Each year, Apple pulls back the curtain on its latest software innovations at its Worldwide Developer Conference, better known as WWDC. For iPad, the operating system is iPadOS and for this year, Apple has switched to a yearly-naming system across all its software meaning I’m talking about iPadOS 26 instead of iPadOS 19.

The new software for iPad stands alongside iOS 26 for iPhone, watchOS 26 for Apple Watch, macOS 26 Tahoe for Mac, and visionOS 26 for Vision Pro, and there are some very Mac-like features coming for Apple’s tablet with it. These are the most exciting features iPadOS 26 brings, and the iPad models that will support the new software.

Apple iPadOS 26

IMAGE CREDIT: APPLE

What new features will iPadOS 26 bring to iPad?

A fresh new look

Just like iOS 26 is bringing to iPhone, iPadOS 26 is bringing a fresh new look to iPad with something called Liquid Glass. This sees more translucent menus, controls, navigation, app icons and widgets, adding a more transparent layer over the top of content, similar to what VisionOS offers on Vision Pro. There have been some changes to icons too, with rounded edges that blend in better with the rounded corners of iPad.

Multitasking

There have been some big changes to iPad’s multitasking with iPadOS 26 too – finally! The new software will introduce a window system, similar to what you get on macOS.

You will be able to open and close apps as normal with the app using the full screen if that’s how you like to use iPad, but if you want more flexibility, there are grab handles in the bottom right of apps to resize them into windows.

You can then move them around wherever you want them on your screen, and layer other apps on top – just like you can on Mac. Traffic light controls similar to Mac will be available in the top left of app windows too and clicking and holding these will offer more tiling options – again, just like Mac. What’s slightly smarter for iPad however, is a flick of app windows will send them to the edge of your iPad to tile.

Menu bar on iPad

It isn’t just a window system that iPad has borrowed from Mac either. The new software also brings a menu bar at the top of your iPad screen with clear and labelled options that you can access with a quick swipe down from the top of your display.

Files

The Files app is getting some love with iPadOS 26 too, with the same folder customisation options as macOS – which means you can change folders to different colours. You can also choose a default app to open things with, like Photoshop for images, for example, and iPadOS 26 also allows you to add folders to your iPad dock.

Preview

Preview has long been an app on Mac, but with iPadOS 26, it comes to iPad. Like Mac, it will offer the ability to easily view and edit PDFs, and it will also include Apple Pencil mark up and autofill features. 

Apple iPadOS 26

IMAGE CREDIT: APPLE / THE DISCONNEKT

Background tasks

If you’re planning on doing some heavy duty tasks on your iPad, like exporting or downloading large files, iPadOS 26 will allow you to do this in the background so you can get on with other things while you wait.

Phone

With iPadOS 18, Apple brought the Calculator app to iPad and for iPadOS 26, it’s the Phone app that comes to iPad for the first time. The app will sync with your iPhone so all your recent calls will appear directly on your iPad, and there’s a neat new interface that will appear on the side so you can chat whilst getting on with other things.

Messages

There have been a number of upgrades to Messages on iPadOS 26, including the ability to add polls to group chats and different backgrounds to your messages. It will also be possible to screen new senders so you have more control over what messages appear in your conversation lists.

Apple Intelligence

Apple announced Apple Intelligence at WWDC24, and while there was less of a focus on it this year, that’s not to say it didn’t have its place. Rather than talking about it separately however, it’s in the background of a number of new features including Live Translation in apps like Messages, FaceTime and Phone, smarter Reminders and intelligent actions in Shortcuts.

Gaming

Just like iPhone with iOS 26, iPad gets a dedicated Games app with iPadOS 26. It will show you gaming recommendations tailored to you and you’ll get quick access to any game you have downloaded from the App Store. There will also be a dedicated tab for Apple Arcade.

Apple iPadOS 26

IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT

When will iPadOS 26 come out?

Apple has said iPadOS 26 will be available from “this fall” though it never specifies a specific date at WWDC. Usually the final build of the software lands around the same time the new iPhone models are announced, which is normally around mid-September.

For now, there’s no confirmed date for the release of iPadOS 26 but a public beta will be available from July so if you want to try the new features before the final build, you can sign up to the beta.

Which iPads will be compatible with iPadOS 26?

Apple is generally very good at supporting its older devices with the latest software. You normally get around seven years of support before models go on the chopping block.

For iPadOS 26, Apple will support all iPads released after 2018. That means the following models will be able to run iPadOS 26: