iPadOS 26 is an Absolute Mess

[maxoakland]

So far I liked the multitasking windows and menu bar, but turned it off because I usually don’t use my iPad with a keyboard and mouse. I think Liquid Glass sucks. It looks uglier on device than in pictures. It’s inconsistent. There are tons of different ways a button can look. There are serious legibility issues that have been pointed out multiple times

The worst part is my iPad can’t handle a lot of the animations. Frames are skipped. When I open a group on the home screen, it looks like it just appears with no animation because it drops all the opening frame animations. Even when not animating, the iPad struggles to keep up with my input in many situations.

And it doesn’t make much sense to me because the effects aren’t really that cool and don’t really look that good. There’s nothing *that* dynamic about them. There’s no reason to render a glass effect on buttons and icons that could easily be replicated by a PNG. So why are they doing it??

 

[Digitalguy]

And it's due to poor implementation by Apple. They should've replaced Stage Manager with the windowed mode and then had Stage Manager as a toggle in windowed mode. Then you still have three options: no multitasking, split screen/slide over, and windowed mode/stage manager. I really can't imagine that keeping the old code is that much of a maintenance burden that they had to get rid of it, considering Mac has how many multitasking modes they added over the years.

Instead I would have replaced no multitasking with split screen and slide-over, people are used to it and if you don't use them they don't bother you (and the other 2 options can stay)

 

[AlanMarron]

I was traveling when beta 4 was released, so I didn’t experience it until late yesterday.

I’m happy that LG has been smoothed, almost to the point that I don’t hate it. Almost.

I find it puzzling that Apple made so changes to functionality and to appearance at the same time. That’s a big bite of the 🍎. I wish that I had been consulted.

 

[zosokm]

I actually find that iPad os 26 beta has made my iPad Pro feel almost completely new . True after years of multiple experiments of multitasking on the iPad , this current version seems to be the most complicated - almost MAC like (which is what lot of people had been clamouring for )
For those who have been using their iPad as their daily driver for many years ( like me), this means there is definitely a change in the workflow. However going forward this may become the new norm. Slide over was really cool though and it is a pity its no longer around

 

[QuestHaven]

I get where you’re coming from—iPadOS 26 has definitely had its share of headaches. From the laggy multitasking to those random app crashes, it’s been frustrating to navigate, especially for users who rely on their iPads for work or creativity. It feels like some features were rushed without enough testing, and little bugs (like the wonky widget alignment or the occasional freeze when switching apps) keep popping up. Here’s hoping Apple rolls out a patch soon to smooth things out—fingers crossed they address the core issues instead of just minor fixes!

 

[richpjr]

I get where you’re coming from—iPadOS 26 has definitely had its share of headaches. From the laggy multitasking to those random app crashes, it’s been frustrating to navigate, especially for users who rely on their iPads for work or creativity. It feels like some features were rushed without enough testing, and little bugs (like the wonky widget alignment or the occasional freeze when switching apps) keep popping up. Here’s hoping Apple rolls out a patch soon to smooth things out—fingers crossed they address the core issues instead of just minor fixes!

It is still in beta form, so the lagginess and many little bugs are not unexpected and should not be installed by people who rely on their iPad for work.

 

[Ipadonly1]

I get where you’re coming from—iPadOS 26 has definitely had its share of headaches. From the laggy multitasking to those random app crashes, it’s been frustrating to navigate, especially for users who rely on their iPads for work or creativity. It feels like some features were rushed without enough testing, and little bugs (like the wonky widget alignment or the occasional freeze when switching apps) keep popping up. Here’s hoping Apple rolls out a patch soon to smooth things out—fingers crossed they address the core issues instead of just minor fixes!

yeah the patch is called PB 2, PB 3 and the official release...

 

[GDF]

So far, I am not impressed with iPadOS 26 and wish they would have just kept it similar to the previous iOS. I have no desire for my iPad Pro M4 13 to be similar to a Mac. I already liked what it could do and used it way more than my Mac for work and personal use, as it was so simple to use. Loved the split view/slide over and now it is much harder to do that. What is the point of having multiple screen views on such a small device anyhow? If I want that, I will go to my MacBook Pro and do that on my Apple Displays. Keep it simple Apple, which is what Steve Jobs always preached.

