Slack’s updated iPad app has a redesigned interface and new sidebar features

Slack has furnished its iPad app with a much-needed update. The highlight of the release is a redesigned interface that introduces a two-column layout to the app. If you’re already familiar with the desktop version of Slack, you know what to expect. You have access to a sidebar that allows you to quickly access different channels and direct messages, with the content of those conversations appearing in a separate right-hand pane. Slack suggests the layout makes it easier to multitask and stay productive.

Complementing the new layout are a handful of enhancements to the sidebar. For instance, you can now long-press on a channel to access a contextual menu that allows you to do things like copy a link to it. Slack has also made it so that your section preferences will sync between the desktop and iPad versions of the app, so your sidebar will stay consistent between devices. Lastly, the update features a few accessibility enhancements. As just one example, Slack has added improved support for Apple’s VoiceOver screen-reading feature.

The timing of the update could not have been better. This week, following a delay late last year, Apple released its new Universal Control feature. Once you installed iOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3 on your devices, you can use a single keyboard and mouse (or trackpad) to control your Mac and iPad at the same time. In that way, you can use your iPad as a kind of secondary display.