November
iPadOS 26.1
iPadOS 26.1 ended up being notable for iPad users, not just because it continued to refine the new design, but because Apple brought back Slide Over. Well, not exactly the same Slide Over. The Slide Over stack is gone….you can only have a single app in Slide Over at any given time. However, that app can be any app, even if it doesn’t resize or multitask. That’s kind of fun.
It’s possible Apple had always planned to re-add Slide Over, but I like to think this was the company taking in feedback during the beta period and prioritizing the biggest pain points of the community.
Oh, other stuff happened in this release too.
December
iPadOS 26.2
iPadOS 26.2 further refined multitasking, restoring drag-and-drop Split View and Slide Over. Behavior isn’t identical to previous versions; closing a Split View no longer returns an app to full screen; but at this point, these feel like manageable quirks rather than deal-breakers.
Red Dead Redemption Releases on iPad
December also saw the release of a full port of Red Dead Redemption on iPadOS and iOS. It supports both touch and controller input and is available via Netflix or as a standalone purchase.
Closing thoughts
2025 brought some genuinely meaningful enhancements to iPad, both in hardware and software. Between faster performance and the bump to 128 GB of base storage, the iPad (A16) is quietly one of the best-value products Apple sells today. iPadOS 26 also levels up windowing and multitasking across the entire lineup, making it easier to do more with your tablet than ever before.
While I initially worried Apple might be losing sight of touch-first users, recent iPadOS 26 updates suggest the company is willing to course correct. As Apple looks ahead to 2026, I hope they continue refining these ideas without losing what makes the iPad special in the first place. It works best when it’s allowed to be an iPad, not a watered-down Mac.
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