iPadOS 26 was introduced a year ago and significantly upgrades iPad productivity. I’ve been using the update on my iPad Pro since the first beta arrived. There are things that Apple’s major updates did well for me, and things that still fall short.
What works with iPadOS 26
It took 15 years, but Apple finally introduced proper app windows to iPadOS, and for the most part, it was successful.
I love being able to resize the app window to suit my needs. I usually keep certain apps mostly full screen, while others compactly appear on the left or right side of the screen as popovers.
iPadOS 26’s windowing system now allows you to keep the dock always on screen, like in macOS, which is one of my favorite new features.
You can turn on a setting that keeps the dock visible as long as the window is off the bottom of the screen. This is one of my favorite changes overall. In particular, you can now add more apps to the dock than ever before, and you can also add file folders.
The combination of iPadOS 26’s Files app and the new Preview app is another highlight. File management on the iPad feels almost the same as on the Mac.
I’m a fan of the menu bar, too, but I wish Apple could take it a step further and make it more Mac-like. But as it stands, the iPad’s menu bar is a convenient hub for exposing an app’s features and controls. Lastly, and unrelated to productivity, I also have Apple Journal on my iPad and love it.
For the first time, iPadOS feels like a match for the iPad’s powerful hardware, and we’re excited.
Where iPadOS still feels under development
I use my iPad Pro as my full-time computer, and I can confidently say that iPadOS 26 is the biggest software upgrade in iPad history.
But I use my iPad a lot, and this software also shows it’s shortcomings.
For example, one of the features that Apple is touting about the windowing system in iPadOS 26 is “persistent size and alignment.” In other words, the window should stay exactly where you placed it, at the exact size you created it.
This happens often. But maybe every day, at least every other day, the app crashes and sometimes resets to full screen. So you have to move and resize it again.
This might be understandable if your iPad is low on power. However, I’m using an M5 iPad Pro with 16GB of RAM and a 10 core CPU. This is the most powerful iPad you can buy.
And this kind of behavior doesn’t happen on Mac. At least, nothing close to this regularity.
Another more serious problem involves Slide Over. We’re excited that Apple is bringing this feature back in iPadOS 26.1. But I still really miss the ability to keep multiple apps on Slide Over at the same time. It’s a shame that iPadOS 26’s Slide Over experience is worse than iPadOS 18, even though it’s an update that advances the iPad in most ways.
Other minor complaints:
- Right-clicking on iPadOS can often feel slow and laggy, but on Mac it’s instantaneous.
- Even when using a trackpad and cursor, app windows often move when you try to resize them, and vice versa.
- A bug in Safari’s keyboard means that when you type characters in the address bar, the software’s auto-suggestions often erase them.
- I often have to use my Mac to use certain websites because Safari on my iPad doesn’t allow me to click the buttons I need to.
I could keep listing small issues, but I think everyone has their own list of bugs and shortcomings. And Macs aren’t perfect in this area either. I know many Mac users aren’t excited about macOS Tahoe.
iPadOS 26 1 year later: Summary
Overall, iPadOS 26 still feels like a big step forward for the iPad, even though some issues remain. This is a strong foundation for Apple to build upon.
There are a lot of questions about the future of the iPad in a world of foldable iPhones and touchscreen Macs. But I’m looking forward to seeing how much Apple has invested in iPadOS. And hopefully, iPadOS 27 will continue that positive trend.
What are the highs and lows of iPadOS 26? What’s on your wishlist for iPadOS 27? Let us know in the comments.
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(Tag translation) iPadOS 26
