iPadOS 26 Makes Your Tablet More Powerful Than Ever

Apple’s WWDC 2025 event is here, and it’s a big one. For starters, Apple is moving away from software version numbers to something easier to follow: a unified naming system based on the year. With that in mind, the company just unveiled the new and improved iPadOS 26, which is packed with a complete visual overhaul, powerful new features, and much more.

Everything from your phone, watch, iPad, Mac, and even CarPlay is getting a complete visual overhaul with what Apple calls “Liquid Glass.” This new design is translucent and clean and adapts to content on the screen, controls, and more in real time. It’ll even reflect and refract the content, giving your iPad a more vibrant look.

And while we’ll be learning much more about Liquid Glass in the coming weeks, here’s what’s new about iPadOS 26.

iPadOS 26: What’s New

For iPadOS 26, Apple specifically mentions the design, windowing system, new Apple Intelligence features, more ways to work with files, the Preview and Journal apps are now on iPad, and computationally intensive Background Tasks on devices with Apple silicon. Plus, there’s an all-new Apple Games app. “iPadOS 26 makes our most versatile device even more capable,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering.

• Beautiful new Liquid Glass user interface
• A powerful and intuitive windowing system
• The Preview and Journal apps come to iPad
• More Apple Intelligence features
• Improved audio controls
• 3D graphing in the Calculator
• Ability to import and export notes into a markdown file
• New accessibility features and more.

Aside from the all-new Liquid Glass design, your iPad will get several powerful new features that’ll let you get more done, work faster, and take advantage of everything from resizable windows and Apple Intelligence.

The new windowing system is probably the biggest change and one of the most-requested updates for iPad owners. Now, you can finally run multiple apps and windows at once, easily resize app windows, and put them precisely where you want. Opening numerous windows in any way you see fit will take productivity to the next level.

Just like on a Mac, you can instantly open, resize, and minimize windows on the fly. Better yet, if you previously resized an app in iPadOS 26, it opens back in the same size and position the next time you use it. Additionally, this new intuitive windowing system works with Exposé and Stage Manager.

Go split screen, open five windows at once, or swipe down from the top of the display to access a new menu bar that makes it easy for iPad owners to access all the commands available for each specific app.

Apple Intelligence will bring live translation to FaceTime, new ways to create Genmoji with the power of ChatGPT, and more useful Shortcut features, including summarizing text with Writing Tools and creating images with Image Playground.

A Better Files App

iPadOS 26 will also introduce the world to a new and improved file system on the iPad. The new Files app has a slew of customization options that’ll make it easy to change the colors and icons, add emojis, and more to specific files, making it easier than ever to find what’s important. You can even use an updated list view to see more documents and files in resizable columns.

There’s also a new drag-and-drop system to put any folder from the Files app into the dock. Additionally, you can select the default app that’ll open specific file types.

And So Much More

While those are a few key changes, there’s so much new in iPadOS 26. Owners will love finally having the Preview and Journal apps on their iPad, as well as new audio features that add flexibility for input/output and recording. You can even choose different microphones for each app or individual websites, taking the audio experience to the next level.

iPadOS 26 will be available for the iPad 8th Gen (with the home button) and all newer models, but it looks like the 7th Gen base iPad is no longer supported. All of these features are available for testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program or the public beta next month. Otherwise, it’ll arrive as a free software update later this fall. At this point, they should just call it macOS.

Source: Apple Newsroom