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iPadOS 26 Multitasking Tips and Tricks

sbdyontheweb said:
Why would you be glad it’s gone, considering it was an option? That’s strange. People who like it, and it seems there are many, have a point to complain because it was the only efficient option for quickly multitasking on the iPad for years. I think something more concerning for me is that Apple has shown they’re no longer in the game. They missed the AI hype, rushed this glass abomination of readability, and destroyed what was good on the iPad under the pretext of bringing a half-baked multitasking feature.
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I’m glad its gone as it was terrible to use for multitasking when you actually had to use your iPad for anything other than casual use. And the number of times I’ve accidentally added a useless floating swipe over window on my iPad was frustrating.

iPad OS multitasking now works like Mac, simple, effective and efficient.

Ai is a marketing tool to sell phones or hype as you put it. I want to take a photo and it be real rather than an interpretation.

The only thing Apple dropped the ball on was Siri but thats ancient history as its been due a massive overhaul long before Ai was the fashion.

The glass thing needs more refinement but is a huge step in the right direction away for the sterility iOS was becoming.
 
zach-coleman said:
Where? I tried for a while to trigger it snapping two windows side by side and had no luck. It doesn’t even have the edge snapping thing Mac has…
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Maybe someone answered but the best I've seen is if I tap and hold the green button and then place the window to the left or right I can then drag another app and it'll fill the other side. It doesn't always work though...
 
Eric_WVGG said:
I’m really interested in learning if any iPad Mini users wind up getting into this. Personally find it utterly useless for that form factor.
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Depends on your iPad size, I guess. On a 13" iPad Pro, this works quite well. I regularly find myself flinging windows into opposite sides of the screen to work between them. Apple finally got this right.

zach-coleman said:
Where? I tried for a while to trigger it snapping two windows side by side and had no luck. It doesn’t even have the edge snapping thing Mac has…
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Fling a window to one side and another to the other side. It bounces into the corner and fills the appropriate space. You can also tap and hold on the green traffic light and pick one of many window arrangements.
 
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Surf760 said:
I was again very hopeful to use my iPad more like a secondary computer and downloaded the update the other night. Once the update was complete I jumped into Outlook to run through some emails. As I tried to drag and drop an email attachment into a OneDrive folder I was yet again disappointed when it would not allow me to do what I needed to do. I then tried to print an emailed receipt to PDF like iPad OS had allowed me to do in the past and it too didn't work (albeit I'm guessing that was just a bug).

Until I can truly work with files in a more MacOS streamlined feel, I suspect I'll never be satisfied with iPad OS. I get it, that's why I have a computer, but I'd sure like to just take my iPad out at home or open it on an airplane and be able to drag and drop files or have two or more file folders open at a time so that I can drag and drop files between them.

Until that day, my iPad Pro will continue to be a very expensive Goodnotes desk calendar and yellow pad for me.
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Now that iPad has proper windowing, we need app developers to deliver desktop-class apps. The iPad is more than powerful enough to support these in most cases. Outlook/Office 365 should have essentially the same functionality on iPad as it does on Windows.

Consider e-mailing your favorite developers with this request. They may not be fully aware that we are looking for this functionality.
 
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Rod12345 said:
I read that in iPadOS 26 there’s a new feature called Flick Arranging: if you flick an app window quickly to the left or right, it should snap to that side of the display and you can stack multiple windows.


However, it doesn’t seem to work on my iPad Air M3. Am I missing something? Is this feature only available on certain iPad models?

Thanks!
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Never mind, I figured it out


You actually have to flick (throw) the window quickly to the left or right and then release it — not just drag it. Once I tried that, it worked.

It takes a bit of getting used to, but now it’s snapping as expected.
 
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FINALLY!!! Apple you have finally made the iPad a real multifunctional tool…. I can use my type cover/trackpad effectively. The UI is surprisingly effective for both touch and mouse/trackpad use!!

My guess is that this is the first major step towards integrating the two platforms. With the MacBook Pro touch screen model coming next year you can bet MacOS 27 will be fully touch aware……..

Now they just need to allow Mac Apps on the iPad and more iPad apps on the Mac……. But you can also count on that eventually happening too as developers make use of this new functionality…...
 
headlessmike said:
How long did you try it? 26 took longer than normal to settle down after the update but after about a day it feels faster and smoother than 18, even on old devices.
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I have an M1 iPad Air and in nearly EVERY function the UI is actually smoother than iPadOS 18. VERY fluid operation. I have had one minor windowing glitch but it likely because of the App not the OS. All in all a HUGE upgrade.
 
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I not sure that I understand what the window icon that shaped like a button with a circle inside it and another symbol inside the circle does? It is entirely movable all over any window. Edit: Never mind I just found it under Accessibility: It’s Hover text.
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gazwas said:
I’m glad its gone as it was terrible to use for multitasking when you actually had to use your iPad for anything other than casual use. And the number of times I’ve accidentally added a useless floating swipe over window on my iPad was frustrating.

iPad OS multitasking now works like Mac, simple, effective and efficient.

