iPadOS 26 Brings Mac-like Productivity, Enhanced AI, and Liquid Glass Design to Your iPad

Your iPad is about to receive a significant upgrade with the release of iPadOS 26, and it's completely free. Announced during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025, iPadOS 26 aims to provide users with a more seamless and intuitive experience across all Apple devices. Apple has aligned the version numbers of all its operating systems—iOS, watchOS, macOS, VisionOS, and tvOS—to simplify the user experience and make it easier for consumers to keep track of updates. iPadOS 26 will launch to the public in September, and here are the top four features I'm eager to explore: 1. Mac-like Productivity Experience iPadOS 26 introduces a suite of enhancements that bring the iPad user interface closer to that of macOS. These changes significantly improve productivity and app management on the iPad, areas that have previously been less intuitive compared to the Mac. Key improvements include: Window Management: Users can now resize, move, minimize, and tile windows, similar to the functionalities on a Mac. This allows for more efficient multitasking and app switching. Expose View: A new Expose feature provides a bird’s-eye view of all open windows, making it easy to manage multiple applications simultaneously. Flicking Movement: Tiling windows with a simple flicking gesture adds a smooth and dynamic feel to window management. Menu Bar: The addition of a menu bar makes navigating menus and commands more accessible and familiar to Mac users. 2. Enhanced AI Features While the main focus of WWDC 2024 was on Apple Intelligence, this year's updates are more about enhancing the user experience rather than introducing groundbreaking AI features. However, the AI enhancements are still impressive and contribute to a more integrated and intuitive interface. Some notable AI features include: Natural Language Processing: Improved text recognition and prediction capabilities. Smart Search: More refined search algorithms that help users quickly find what they need. Personalized Recommendations: Enhanced suggestions for apps, content, and settings based on user behavior. 3. New and Updated Apps Apple has not only enhanced existing apps but also introduced new ones to enrich the iPad experience: Games App: A redesigned Games app offers a more engaging and user-friendly interface, with curated game collections and personalized recommendations. Preview App: A new Preview app allows users to preview documents, images, and links without opening them fully, similar to the Quick Look feature on macOS. 4. Liquid Glass Visual Redesign The visual overhaul in iPadOS 26 is perhaps one of its most striking changes. Apple’s Liquid Glass design introduces a set of transparent layers that react dynamically to user movements and actions, creating a more fluid and immersive visual experience: Translucent App Icons: Customizable app icons with a new translucent look add a modern aesthetic to the home screen. Dynamic Notifications: Notifications now feature a more dynamic and translucent appearance, enhancing the overall visual appeal. Parallax Wallpaper: Using advanced computer vision, iPadOS 26 creates the illusion of depth and movement in wallpapers, making the background visually alive and responsive to touch and scrolling. These updates promise to transform the iPad into a more versatile and user-friendly device, aligning it closely with the capabilities of the Mac and enhancing its appeal as a productivity tool. iPadOS 26 is set to launch in September, and users can look forward to a comprehensive and seamless upgrade.