iPadOS 26
Apple (feature list, release notes, security, enterprise, developer):
iPadOS 26, the biggest iPadOS release ever, takes a huge leap forward and unlocks powerful productivity updates that transform what users can do on iPad. A beautiful design brings a new look to iPad, plus an entirely new, powerful, and intuitive windowing system helps users control, organize, and switch between apps — all while maintaining the simplicity of iPad. With a new menu bar, users can access the commands available in an app with a simple swipe down from the top of the display, or by moving their cursor to the top. The supercharged Files app offers new ways to organize files and customize folders. Also, with folders in the Dock, users can conveniently access downloads, documents, and more from anywhere. The Preview app comes to iPad, giving users a dedicated app to view and edit PDFs, with Apple Pencil Markup and AutoFill built in. iPadOS 26 also unlocks new capabilities for creative pros with Background Tasks, more control over their audio input, and the ability to capture high-quality recordings with local capture. Journal comes to iPad, making it easy for users to capture and write about the details of everyday moments or special events using Apple Pencil or touch.
See also:
Previously:
Update (2025-09-29): Nicholas Riley:
Typeahead find visualization also appears when typing to find a file in Files in iPadOS 26. This makes visible a feature that’s existed forever, in which the timeout was typically completely hidden from the user. Some apps (including Pester’s alarm list) exposed this by displaying the typed text, but this is more elegant and a genuine improvement.
In Preview in iPadOS 26, you can drag the loupe around, complete with zoom and color aberration effects. Feels like a tiny dose of the old Apple whimsy.
iPadOS multitasking was really tricky to get right - I’d say about half my development time went into that.
There are so many edge cases to deal with, particularly trying to get everything looking nice.
[…]
Redoing fifty alternative icons proved to be quite a challenge, because not only did I need to do light and dark (and tinted) variants in the new vector icon format, I also needed to redo all the same icons again for iOS 18 and earlier.
