," which allows a student to log in on any iPad and access their personal content.

"As soon as students log in to an iPad, they have access to all their apps, books, and documents. So when class is ready to start, they are, too," Apple's site reads.

Shared iPad features intelligent caching, which allows students to instantly access their content once they log in, with no need to wait on downloads. It also includes a feature called "Photo ID," which displays a student's picture on the iPad they have been using, making it easier to find their personal device.

Apple also includes a simpler login for younger students, with just a four-digit PIN on the lock screen.




iOS 9.3 also includes a new Classroom app, which gives a number of capabilities to teachers. With Classroom, teachers can launch everyone's apps at the same time, and then guide what students are looking at on their devices.

The Classroom app also includes "Screen View," which gives teachers the ability to glance at any student's screen and see how they are doing on an assignment. Teachers can also project a student's work on a television equipped with Apple TV, and forgotten passwords can be reset right in the classroom.

Another new feature is dubbed Apple School Manager. It's one central place for administrators to create Apple IDs, build courses, and access everything they need to deploy iPads in the classroom, and it can be configured from a Web browser on a Mac or PC.

Apple School Manager makes it easy to make volume purchases of books and apps. It also includes the ability to find devices a district has purchased through Apple or a reseller.

Finally, Apple is also introducing Managed Apple IDs with iOS 9.3. With this, accounts can be used to store documents in iCloud, enroll in iTunes U courses and more.

Because Managed Apple IDs are designed specifically for schools, administrators can easily reset passwords, audit accounts, create IDs in bulk, and create customized roles for everyone in the district.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20
    LOL, I literally just posted this in the other article.

    Apple needs to bring this to regular users, not just education. Having multiple users would be a great idea.
    lukeitechlovernoivadSpamSandwich
  • Reply 2 of 20
    LOL, I literally just posted this in the other article.

    Apple needs to bring this to regular users, not just education. Having multiple users would be a great idea.
    I was just about to post this also...
  • Reply 3 of 20
    JinTechJinTech Posts: 1,057member
    I think this is proof that we will see multi-user support in iOS 10.
    SpamSandwich
  • Reply 4 of 20
    sog35 said:
    LOL, I literally just posted this in the other article.

    Apple needs to bring this to regular users, not just education. Having multiple users would be a great idea.
    Why? Are you hiding something from other users honey?
    Exactly, wasting time on this takes away Tim Cook from rebuking crazy rumors for WallStreet.
    nolamacguysingularity
  • Reply 5 of 20
    JinTech said:
    I think this is proof that we will see multi-user support in iOS 10.
    Yep. And I wonder what all those here who said Apple couldn't or wouldn't do it will say. Just like the ones who said 1GB was fine and anything else would just allow developers to write crappy apps.
  • Reply 6 of 20
    jdgazjdgaz Posts: 407member
    Soon to be called the We-Pad.
    lito_lupenagtr[Deleted User]
  • Reply 7 of 20
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member

    Apple needs to bring this to regular users, not just education. Having multiple users would be a great idea.
    I don't understand, why wouldn't this be available to the home user as well?
  • Reply 8 of 20
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    I would love for them to add multiuser support for the new Apple TV.
    friedmudSpamSandwich
  • Reply 9 of 20
    JinTech said:
    I think this is proof that we will see multi-user support in iOS 10.
    Yep. And I wonder what all those here who said Apple couldn't or wouldn't do it will say. Just like the ones who said 1GB was fine and anything else would just allow developers to write crappy apps.
    1 GB was fine on the iPhone, less of an issue than on iPads because of the natural tendency to have fewer tabs on a small screen. i dont recall saying anything about multiuser being bad; in fact it would be nice.
  • Reply 10 of 20
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,056member
    LOL, I literally just posted this in the other article.

    Apple needs to bring this to regular users, not just education. Having multiple users would be a great idea.
    iPad is personal device for regular consumers. Why would Apple want to do that? 
  • Reply 11 of 20
    noivadnoivad Posts: 186member
    sog35 said:
    LOL, I literally just posted this in the other article.

    Apple needs to bring this to regular users, not just education. Having multiple users would be a great idea.
    Why? Are you hiding something from other users honey?
    The reason many users want this is not because they are hiding anything. It is because devices like iPads lend themselves to multiple family/household members using them. With everyone having different preferences for App Home rows & not wanting to wade through other’s apps to find their own, or—even worse—have others to accidentally purchase things charged to their account, it makes perfect sense. Aside from that, there is security to consider: with full access to a device, any deletion affects all users, not just the logged in user. These are most of reasons OS X and Windows has had multiple logins for decades. While iPads & iPhones are probably less often shared, they are shared enough to have stories popping up of kids racking up tons in charges because their parents allowed them unrestricted access to their iDevice & App Store Account.

