iPadOS 26 review: Is the update worth it?

Like iOS 26, iPadOS 26 also uses Apple’s new Liquid Glass design for a shinier and more transparent surface. However, Liquid Glass isn’t the biggest change Apple has made to the iPad’s software. Multitasking has finally received the much-needed overhaul and now allows you to use an iPad like a Mac or MacBook. MacRumors did the test.

iPadOS 26 test

In iPadOS 26, iPad windows work like Mac windows. You can open multiple app windows, move them around the display, and layer them if you like. You can place them virtually anywhere.

Some older iPads are limited to four open app windows at a time. However, with a newer model, you can open multiple apps at once and switch between them with a tap. Every iPad with iPadOS 26 can use the new multitasking features to a certain extent.

The updated windowing feature is optional. So, when installing iPadOS 26, you can decide whether you want to use apps in full-screen mode or multitasking mode. It’s great that iPadOS 26 users can now take advantage of this. Macs finally have this option, and the window system is a significantly better solution than Slide Over and Split View multitasking.

If you want to enable the window feature and then disable it later, simply swipe down to the Control Center and press the new switch.

iPadOS 26 with Stage Manager but without Slide Over and Split View

Speaking of Slide Over and Split View: They’re no longer available. The Stage Manager is still available. So if you use it in your iPad workflow to group different apps and change workspaces, it will still be available to you.

Window resizing in iPadOS 26 is easy. There’s a small handle in the lower right corner of each window. Tap and drag it to resize the open window. You can open additional apps via the Dock or by tapping the home screen.

To move an open app window, drag it from the menu bar at the top. This is also new. Apps on the iPad have Mac-like menu bars with relevant in-app options. Note, however, that third-party developers will need to update their apps to use this feature. You can close, minimize, or view an app in full screen mode using the traffic light buttons in the top left corner of any iPad window, which are directly adapted from the Mac.

Long-pressing these buttons will display various options for moving, resizing, and arranging your open windows. You can move apps up, down, left, or right on the display, or choose one of the tile options to display up to four apps clearly.

The dock has an app media library with which you can easily access all apps installed on your iPad. If you wipe up from the bottom of the iPad display, your open windows will be moved to the side in a new exposé view so that you can clearly see everything open.

To give the whole thing a Mac-like touch, Apple has transformed the cursor of the iPad into an arrow. So if you use a peripheral device like the trackpad of the Magic Keyboard, the cursor now looks like on the Mac.

If you don’t want to use any of these multitasking functions and would rather display iPad apps in full screen mode, you can simply continue to use the iPad as usual.

Other functions:

In addition to multitasking, iPados 26 offers other useful functions that are worth mentioning.

• Files – The iPad files app has a list view in Mac style, so that as before, you do not have to display everything in a tiled view. Columns are adaptable in size and folders can be adapted with colors and emojis. This is a nice innovation if you use the files app regularly. Especially for experienced users, the option of selecting a standard app for a specific file type should be an advantage.
• Background tasks – If you download a large file, export a large video file or do similar, time -consuming tasks, you can now do it in the background. When exporting an FCP video you can start the process, open another app and track the progress over a live activity interface.
• Telephone app – iPados 26 brings the telephone app to the iPad. It works via WLAN calls on a iPhone, which is linked to its Apple account. For many users, this can probably only be used to a limited extent, but it is practical to be able to make calls from the iPad. Tools such as adjacent filing, live translation and holding assistant work on the iPad

There are other useful and/or fun features on the iPad that are new in iPadOS 26. However, almost all of the other features are also included in iOS 26 and available on the iPhone. We’ve uploaded an iOS 26 review, discussing the new features in Messages, Apple Music, Photos, Camera, and more.

Availability

iPadOS 26 is available to developers and, as of this week, to public beta testers. It was released on Thursday. To get it, all you need to do is sign up on Apple’s beta testing website.

Should you update on iPados 26?

iPados 26 is relatively stable, so the update should be safe. Before the upgrade, create a backup if you have to return to Ipados 18. If you use your iPad professionally or for other important purposes, you should possibly still wait. This is a beta version. The software runs flawlessly, but beta versions can contain errors that are not remedied immediately.