Apple announced iPadOS 26 during the keynote address of its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025 on Monday. Called as the “biggest iPadOS release ever”, the new iPad operating system update introduces a visual revamp in line with the new Liquid Glass design language. The Cupertino-based tech giant has focussed on increasing productivity on the iPad with iPadOS 26, courtesy of features like a new windowing system, audio input selection, window tiling, new menu bar, improvements to Files app, and a new Preview app.
iPadOS 26 Compatible Models
As per Apple, iPadOS 26 will be available as a free software update for the following models:
- iPad Pro (M4)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later)
- iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later)
- iPad Air (M2 and later)
- iPad Air (3rd generation and later)
- iPad (A16)
- iPad (8th generation and later)
- iPad mini (A17 Pro)
- iPad mini (5th generation and later)
Registered Apple Developers can download the developer beta update starting today, with public beta availability starting next month.
Announcing the update, Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering at Apple said, “iPadOS 26 is our biggest iPadOS release ever, with powerful features that take the experience to the next level and transform what users can do on iPad”.
Similar to the visual changes in iOS 26, iPadOS 26 brings a new user interface design crafted with Liquid Glass. There are new ways to personalise the home and lock screens, with updated app icons, new light and dark tints, and a new clear look. Updated controls and navigation extend have also been introduced for Mail, Safari, Apple TV, Apple Music, and more apps.
New Productivity Features in iPadOS 26
As per the company, iPadOS 26 offers a new windowing system that lets users resize app windows, place them anywhere on the screen, and open more windows simultaneously. Following the update, they can control, organise, and switch between app windows more efficiently than before using close, minimise, resize, tile, and other familiar controls.
Photo Credit: Apple
Window tiling takes advantage of iPad’s capabilities by allowing an app to be reopened in the exact size and spot as the previous instance. Meanwhile, the new Expose feature opens and spreads all of the windows at once for easy switching.
Apple says this new windowing system works with Stage Manager, and even with an external display. Notably, the iPadOS 26 update carries the same Apple Intelligence features which the Cupertino-based tech giant announced for the iPhone. You can read all about them here.
Another feature in iPadOS 26 is a new menu bar that provides access to an app’s commands via a simple swipe down gesture. Alternatively, users can also move their cursor at the top for the same. It lets them find a specific feature via the new search option, while developers can also customise their menu bar to suit their apps and needs.
Photo Credit: Apple
The Files app has been overhauled and now comes with an updated List view, enabling users to see more details in the form of resizable columns and collapsible folders. It also has folder customisation options including custom colours, icons, and emojis, which are synced across Apple devices. With iPadOS 26, you can drag any folder from the Files app to the Dock.
In addition to improving existing features, Apple has introduced a new Preview app for the iPad. It serves as a dedicated platform for drawing quick sketches, as well as viewing, editing, and marking up PDFs and images with touch or Apple Pencil. It also lets them quickly fill out forms using Auto Fill.
Photo Credit: Apple
Lastly, users can now run computationally-intensive Background Tasks with iPadOS 26. It will show up with Live Activities when a long-running process is started in an app, providing a clear view of what’s running. Further, developers can leverage the updated Background Tasks API to integrate this capability in their apps too.
