Explore iPadOS 26 Now: Top 5 Features You Must Check Out First!

The public beta for iPadOS 26 is now available, inviting users to explore the latest enhancements designed for top-tier iPads. This update is significant, so it’s advisable to gear up before jumping in.

Having tested iPadOS 26 for a month, I can affirm that it represents a major improvement. It not only rolls out the Liquid Glass design language, which will also appear in iOS 26, macOS 26, and watchOS 26, but it also introduces features that bring the iPad experience closer to that of the best MacBooks. Add to this the array of productivity enhancements and updates to Apple Intelligence, and it’s clear that iPadOS 26 has much to offer.

For those who have enrolled in the iPadOS 26 public beta and are eager to discover what the new OS has in store, here are some features to explore first.

The most noticeable aspect of iPadOS 26 is the Liquid Glass design. While this new aesthetic is less pronounced on iPads compared to iPhones, where it’s quite striking, you can still make it prominent if desired.

In the customization submenu on the Home screen, there’s a new “Clear” option. Selecting this removes all color from apps, rendering them transparent. This effect can be overwhelming, especially if your wallpaper features vibrant colors that obscure the visibility of your apps and widgets. However, with a suitable background, the transparency can look impressive. Experimenting with Liquid Glass is highly recommended.

Previously, I discussed how the new windowing system in iPadOS 26 could revolutionize productivity. Having used it extensively, I can now confirm that it is incredibly beneficial for those looking to replace their MacBook with an iPad or use it as their primary work device. While it may not be flawless, it marks a significant advancement in productivity on the iPad.

The new system allows for closing, minimizing, resizing, and tiling windows as needed. This feature has been tailored for the iPad screen, enabling users to easily snap windows into place with a simple swipe. A useful detail is that any app you’ve resized will reopen in the same position and size each time.

There are several new apps included in iPadOS 26, such as Games, Preview, Journal, and Phone. While some might argue that apps like Journal and Phone are not entirely new, they are new to the iPad, which counts for something. The Games app organizes your installed games for easier access and launch. The Journal app, borrowed from the iPhone, is particularly effective on the iPad, especially when used with an Apple Magic Keyboard.

Preview allows you to view, edit, and mark up PDFs and images either with the Apple Pencil or by touch. You can access all your PDFs and images in the Files app from Preview, create a blank page, draw and write on it with Apple Pencil, and use AutoFill for PDF forms.

The Phone app enables you to make and receive calls on your iPad, turning the old joke about iPads being just large iPhones that can’t make calls into only a half-truth.

The macOS menu bar has been integrated into iPadOS 26 and works just as effectively. It features the familiar red, yellow, and green circles for closing, minimizing, and maximizing windows, respectively. These controls can be accessed by swiping down or moving the cursor upwards.

Introducing a Mac-like menu bar to the iPad feels both odd and natural. It’s strange seeing it on an iPad, but its functionality mirrors that on Macs, making it another productivity-enhancing feature worth exploring.

Image Playground on iPadOS 26 has been enhanced with expanded features and capabilities, including the option to have ChatGPT generate images. This gives you access to a variety of visual styles such as oil painting, watercolor, anime, and more.

However, the effectiveness of using AI to create images can vary. While the ChatGPT-powered Image Playground can produce images swiftly, they may not always be accurate, as demonstrated by an image depicting an inaccurate Manhattan skyline.

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