After its WWDC 2025 occasion, Apple described its upcoming iPadOS 26 replace as “the most important iPadOS launch ever.” This doesn’t appear to be it’s only a self-aggrandizing exaggeration, although — iPadOS 26 may really change the way in which we take into consideration the utility of a fifteen-year-old product that has lengthy felt like an outsized iPhone designed for a cyclops.
The new OS brings us multi-tasking instruments, a brand new windowing system, and the Preview app, which can not sound as alluring as “Liquid Glass.” But in the event you’ve ever tried to have a productive work day by way of iPad, then this information is extra thrilling than Sabrina Carpenter’s new album announcement (and that’s not simply because her new tune was kinda mid).
As it stands now, you possibly can solely have two home windows open without delay on the iPad, and navigating between the 2 home windows is form of a nightmare. If you’re attempting to write down an e mail whereas additionally taking a look at your calendar to verify that you just’re giving your coworker an excellent time to name you, then you definately’ll most likely be toggling the 2 home windows forwards and backwards, struggling to see the entire related info. It’s form of a large number, and a giant motive why I by no means work on my iPad (regardless of having spent over $100 on Logitech’s removable keyboard…)
If I’ve to seek advice from any sources throughout the writing course of — whether or not that be a press launch, interview notes, an e mail, a analysis paper, or, god forbid, the entire above — then I’d as effectively simply pull my telephone out as a second tiny display. Let’s simply say, it isn’t essentially the most user-friendly expertise.
With the brand new window controls in iPadOS 26, you possibly can see your entire open home windows without delay, then tile them intuitively that will help you multitask. These window controls are additionally suitable with Stage Manager, which helps you to arrange your home windows into particular environments. As a outcome, iPadOS is eradicating its older multitasking options, Split View and Slide Over.
Meanwhile, the iPad’s new Preview app makes it potential to edit and examine PDFs natively, together with options like AutoFill and Apple Pencil compatibility.
Like Mac merchandise, iPad apps will now get a menu bar, which makes it simpler to find particular instructions or options inside an app. Developers even have entry to customizing the menu bar in their very own apps.
And in the event you usually work with folders, you possibly can pin them to your dock, reasonably than navigating via a clunky Files app.
There’s extra to the brand new OS than these quality-of-life options (which, frankly, may’ve been shipped some time in the past). Given the computing energy of Apple’s silicon chips, iPadOS 26 can carry out high-intensity background duties like exporting a video, permitting you to maintain working whereas ready for the export to finish.
The iPad will develop into helpful, specifically, to podcasters, video editors, content material creators, or anybody who works in multimedia. In one other new function — which shouldn’t really feel as novel because it does — you possibly can select a selected audio enter for any app or web site.
Even higher, the iPad is getting an area seize function, which helps you to document your video calls from any conferencing app, then entry audio and video information afterwards.
The iPad could not match a MacGuide in relation to general utility. But possibly, hypothetically, your company-issued laptop computer is a 16″ MacGuide Pro that weighs nearly 5 kilos and is simply too giant to make use of on an airplane or prepare with out discomfort (please, go forward and play the world’s smallest violin for me). And possibly, maybe, you’ve a job that brings you to a number of conferences yearly, the place you stroll miles a day throughout huge conference facilities whereas lugging round a laptop computer to write down articles as information breaks.
In that case, the flexibility to tote round an iPad and nonetheless get work carried out goes to be a recreation changer — and a aid for again ache.
