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See iPadOS 26 Multitasking in Action
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I may be a loner, but I am using Stage Manager over the windowed feature. I like how stage manager will remember multiple layouts. I have a number of app "pairs" that I like to use side by side.
One annoyance with the traffic lights is that they enlarge when I get my Apple Pencil tip close to them, and it can occlude actual app controls that I want to use at that moment.
One annoyance with the traffic lights is that they enlarge when I get my Apple Pencil tip close to them, and it can occlude actual app controls that I want to use at that moment.
Agreed. I'm cautiously optimistic for what I think is Apple's third attempt now at bringing multitasking to the iPad.
Stage Manager looked so promising, but I think I abandoned it after about forty-five seconds after first getting a chance to try it and realizing it didn't behave at all like what I was expecting or hoping.
This is the first time in a long time that Apple has exceeded my expectations. I don't even remember the last time that happened.
What would be the right directino then?
Actually, it does. But some say it’s just a fake button that doesn’t do anything behind the scenes, since you never really need to eject a drive on iOS or iPadOS. (It handles drives differently than macOS). So it’s basically there just to give users peace of mind. 😃
The red indicates that you shouldn’t press it.
The size of some elements, like the menus, seems to be more optimized for pointer use rather than for touch use. Or do they change size depending on mode?
I like this all-new multitasking. But what happened to the 4-finger swipe between open apps? Is that gone for good? I use my iPad exclusively with the MKB and 4-finger swipe was a breeze. Now I am struggling with cmd + tab. Also the Notification Centre doesn’t slide down when moving the cursor towards the top edge. The gesture brings up the new menu bar instead. That’s gone for good too, I suppose! I would be very happy if both these gestures come back.
I do hope that does improve with subsequent beta’s. For now it’s a bit of struggle indeed.
But I’m really happy with all the macOS keyboard shortcuts, it makes it so much more laptop like. But all the same I do hope that this doesn’t interfere with the tablet and fat-finger-functions when I don’t use my MKB or Pencil Pro.
1. Spotlight launch Notes
2. Control Center launch Notes or Quick Note
3. Create a key combo shortcut to Notes
After writing your note just three/four finger swipe back to your previous app.
Bummer. Thanks for letting me know. Looks like I have to adapt new different way then.
I imagine you could move the notes window to the side so that most of it would fall outside the visible area, and then pull it back into view when necessary.
"...one little step"??? Are you serious? And just what should Apple have done to "be there"?
It was always BS as the mac arm dev kit didn’t use an m-series chip, and yet it ran macOS just fine. Therefore the question I had was why would stage manager be limited to only the m-series chips?
If the a17 pro iPad mini 7 can run stage manager then it begs the question: why doesn’t iPhone get stage manager when docked to a monitor like Samsung dex? 🤔
Better yet, why can’t we get windows/split screen on an iPhone like Android?
I’ve got a z fold 6 and a Samsung tv, and can’t use dex because the pointer function is too erratic! I’m sure Apple could come up a with a better setup, but they won’t.
what a wonderful update iPadOS26 is going to be.
it makes all compatible iPads immediately so much more useful for many people - and the best thing is: user choice! 🥰
want the classic, familiar and simple iPad experience - it's still there, same for the Stage Manager thing.
want a more MacOS/Windows-like multitasking/windows/split screen experience - it's now finally available to you. 🥳
it makes all compatible iPads immediately so much more useful for many people - and the best thing is: user choice! 🥰
want the classic, familiar and simple iPad experience - it's still there, same for the Stage Manager thing.
want a more MacOS/Windows-like multitasking/windows/split screen experience - it's now finally available to you. 🥳
This really does move the iPad closer to the Macintosh and can serve as a primary computer for most people.
iPadOS 26 is going to change the way that you use your iPad, and it turns working on the iPad into a much more Mac-like experience. Apple introduced a whole new multitasking system, which you can get a first look at in our video.
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Windows on the iPad now work like Windows on the Mac. You can have multiple app windows open at once, and arrange them in any way that's convenient for you. Split View and Slide Over are gone, but the new window options work with Stage Manager.
iPad apps have menu bars where you can access settings for each app, and there are also the iconic "traffic light" buttons that you can use for adjusting and resizing open windows. Apple added multiple convenient tiling options for showing two, three, or four apps on your display in an organized way. You can view all of your open apps with an Exposé interface.
The windowing system extends to connected displays, giving you even more space for viewing your iPad apps. Note that on some older iPads, you'll be limited to four app windows, but this is a feature that is compatible with every iPad that runs iPadOS 26. Newer iPads can have far more app windows open.
To further the Mac-like experience, folders are now customizable with colors and emoji, and in the Files app, there's a new list view that's like working with the Mac files app. Apple even added collapsible folders, so you don't need to tap into a folder on iPad to see what's inside in a tiled view.
Files can be set to open with a default app of your choosing, and you can store your folders in the Dock for quicker access. Finally, the iPad supports background tasks, so if you're doing a large file transfer, you'll see a Live Activity to keep an eye on progress while you do other things on your iPad.
Keep in mind that we're only on the first beta of iPadOS 26, and there's more testing and refining to go before launch. Right now, iPadOS 26 is only available for developers, but Apple is going to make a public beta available in July. iPadOS 26 will launch in September.
Article Link: See iPadOS 26 Multitasking in Action
I think Apple did a great thing with multitasking on iPadOS 26. However, it's cramped on a 13" iPad, let alone the smaller ones. I own the 11" M2 and I think I'll rarely be using this feature because the display is just too small.