Apple has announced the new iPadOS 26, and it features the Liquid Retina display, which you might have seen on iOS 16. iPadOS 26 introduces a powerful windowing system and enhanced AI capabilities, and the Supercharged Files app helps to organize and customize folders. With folders in the dock, users can conveniently access the downloads, files, and videos from the dock. The Preview app comes to iPadOS 26, providing users with a dedicated app to view and edit PDFs, with features like Apple Pencil markup, autofill, and much more. It’s the best iPad OS release they have done.
New Design
The iPadOS 26 is crafted from liquid glass material, a translucent material that reflects and refracts its surroundings. It enables a new level of vitality across the lock screen, control centre, and gives users new ways to personalize their home screens with updated app icons that come to life with light and dark appearances, colourful light and dark tints, as well as a clean look. Updated controls and navigation extend to the apps, including Mail, Safari, Apple Music, TV, and much more.
New Window System
The iPadOS 26 features a new window system that helps users work with control, organize, and switch between app windows, all while maintaining the intimacy and simplicity that iPad users expect. The new windowing system lets users fluidly resize the apps, place them exactly where they want, and open more windows at once. Familiar window controls allow users to close, resize, minimize, or tile windows. Windows tiling enables the user to arrange the windows with a simple flick.
With Expose, users can see all their windows spread out, helping them easily switch to the one they want. The new window system works well with the Stage Manager for those who want to group their windows into distinct stages and with external displays for those who want even more space to work across the apps. With the new menu bar, users can access the commands available with a simple swipe down from the top of the display or by moving the cursor to the top. Users can quickly find a specific feature or related tips in an app by using a search in the app bar. Additionally, the devs can now customize the menu bar on their apps.
Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence becomes more capable and integrated into iPadOS 26. Live translation on the phone, FaceTime, and messages allows users to communicate seamlessly across languages. On messages, the incoming messages are automatically translated into the user’s preferred language. On FaceTime, users can follow along with translated live captions while hearing is still heard in the speaker’s voice. And while on a phone call, the translation is spoken loudly throughout the conversation.
The iPad OS 26 brings new ways to create Genmoji, giving them the ability to start with existing emoji and descriptions and modify personal attributes like hair length, etc.
Users will have increased control over personal attributes and expressions in Image Playground. And type into the new styles of ChatGPT, like an oil painting of a friend’s contact poster. Image, for moments when the users have no specific idea, they can select any style and describe exactly what they want. Playground can now send a user description or photo to ChatGPT and create a unique image.
Shortcuts feature new intelligent actions that allow users to create shortcuts that are more powerful than ever, including summarizing text with writing tools and creating images with Image Playground. Users can now tap into the Apple Intelligence models to provide responses that feed into the rest of the shortcuts. For example, now a student can ask Apple Intelligence to compare audio and lecture notes and note the missing points.
Files
The files application is upgraded to provide powerful new ways to manage, access, and edit files. An enhanced files app with an updated list view allows users to see more of the document details in resizable columns and collapsible folders. To make folders easier to identify at a glance, the new files also come with folder customization options that include custom colours, icons, and emojis that sync across devices. For quicker access, you can drag the folder onto the dock. Additionally, the users can set default apps for opening specific files or file types.
Preview
The preview app comes to the iPad, providing users with a dedicated application for creating sketches, viewing, editing, and marking up PDFs and images with the Apple Pencil or by touch. Users can access all their PDFs and images in the My Files app right from the preview. They can create an empty page, edit the PDF, use Apple Pencil to draw and write on it, and use the autofill to finish the form quickly.
Background Tasks
Taking advantage of the Apple silicon, iPadOS 26 unlocks the ability to perform background tasks when users start a long-running process in an app, background tasks will be shown as live activities, giving users a complete sense of what they are running on the iPad and developers can use the background tasks API to perform long-running tasks from their app.
Audio Features
iPadOS 26 also brings new audio features that offer more flexible input and streamlined recording. Users now have better control over their audio input with the ability to choose different microphones for each app, as well as individual websites. Recorded audio will be made even better with voice isolation, which blocks ambient noise and allows crisp and clear recordings. With the AirPods 4, AirPods 4 (ANC), and AirPods Pro, users can record studio-quality audio, enjoy good sound quality, and enjoy clear calls.
Local Capture
With local capture, users can produce high-quality recordings right from an iPad with any video conferencing app and easily share the audio and video recordings once the call is over. Echo cancellation of other participants’ audio keeps the user’s audio front and centre, allowing for a clear recording of their side of the call.
New Apps
The iPadOS 26 introduces journals to the iPad, making it easier for users to capture and write the details of everyday moments or special events. Using Apple Pencil or touch, users can incorporate drawings and handwriting, along with audio recordings, videos, photos, and more. Users can now maintain multiple journals for different aspects of life, and they have access to a beautiful map view that organizes entries by location.
The all-new Apple Games app brings a new home for gaming. The iPadOS 26 introduces a gaming interface that allows one to quickly see new events and updates, adjust settings, and call or invite a friend mid-game.
The messages bring conversation backgrounds that let the user customize their chats with stunning designs and create unique backgrounds with the help of an image playground. Messages also bring polls and a redesigned details view that helps users navigate what has been shared in a conversation and supercharge chat with typing indicators as well as the ability to receive Apple Cash. Additionally, the phone app comes to the iPhone with call screening and hold assistance, which looks to improve the calling experience.
Compatible Devices
The iPadOS 26 will be compatible with the iPad Pro M4 and iPad Pro 12.9 in the 3rd gen or later. iPad Pro 11in 1st gen or later, iPad Air M3, iPad Air M2, iPad Air 3rd gen or later, iPad A16, iPad 8th gen and later, iPad mini A17 Pro, or iPad mini 5th gen and later.
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