iPadOS 26 introduces many features that pro users have been begging for since Apple first revealed an iPad Pro. Most of what was revealed for iOS 26 is coming to iPadOS 26 too, which includes the new Liquid Glass design inspired by visionOS.
Everything in iPadOS 26 has a glossy, transparent look with more animations. The Liquid Glass design replaces nearly every menu, button, tab bar, and modal.
Apple especially leaned into the new design with the windowing system upgrade. The menu bar is transparent and disappears automatically, and parts of the windowing UI appear only when needed.
Several new pro-focused features were also announced. The Files app has new view options, folder customization, and can add folders to the dock.
The Preview app is now available in iPadOS as well. It allows users to view or edit several new file types without needing to install a third-party app.
Background tasks have also been rethought, giving iPad users the ability to leave a big task, like an export, and have it continue uninterrupted. These tasks appear with progress bars similar to Live Activities on iPhone.
Audio features have also been exposed so that pro users can choose audio inputs and outputs between apps. Also, Apple revealed a feature that will let any app record local audio, like for recording a podcast.
Beyond the iPadOS 26 redesign, new multitasking system, and pro updates, there are plenty of new features.
Some feature highlights in iPadOS 26:
- Liquid Glass changes the look and feel of iPadOS
- Updated Phone app with unified layout
- Messages gets new filters with spam screening
- Live Translation across the system, like in Messages, FaceTime, and Apple Music
- Apple Intelligence comes to Shortcuts
- Image Playground and Genmoji get new styles and ChatGPT support
- Reminders gains Apple Intelligence suggestions and sorting
- Apple Games app adds discovery and social tools to one central location
- Safari is redesigned with a floating, rounded tab layout
- Messages gains backgrounds, polls, and group chat typing indicators
- Journal app on iPad, users can create multiple journals in the Journal app
- Photos gets more customization, new tab design with Liquid Glass
- FaceTime gets a new landing page with Contact Posters
- Notes gains import and export of Markdown files
- Passwords gets a history view to access old passwords
- The tool palette gets a new reed pen
The WWDC keynote has barely concluded, and there are a lot of details to uncover about all of Apple's latest operating systems. Stay tuned for more details on this page for iPadOS 26.
Everything below this point has been preserved for historical purposes. It was written before WWDC 2025 and addresses the rumors and expectations around the new iPadOS update.
Apple is set to make significant changes across every operating system with WWDC 2025. While visionOS-like redesigns and Apple Intelligence upgrades are rumored, a new change has appeared last minutes — iPadOS 26.
No, that's not a typo. It seems Apple wants to shift its naming conventions across the board to reflect the current year rather than an iterative number counted up from when the OS was introduced.
The name change helps unify the operating systems so they are all called "26." It also seems to be a result of Apple's planned unification in design paradigms.
Currently, the operating systems are called:
Shifting every name to 26 for the 2025 release also singnifies Apple's annual release cycle. While it may seem strange to call it iPadOS 26 instead of 25, it is likely because it won't release to the public until October, then be the current OS for nine months of 2026.
Outside of this name change, the existing rumors are rather limited for iPadOS. Apple did reveal that it is bringing several new accessibility features to iPadOS later in 2025, like improved support for Braille and Continuity Camera, but those features are always pre-announced.
iPadOS could get a visionOS-like redesignThe update everyone will notice most is a rumored redesign that brings visionOS-inspired UI to iPadOS. No one knows what this will actually look like, but leaks and renders suggest glassy surfaces, reflecting light on edges, and transparency in some objects.
Other expected updates include bringing apps like Journal to iPadOS 26. For whatever reason, the Journal app has only been available on iPhone since launch.
Pro users could see improvements like a Menu bar being added when connected to an external keyboard or monitor. Other multitasking updates are expected, like improvements to Stage Manager, but those updates may be limited in scope given everything else expected at WWDC.
Apple will reveal iPadOS 26 during WWDC 2025 and share a developer beta immediately after the keynote. The updates are expected to be released shortly after the iPhone 17 is announced in September.
Andrew Orr
Malcolm Owen
Amber Neely