    Having this will allow parents and others to share devices without worrying about their kids or others racking up bills, deleting apps & their associated files & access data they shouldn’t have. I realize most people will not bother to do this, but for those that would use it and if Apple rolled this out with free in-store setup, I’m sure we’d be less likely to hear “my kid got a hold of my iPad & now my iCloud contacts are gone” horror stories. As I always say, “Options are a good thing.” Pointless negativity does nothing to move computing forward, BTW.
    edited January 2016 gregoriusm
  • Reply 12 of 20
    leighrleighr Posts: 256member
    I would imagine that a lot of these features will only be available to iPads that are in "managed" mode - which is how schools currently administer iPads using Apple or third party software. As such, the multi-user modes won't available to non-managed devices. The features look fantastic through, and are exactly what schools need, to allow students to use iPads more simply, and for teachers and IT staff to monitor and manage student-use more effectively. Looking forward to seeing it in action. 
  • Reply 13 of 20
    About friggin time. Apple's education platform is way behind Google
  • Reply 14 of 20
    linkmanlinkman Posts: 1,046member
    sog35 said:
    LOL, I literally just posted this in the other article.

    Apple needs to bring this to regular users, not just education. Having multiple users would be a great idea.
    Why? Are you hiding something from other users honey?
    Keeping my settings from being mangled by my kids, keeping my emails from the same, preventing the desktop picture from being changed to something from Hello Kitty, etc. It would be 10x worse on a Mac if separate accounts were not possible -- all of the family members like different settings. The kids prefer Chrome as the default browser vs. my Safari, everyone prefers trackpad tap to click where I prefer the "regular" click, one of them likes the reverse iPhone-like scrolling gesture, I like a 24 hour time clock, and so on.
  • Reply 15 of 20
    leighrleighr Posts: 256member
    About friggin time. Apple's education platform is way behind Google
    LOL! That's a good one!!!
  • Reply 16 of 20
    JinTech said:
    I think this is proof that we will see multi-user support in iOS 10.
    Perhaps, but it would hurt their iPad sales figures. A lot of families would suffice with fewer iPads then. We have iPhones and iPads all over the house. And I, for sure, would cut that down to one good iPhone each, and then one common iPad. Apple knows this very well.    …Also, why introduce "secure notes" at this stage if multi-user support was around the corner?
    edited January 2016
  • Reply 17 of 20
    JinTech said:
    I think this is proof that we will see multi-user support in iOS 10.
    Perhaps, but it would hurt their iPad sales figures. A lot of families would suffice with fewer iPads then. We have iPhones and iPads all over the house. And I, for sure, would cut that down to one good iPhone each, and then one common iPad. Apple knows this very well.    …Also, why introduce "secure notes" at this stage if multi-user support was around the corner?
    Multiuser support in iOS 10 is wishful thinking though I'd love to see it. iPad sales are hurting now, I can't see Apple accelerating that trend. Apple by nature overthinks financial ramifications to the detriment of their end products; their products are always badly feature compromised because of this (think 16GB iPhone/iPads, soldered RAM, lack of high end CPU in Mac Mini, etc).
  • Reply 18 of 20
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    Perhaps, but it would hurt their iPad sales figures. A lot of families would suffice with fewer iPads then. We have iPhones and iPads all over the house. And I, for sure, would cut that down to one good iPhone each, and then one common iPad. Apple knows this very well.    …Also, why introduce "secure notes" at this stage if multi-user support was around the corner?
    Again, how many families are opting for Android devices now because they can only afford one tablet for their family, and Android already offers multiple user accounts?

    Until we know the answer to this question, there's no way to know exactly how Apple will approach this. The reality is for families that can afford it, they will handily buy an iPad for every family member. They make great presents for the kid who has everything. Plus, it keeps their grubby paws off Dad's iPad. And, for those times when Dad has no choice but to relinquish his iPad, the peace of mind that he can lock his kids and spouse out of his stuff, and prevent them possibly screwing up his preferences and files is priceless.

    In fact, I can imagine many a parent who would gladly embrace that on their iPhone's as well. THat's also a way to push Watches too ... give your iPhone to your kid logged in under his account, but your Watch continues to communicate with your account running in the BG. That's win win.
  • Reply 19 of 20
    technotechno Posts: 737member
    mac_128 said:

    Apple needs to bring this to regular users, not just education. Having multiple users would be a great idea.
    I don't understand, why wouldn't this be available to the home user as well?
    I can imagine it might cause a family to buy less iPads. Why buy one for each member of the house if we can all share one? So I am sure Apple is thinking of that.
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