Maybe as I adapt I will feel differently, but so far there was 0 reason for Apple to change from the previous iOS, except for some that always said they wanted it to run like a Mac. For me, it was already better than my Macs.

 

[AlanMarron]

Loved the split view/slide over and now it is much harder to do that. What is the point of having multiple screen views on such a small device anyhow?

Yes. Multiple screens (windows) might be okay on big iPads, but on the original size or mini, no. I turned it off on my gen9 iPad.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

I had no idea so many people liked slide over and Split View! I didn’t think anyone even used those features!

 

[AlanMarron]

I had no idea so many people liked slide over and Split View! I didn’t think anyone even used those features!

Almost daily.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

Almost daily.

I think maybe it’s because I’m stuck on iPadOS 15, and it’s completely pointless on my iPad Air 2.

 

[TigerMSTR]

I had no idea so many people liked slide over and Split View! I didn’t think anyone even used those features!

I use Slide Over all the time when drawing. I’ll draw in a fullscreen app, then then have an image to reference what I’m drawing in Slide Over.

There’s no way to replicate this workflow in iPadOS 26, so the new operating system is drastically slowing down my work.

 

[Gherkin]

wait, did I miss it or OP still has not given specific reasons they don’t like iPadOS 26? WTF MAN

 

[tomtattoo]

Test on my ipad 12"9. Then I wanted to clean up a little and started to delete apps.
And there it is: an extra submenu where "delete app" is hidden.
Apple is really the master of "I make ALL of your workflows one click, one menu longer with every update".
I have no words how much I hate this behaviour. They are idiots.

At work we have now Win11. And from 1998-2015 I have used it at home too.
17 years I could right-click on every file and send a link to desktop.
Yesterday I wanted to do that at work and in the rightclick menu there is a submenu where this point is hidden. So, MS also suffers from this illness.

What is wrong with them?

 

[TigerMSTR]

Test on my ipad 12"9. Then I wanted to clean up a little and started to delete apps.
And there it is: an extra submenu where "delete app" is hidden.
Apple is really the master of "I make ALL of your workflows one click, one menu longer with every update".
I have no words how much I hate this behaviour. They are idiots.

At work we have now Win11. And from 1998-2015 I have used it at home too.
17 years I could right-click on every file and send a link to desktop.
Yesterday I wanted to do that at work and in the rightclick menu there is a submenu where this point is hidden. So, MS also suffers from this illness.

What is wrong with them?

Simple used to be their mantra. Now they just add layers upon layers of complexity with every update.

 

[r_atkins]

If you really don't want your iPad for everyday computing use, I strongly suggest using a table mount for it, https://www.amazon.com/LISEN-Tablet-Holder-Durable-Flexible/dp/B0BW3KB8Y4 I bought this one and it clamps at the edge of the tablet, and you can somewhat move it laterally and horizontally

that way you can mount it to your desk and use it as a console, or to remind you of stuff you have notifications set for, I believe the iPad has a camera, so you can use it as a video recorder and a video phone, or if you're a developer theres a bunch of other things you can do, theres also side car which lets you mirror or extend your macOS desktop to your iPad

Anyways, if your iPad isn't a thing anymore, you can mount it to your desk

also if you do run a Mac running macOS, you can run iPad/iOS apps on your Mac, all you need it do Is download a macOS compatible iPad/iOS app and it should work on your desktop, meaning you can do stuff like run an iOS app for your college on your desktop!

