Skip to main content
X

Send us a Topic or Tip

Have a suggestion for the blog? Perhaps a topic you'd like us to write about? If so, we'd love to hear from you! Fancy yourself a writer and have a tech tip, handy computer trick, or "how to" to share? Let us know what you'd like to contribute!

Thanks for reaching out!

A Stunning New Look and Feel: iPadOS 26 Design Overhaul Makes iPad More Mac-like Than Ever

Apple has announced iPadOS 26, representing a major design overhaul for Apple’s tablet, one composed of features that countless users have been requesting for years. The update aims to make the experience of using an iPad more focused, but more importantly, more productive.

Yes, Apple is rolling out its new “Liquid Glass” software design language in this next release of iPad OS, but the biggest enhancements include a new windowing system, menu bar, the debut of the Preview app, an a lot more Mac goodness.

Let’s dig into everything new coming in iPadOS 26.

Liquid Glass Design Refresh

Liquid Glass is described as “a new translucent material that reflects and refracts its surroundings, bringing greater focus to content, and delivering a new level of vitality across controls, navigation, app icons, widgets, and more.” You can read more about the design philosophy behind Liquid Glass and how it will span across every Apple operating system and device here.

On iPad, personalization gets a boost with updated app icons that come to life in light or dark appearances, colorful new light and dark tints, and an “elegant new clear look” for the Home Screen. These updated controls and navigation elements extend into core apps like Mail, Safari, Apple TV, and Apple Music, forming a cohesive and modern feel across the system.

Multitasking Unleashed: The Revolutionary New Windowing System

Perhaps the most game-changing aspect of iPadOS 26 is its “entirely new powerful and intuitive windowing system.” This will extend Mac-like windowing functionality to the iPad and should be a massive leap forward for productivity.

Users will now be able to fluidly resize app windows, place them exactly where desired, and open even more windows simultaneously. Familiar window controls for closing, minimizing, resizing, and tiling windows are all present, making the experience intuitive for those accustomed to desktop environments like the Mac.

A new “Window tiling” feature, designed specifically for the iPad, allows users to arrange windows with a simple flick. Apps will also remember their size and position, reopening exactly as they were left. For managing multiple open windows, Exposé makes its welcome debut on iPad, spreading out all open windows for easy switching.

Furthermore, a new menu bar provides access to app commands with a swipe down from the top of the display or by moving the cursor to the top. This menu bar also includes a search function to quickly find features or tips within an app, and developers can customize it for their own applications. This comprehensive windowing system works seamlessly with Stage Manager and offers enhanced support for external displays, expanding the iPad’s workspace.

This collection of features—flexible windowing, persistent states, Exposé, and robust external display support—represents Apple’s most significant effort to date to position the iPad as a viable primary computer for those with complex, multi-app workflows. It fundamentally alters the iPad’s operational paradigm, moving it beyond the more restrictive multitasking of the past and making accessories like keyboards, trackpads, and OWC docks for external displays even more valuable.

Apple Intelligence Gets Smarter on iPad

Apple Intelligence, the company’s personal intelligence system focused on helpfulness and privacy, becomes more capable and deeply integrated in iPadOS 26.

Key AI-powered enhancements include:

  • Live Translation: This feature enables seamless communication across languages within Phone, FaceTime, and Messages. In Messages, incoming texts (including group chats) are automatically translated. During FaceTime calls, users see translated live captions while still hearing the speaker’s voice. For phone calls, the translation is spoken aloud. Supported languages for Messages include English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, and Chinese (simplified), with slightly different language sets for Phone and FaceTime calls.
  • Genmoji: Users can now create personalized Genmoji by starting with existing emoji and descriptions, modifying attributes like hair length or accessories, and selecting expressions.
  • Image Playground: This tool offers more control over personal attributes and expressions in image creation. It also introduces brand-new styles with ChatGPT integration, like an oil painting style for a Contact Poster. Users can describe exactly what they want with an “Any Style” option, and Image Playground can even send a description or photo to ChatGPT to generate a unique image. Genmoji and Image Playground are initially available in several key languages including English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese.
  • Enhanced Shortcuts: New intelligent actions allow for more powerful shortcuts, such as summarizing text with Writing Tools or creating images with Image Playground. Users can also tap directly into Apple Intelligence models to provide responses that feed into their shortcuts, exemplified by a student creating a shortcut to compare lecture transcriptions with notes.

Powering Productivity: Files Upgrades and the Preview App Comes to iPad

iPadOS 26 brings substantial improvements to file management and document handling, addressing one of the most common pain points for professional iPad users.

