Note:  This post should have gone up last week, but between WWDC last week and going on vacation, there just wasn’t time. Sorry!

iPadOS 26 is shaping up to be one of the most meaningful iPad updates we’ve seen in a long time. Whether you use an iPad as your main computer, or just use it for specific tasks, this is a huge update across the board.

This post is a companion to my first look video on YouTube, where I walk through the biggest new features in action.

Here are the big high-level features in iPadOS 26 covered in this video:

Liquid Glass Design

Apple has introduced a new design language across all of its operating systems, and they’re calling it Liquid Glass. It adds a variety of translucent, glassy effects and dynamic styling to UI elements. These elements respond to motion and interaction in a more fluid and responsive way than before, especially on more powerful iPads.

Improved Window Management

App windows in iPadOS now include the familiar macOS-style traffic light buttons in the upper-left corner, making it easier to close, minimize, or maximize windows.

This release also brings over window tiling from macOS, letting you arrange apps into more complex workspaces without the previous limitations.

Revamped Multitasking

Taking another page from the Mac, Apple has completely rethought multitasking and window management in iPadOS. The window architecture has been rewritten from the ground up, and for the first time, all iPads running iPadOS 26 will share the same multitasking model.

There are now three distinct multitasking modes:

• Full Screen Apps: This mode resembles the classic iPad experience but removes Split View and Slide Over. It’s the simplest, most focused mode, and likely the best default for casual users.
• Windowed Apps: This mode allows for fully resizable and overlapping windows with no four-app limit. It’s a much more flexible and desktop-like experience.
• Stage Manager: The old windowing system has gotten a big upgrade. It now supports everything Windowed Apps can do, while retaining the app grouping behavior that some users really liked. The four-app limit is gone here too.

New Apps

Journal: One of the more baffling omissions the past couple of years has been the lack of Apple’s Journal app on iPad. With Apple Pencil and a larger canvas, the iPad is a natural fit for journaling. iPadOS 26 finally brings Journal to iPad with an optimized interface and Apple Pencil support.

Games: The new Games app is a central hub to view and manage your installed games, and discover new ones. It also brings Game Center features like challenges and friend activity into a dedicated, easily accessible interface.

Phone: The Phone app gets a redesign on iOS, and as part of that effort, it’s coming to iPadOS as well. I’ve been wanting this for a while…placing calls through FaceTime has never been a great experience. Now, you get a full-fledged Phone app with support for Contact Posters, Call Screening, and more.

Conclusion

iPadOS 26 is available today as a developer beta, with a public beta coming in July, and a full release scheduled for the fall. There’s a lot more to explore here, and I’ll be diving deeper over the summer, so stay tuned to Slatepad.org and the SlatePad YouTube channel for more coverage.