 

[AlexESP]

The fundamental reason behind all the challenges with iPads is that, outside of very specific use cases like artists drawing and similar, it’s basically just a big-screen iPhone that’s great for watching YouTube and movies. But if you actually want to get real work done, it’s just easier to grab a MacBook. And that’s why with iOS 26, Apple is once again trying to push it more in the direction of the MacBook, which will fail again, because why not just grab a MacBook in the first place? The iPad as a MacBook wannabe ends up being a compromise-filled, not-quite-a-Mac contraption with a keyboard and cursor added on top. In short, the iPad no longer knows what it is or what it wants to be. Hence the growing UX problems.

To OP, thanks for posting, I value your input.

To all of you commenting that the post is pointless or unnecessary, did you know you can simply choose not to reply? I don’t think we need a panel of self-appointed judges here to decide which opinions or topics are OK for posting and which aren’t. Mods can handle that type of stuff.

I think downplaying the iPad as a big iPhone would be a good argument at the beginning of its life, but things have changed.

Many/most people (specially in emerging demographic sectors, so it’s harder to notice for us in some countries) can replace their computers with iPhones. Phones and tablets are used for much more than watching YouTube.

The reason the iPad didn’t succeed even more is not that it didn’t “catch up” with the Mac. It is that phones became so powerful that not even tablets were necessary for many people. Macs are the real niche device now — outsold by iPads probably 2:1.

 

[AlanMarron]

I think downplaying the iPad as a big iPhone would be a good argument at the beginning of its life, but things have changed.

Many/most people (specially in emerging demographic sectors, so it’s harder to notice for us in some countries) can replace their computers with iPhones. Phones and tablets are used for much more than watching YouTube.

The reason the iPad didn’t succeed even more is not that it didn’t “catch up” with the Mac. It is that phones became so powerful that not even tablets were necessary for many people. Macs are the real niche device now — outsold by iPads probably 2:1.

Not only have devices developed, the way in which people work has changed.

My son is an engineer and still requires a giant screen with Excel and industry-specific apps running all day on a high-power PC.

By the time I retired in 2017, I was using nothing but web forms and Excel.

Now I use my iPad for everything except fine-tuning my Google Sheets.

But here’s a rub: smartphones outnumber tablets, and I find that many iPad apps have small (or large) glitches that don’t exist in the same iPhone apps.

 

[GDF]

I use my iPad 13 Pro M4 for work about 90% of the time and personal use about 95% of the time, even though I also have a MacBook Pro with Apple Display for work, a Mac Mini with Apple Display for home, Macbook air for home, etc. I do use that MacBook Pro for spreadsheets, but my iPad is truly mobile. I travel a lot and have the cellular version, so to me, nothing else compares.

 

[TigerMSTR]

I think downplaying the iPad as a big iPhone would be a good argument at the beginning of its life, but things have changed.

Many/most people (specially in emerging demographic sectors, so it’s harder to notice for us in some countries) can replace their computers with iPhones. Phones and tablets are used for much more than watching YouTube.

The reason the iPad didn’t succeed even more is not that it didn’t “catch up” with the Mac. It is that phones became so powerful that not even tablets were necessary for many people. Macs are the real niche device now — outsold by iPads probably 2:1.

Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if more iPads are being used for so-called “real work” in workplace environments than Macs.

For example, I rarely see Macs or PCs in retail environments anymore. Their computers are typically iPhones or iPads. However, I suspect the “real work” elitists don’t consider retail to be real work. 🤣

 

[richpjr]

Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if more iPads are being used for so-called “real work” in workplace environments than Macs.

For example, I rarely see Macs or PCs in retail environments anymore. Their computers are typically iPhones or iPads. However, I suspect the “real work” elitists don’t consider retail to be real work. 🤣

Maybe in retail or professions where there is a need to be portable. In the corporate world, PCs still rule...sadly.

 

[revs]

I bought a knock off Magic Keyboard and have been seeing how much I can get done with iOS 26 - quite a lot surprisingly.

Usually I take both my MBA and my iPad with me, but I’ve decided to only take my iPad away this time, and so far its been fine.

I’m not going to go into what it can and can’t do - thats been done to death - but I think it can do 90+% of what I ever need to do.

I can see that when the time comes to replace my MBA I may look at a Mac Mini instead and use an iPad for travel.