The iPad is getting a big refresh this year: Apple just announced the new version of iPadOS, its tablet operating system, at WWDC. (The keynote is still going, actually; Apple dropped its press releases before they were technically announced in the virtual event.) The flagship feature is a new windowing system for multitasking across apps, but there’s also a new Files app, more Apple Intelligence features, and a Mac-like Preview app for looking at and editing PDFs.
As usual, the new iPadOS has a lot in common with the new iOS, including the new Vision Pro-inspired visual language called “Liquid Glass.” The updated name also follows Apple’s overall scheme, switching from version numbers to years. The iPad tends to differ in its approach to multitasking, how you move between apps, and around the operating system. With iPadOS 26 that difference is more stark than ever: Apple says it will let you “fluidly resize app windows” and place windows anywhere you want on the screen. The windowing system can be used inside of Stage Manager, too, and works across displays.
In another Mac-like turn of events, the iPad now also has a menu bar that you can access by swiping down from the top of display, which will show various controls for the app you’re looking at.
The iPad has always straddled the Mac and iPhone, and there are arguments that it should be more like one or the other rather than squarely in the middle. The rumors ahead of this year’s WWDC seemed to suggest a more Mac-centric take, including that Apple would add a permanent menu bar to the top of the screen.
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