Apple claims iPadOS 26 is the most significant iPad update ever, and this time, it’s not an exaggeration. For the first time, Apple truly bridges the gap between the iPad as a simple, elegant tablet and as a powerful productivity device rivaling traditional computers.
A Game-Changing Multitasking Experience
Since the iPad’s 2010 launch, Apple has struggled to balance user-friendliness with professional-grade multitasking. iPadOS 16’s Stage Manager introduced windowed multitasking but was buggy, limited, and complicated. iPadOS 26 reinvents multitasking with a mature, Mac-like windowing system featuring:
- Toggle between full screen or multitasking mode. No more confusing “in-between” states. You pick either immersive full screen or flexible multi-window workspaces.
- Resizable and movable app windows you can place anywhere on screen, with fluid drag-and-drop between apps.
- Visual multi-window thumbnails accessible by swiping up — a quick way to find, organize, and switch between up to nine open app windows.
- Dock minimization lets you hide apps and restore them exactly where you left off.
- “Stoplight” window controls (red, yellow, green buttons) imported from macOS for closing, minimizing, or maximizing apps.
- A menu bar at the top, offering familiar File, Edit, Window menus that streamline app controls and reduce interface clutter.
These refinements create an iPad workspace that feels intuitive, powerful, and fluid, especially for power users leveraging the iPad’s growing horsepower. Even on smaller screens like the 11-inch iPad Pro, multitasking is smooth and practical, making Stage Manager’s complexity largely obsolete.
Beyond Multitasking: Other Notable Enhancements
- Liquid Glass Design: Subtle transparency effects and floating toolbars provide a modern look without sacrificing clarity or usability. Apple has balanced the feedback received during beta tests to keep UI elements accessible and familiar.
- Files App Improvements: Now more like macOS Finder with resizable columns, collapsible folders, dock shortcuts to favorite directories, and customizable folder colors and emojis.
- New Preview App: A robust tool for handling PDFs and images, replacing the older Files-integrated workflow and improving document management.
- Dedicated Phone App on iPad: Separates voice calls from FaceTime to better sync calls and voicemail with your iPhone, improving communication workflows.
- Messages App Updates: Enhanced spam filtering, unknown sender detection, and conversation backgrounds add polish and safety for message management.
- Apple Intelligence Features: Including Live Translation powered on-device across Messages, Phone, and FaceTime for real-time multilingual communication.
Stability and Beta Experience
Public betas feel stable but not perfect, with occasional app crashes and UI inconsistencies, especially with third-party apps not yet fully optimized. Users should expect minor stutters and quirks but overall a markedly improved multitasking experience that’s worth trying on secondary devices or with appropriate backups.
iPadOS 26 delivers the most meaningful multitasking upgrade in the iPad’s history, blending powerful macOS-inspired window management with the simplicity the iPad is known for. Along with design polish, new apps, and smarter AI features, Apple is pushing the iPad closer to a true laptop alternative without abandoning its tablet roots.
This update promises a far more flexible and productive iPad experience that should satisfy longtime users craving deeper multitasking without sacrificing ease of use. The public beta is available now for compatible iPads, with the full release expected this fall.
If you want to explore Apple’s iPadOS 26 multitasking firsthand, make sure to back up your device and install the public beta via the Apple Beta Software Program. The update is a pivotal step towards an iPad that works as hard as you do.