The Files app receives a significant enhancement with an updated List view, allowing users to see more document details in resizable columns and collapsible folders.

Folder customization with custom colors, icons, and emoji (syncing across devices) makes organization more visual and intuitive. For quicker access, any folder can now be dragged from the Files app directly into the Dock. Crucially, users can now set a default app for opening specific files or file types.

A major new addition is the Preview app for iPad. This dedicated app has long been one of the Mac’s standout features and on iPad it will allow users to create quick sketches, and view, edit, and mark up PDFs and images using Apple Pencil or touch.

Preview integrates directly with the Files app, allowing easy access to all PDFs and images. Users can create empty pages for drawing, and AutoFill functionality will quickly fill out PDF forms.

The combination of a more robust Files app, approaching some Finder-like capabilities, and a dedicated Preview app signifies a new commitment to making the iPad a first-class citizen for document-heavy workflows.These changes, especially when paired with the new windowing system, will dramatically improve efficiency for tasks like research, report writing, and reviewing designs, potentially making the iPad the preferred device for such activities for many.

For Creative Pros: Background Tasks & Enhanced Audio

Creative professionals will appreciate new features designed to streamline their workflows. iPadOS 26 unlocks the ability to perform computationally intensive Background Tasks. When a long-running process like a video export is initiated, it will appear with Live Activities, giving users control and a clear view of what’s running without tying up the foreground app. Developers also get an updated API to leverage this.

Audio features also see significant upgrades. Users gain better control over audio input, with the ability to choose different microphones for each app and even individual websites. Voice Isolation blocks ambient noise for clearer recordings. When using compatible AirPods (AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 2), users can achieve studio-quality audio recording. Furthermore, Local capture allows for high-quality recordings directly from the iPad during video conferencing, with echo cancellation ensuring the user’s voice is front and center. These features represent a substantial boost for video and audio production on the iPad, allowing for more uninterrupted and higher-quality creative work.

New & Updated Apps Arrive

iPadOS 26 introduces several new and updated applications:

  • Journal: This new app makes it easy to capture and write about everyday moments or special events, incorporating drawings, handwriting, photos, videos, audio recordings, places, and even state of mind. It supports multiple journals and features a map view to organize entries by location.
  • Apple Games App & Game Overlay: A new home for gaming arrives, accompanied by Game Overlay, which lets users quickly see events, adjust settings, or invite friends mid-game.
  • Messages: Conversations get more personal with Backgrounds, allowing users to use stunning designs or create unique ones with Image Playground. Polls are introduced, and a redesigned details view simplifies navigation of shared content. Group chats are enhanced with typing indicators and the ability to request and receive Apple Cash.
  • Phone App Comes to iPad: For the first time, a dedicated Phone app arrives on iPad, complete with features like Hold Assist and Call Screening, further establishing the iPad as a comprehensive communication device.

Other Notable Enhancements

Beyond the headline features, iPadOS 26 includes several other refinements:

  • A new reed pen in the tool palette offers a traditional calligraphy experience with Apple Pencil or touch in apps like Notes, Preview, and Freeform.
  • The Calculator app introduces new 3D graphing capabilities in Math Notes, allowing users to graph equations with three variables.
  • Notes adds the ability to import and export notes as markdown files and supports capturing Phone app conversations as audio recordings with transcriptions.
  • Accessibility sees improvements with Accessibility Reader (a systemwide reading mode), an all-new Braille Access experience, and Share Accessibility Settings. These “smaller” updates collectively polish the user experience, catering to artists, students, writers, and ensuring broader accessibility, demonstrating Apple’s attention to detail.

Getting Your Hands on iPadOS 26: Availability and Compatibility

iPadOS 26 is available for testing for members of the Apple Developer Program starting today, with a public beta slated for release next month via the Apple Beta Software Program. The final version will be available this fall as a free software update.

Compatible iPad models include: iPad Pro (M4), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later), iPad Air (M2 and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad (A16), iPad (8th generation and later), iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad mini (5th generation and later).

It’s important to note that the new Apple Intelligence features require specific hardware: iPad mini (A17 Pro), iPad Air, and iPad Pro models with M1 chips or later, with Apple Intelligence enabled and language settings configured appropriately.

OWC Wayne G
the authorOWC Wayne G
Tech lover, multimedia creator, and marketing manager for OWC's Rocket Yard and Mission Control blogs.
Be Sociable, Share This Post!

Leave a Reply