Your iPad is getting a major upgrade for free. 4 top features I can’t wait to try in iPadOS 26

iPadOS 26 lockscreen on 13-inch M3 iPad Air

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Apple on Monday announced the latest updates coming to the iPad’s operating system — iPadOS 26 — during WWDC 2025. The new iPadOS 26 supports Apple’s goal of offering users a more seamless experience across devices, making its user interface more intuitive and consistent. 

Also: Did Apple finally turn the iPad into a MacBook alternative? My first look at iPadOS 26 says yes

All of Apple’s operating systems across devices have a new version number of 26, which streamlines the different versions for consumers. Instead of each OS having a different version number, Apple is rebranding them all according to the year in which most users will have access to them. iPadOS 26 was announced today and launches to the public in September.

These are the best iPadOS 26 features that Apple unveiled during its yearly WWDC event. The company also unveiled iOS 26, WatchOS 26, MacOS 26, VisionOS 26, and TvOS 26.

1. Mac-like productivity experience

With iPadOS 26, Apple is giving the iPad user a more MacOS-like experience. iPadOS 26 brings us better app window controls to make multitasking and app switching on the iPad easier and more intuitive than ever. 

Apple has put a lot of focus on improving productivity and app management on the iPad, something that isn’t currently very intuitive. Apple introduced an upgraded window management system that lets you resize, move, minimize, and tile windows, much like you can do on a Mac. You can also use Expose view to see all your open windows at a glance, or use a flicking movement to tile your windows. 

Also: CarPlay’s iOS 26 makeover is almost here: 3 new features coming to your dashboard

iPadOS 26’s new menu bar makes menus and commands easier to access. 

2. Apple Intelligence (AI) features for iPadOS

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Apple Intelligence was the main event at WWDC 2024; this year, it was more of a supporting character. After failing to deliver on some AI features and falling flat on others, Apple is going back to what it does best: the user experience. This year, the AI features are more of a complement to the overall iPad interface. Here’s what we saw at WWDC:

• Real-time translation: Similar to Google’s glasses announcement during I/O, Apple wants to bring live translations for iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. Apple says that Live Translation will work for texts, FaceTime, and phone calls with both captions and spoken translations. 
• A smarter, genAI Siri: Apple announced a big Siri upgrade last year that would make the virtual assistant context-aware, yet this feature has yet to be rolled out for consumers. This feature is still to come to Siri, but Apple announced a new set of Shortcuts that now support AI-powered actions like summarizing text and generating images. 
• Genmoji and Image Playground: Apple’s image generation features now let you include new styles and edit attributes like hair and accessories.

Also: Your AirPods could get 3 major upgrades for free thanks to iOS 26 – here’s what to expect

3. New iPadOS apps: Games and Preview

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

During WWDC 2025, Apple announced new updates to existing apps, including new apps for iPad:

• Preview for iPadOS: Apple is bringing the Preview app to the iPad. The app will let you view, edit, and mark up PDFs. It will also include AutoFill for forms and integrate with the Files app. 
• Apple Games: The new gaming hub is now Apple Games, a new home for gaming on the iPad. It introduces Game Overlay, and lets you see invites, settings, and updates mid-game.

4. Liquid Glass on iPad

The big visual redesign on iPadOS 26 uses what Apple calls Liquid Glass, a set of transparent layers that dynamically adjust with movement and scrolling. This changes the way your iPad display responds to your touch and movement, and lets you customize app icons and notifications with a new translucent look. Apple uses advanced computer vision techniques to create the illusion of movement on photos used in your wallpaper, making the visual experience more fluid. 

Apple removes support for older iPad models with each new major software release. This year, the 7th-generation base model iPad is no longer supported for major OS updates. 

These are the iPad models that will support iPadOS 26:

• iPad 8th generation and newer
• iPad Air 3rd generation and newer
• iPad Mini 5th generation and newer
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and newer
• All iPad Pro 11-inch generations

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