Ai is a marketing tool to sell phones or hype as you put it. I want to take a photo and it be real rather than an interpretation.

The only thing Apple dropped the ball on was Siri but thats ancient history as its been due a massive overhaul long before Ai was the fashion.

The glass thing needs more refinement but is a huge step in the right direction away for the sterility iOS was becoming.
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Like I commented above, I use it primarily for note-taking, but others use Slide-Over to reference material in different apps so that they can continue working in a full screen app with little interruption. Slide Over was designed for a touch-centric device... which the iPad is. The Mac is a keyboard and touchpad/mouse centric device. Slide Over should at least have stayed as an option (and is part of why I'm going to hold off on upgrading as long as possible).
 
TundraKing said:
I have an M1 iPad Air and in nearly EVERY function the UI is actually smoother than iPadOS 18. VERY fluid operation. I have had one minor windowing glitch but it likely because of the App not the OS. All in all a HUGE upgrade.
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Yep. With all the negativity here I wasn’t sure I’m the only one who think so. I’m quite happy with OS 26.
 
gazwas said:
And the number of times I’ve accidentally added a useless floating swipe over window on my iPad was frustrating.
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Ditto. Still, I do understand why people are frustrated when Apple adds and then removes features like this. Just like a democracy with 3 or 4 year terms tempts politicians to go for populist policies with short-term gains, Apple seems to want to impress us every year with fancy new features, instead of taking the time to build a solid platform with features that will stand the test of time.
 
Contrary to what the fine article implies, there is no menu bar when in Full Screen Apps mode. Or, if there is, it’s doing a really good job of hiding, because no amount of dragging down from the top will reveal it.
 
I enjoyed trying out the new windowing system on my iPad, and was somewhat impressed by it. For the first time, it made me wonder if a new iPad might be able to replace my wife’s aging MacBook. So I hooked up a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and tried to imagine doing all the usual Mac things with it.

In the end, we decided to go with a new MacBook Air instead, as the cost of adding a Magic Keyboard is just ridiculous, and typing on a touchscreen or writing with the Apple Pencil is still quite an unpleasant experience.
 
kalsta said:
I enjoyed trying out the new windowing system on my iPad, and was somewhat impressed by it. For the first time, it made me wonder if a new iPad might be able to replace my wife’s aging MacBook. So I hooked up a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and tried to imagine doing all the usual Mac things with it.

In the end, we decided to go with a new MacBook Air instead, as the cost of adding a Magic Keyboard is just ridiculous, and typing on a touchscreen or writing with the Apple Pencil is still a very unpleasant experience.
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Smarter move to go with a Mac anyhow, as all the usual software limitations of iPadOS Apps are still there.
 
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kalsta said:
I would never dream of replacing my Mac with an iPad. It just wouldn’t be up to the task. But my wife uses her Mac for less demanding tasks, so I thought it was worth considering. But no.
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Same for me. I could go on for days on the reasons, but the long and short of it is software support, options and flexibility.

iPads and iPadOS are just way too restrictive for me (to replace a Mac).

I love my iPads for what I use them for (casual content consumption).
 
turbineseaplane said:
iPads and iPadOS are just way too restrictive for me (to replace a Mac).

I love my iPads for what I use them for (casual content consumption).
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Yep. And in some ways, I think the original iPad’s limitations (simplicity) are what made them great, particularly for less IT savvy people. But as Apple puts these powerful M chips in them, you can understand people wanting the OS to match the hardware capabilities, and do more. So now here we are, witnessing Apple struggling to maintain the original simplicity while catering to those who expect their iPad to do everything.

For me, the Apple Pencil (Pro) is what makes the iPad Air such a great creative tool. It’s just such a shame they had to fragment the whole lineup with different pencils and iPads and all the incompatibilities. For years I was waiting for the cheap iPads to support a pressure sensitive Pencil, but it looks like Apple’s bean counters won’t ever let that happen. 🙁
 
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kalsta said:
Yep. And in some ways, I think the original iPad’s limitations (simplicity) are what made them great, particularly for less IT savvy people. But as Apple puts these powerful M chips in them, you can understand people wanting the OS to match the hardware capabilities, and do more. So now here we are, witnessing Apple struggling to maintain the original simplicity while catering to those who expect their iPad to do everything.

For me, the Apple Pencil (Pro) is what makes the iPad Air such a great creative tool. It’s just such a shame they had to fragment the whole lineup with different pencils and iPads and all the incompatibilities. For years I was waiting for the cheap iPads to support a pressure sensitive Pencil, but it looks like Apple’s bean counters won’t ever let that happen. 🙁
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Preaching to the choir! I would love to have iPadOS divege into "Pro" and "Classic" lines.

I basically want a very OG single tasking iPad experience, with PiP, Split View and SlideOver.

So ... iPadOS 18 I guess - lol
That's where I plan to keep my iPads for the foreseeable future.
 
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