Update: 12/17/25: iPadOS 26.3 Public Beta 1 is now available.

Apple has released iPadOS 26.3 beta 1 to developers, continuing its refinement cycle for iPadOS 26. This release appears to focus primarily on under-the-hood improvements but there are a couple of very small tweaks and improvements worth mentioning.

What’s New in iPadOS 26.3 Beta 1

Per Apple’s developer portal, there are no new release notes for this version.

System Level Changes

Notification Forwarding (maybe)

iPhone users in the European Union will soon have the option for notification fowarding for 3rd party wearable devices. This new feature falls under Apple’s requirments under the DMA for better interoperabilty with non-Apple devices. In beta 1, this option is available for all users, but will likely be restricted or removed entirely for users outside of the EU.

This inclusion of this feature in iPadOS 26.3 is kind of interesting, assuming its not a fluke. Famously, the Apple Watch and the iPad have very little direct integration outside of some level of Handoff support. It would be interesting to see if third party wearable devices (in the EU) end up having better integration with the iPad than Apple’s own smartwatch.

Android Device Transfer Improvements

A feature that likely is also DMA related is improvements to how you can transfer data between iOS/iPadOS devices and Android devices. Navigate to Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPad, and you’ll find a new option at the bottom of the page, “Transfer to Android”

Per the text on the screen, putting your Android device next to your iPad will allow the devices to establish a connection and transfer data from the iPad to your Android device (presumably a tablet, but maybe this works with a phone as well? 🤔)

App-Specific Updates

N/A for this beta

When Will iPadOS 26.3 Be Released?

Based on Apple’s typical release cadence, iPadOS 26.3 is likely to be released publicly in mid-to-late January.