Apple wrapped the WWDC 2025, its annual developer conference. The company has announced big changes coming to all its major platforms, including the new liquid design interfaces.

iPadOS 26 Supported Devices

While iOS 26 received mixed opinions, iPadOS finally has useful feature additions after so many years, bridging the gap between iPadOS and macOS.

If you are unaware, Apple now includes a matching year prefix for all of its version updates, and this year’s update will have a 26 matching the 2026 year.

iPadOS 26 is already available as a developer beta, and it’s coming to older iPads. If you own an iPad and are wondering whether your device supports the latest iPadOS 26, here is the official support list.

iPadOS 26 official support list

iPad Standard Model

  • iPad 11th generation
  • iPad 10th generation
  • iPad 9th generation
  • iPad 8th generation

iPad Air

  • iPad Air 13-inch (M3)
  • iPad Air 11-inch (M3)
  • iPad Air 13-inch (M2)
  • iPad Air 11-inch (M2)
  • iPad Air 5th generation (M1)
  • iPad Air 4th generation (A14)
  • iPad Air 3rd generation (A12)

iPad mini

  • iPad mini 7th generation (A17)
  • iPad mini 6th generation (A15)
  • iPad mini 5th generation (A12)

iPad Pro

  • iPad Pro 11-inch (M4)
  • iPad Pro 11-inch 4th generation (M2)
  • iPad Pro 11-inch 3rd generation (M1)
  • iPad Pro 11-inch 2nd generation (A12Z)
  • iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation (A12X)
  • iPad Pro 13-inch (M4)
  • iPad Pro 12.9-inch 6th generation (M2)
  • iPad Pro 12.9-inch 5th generation (M1)

Related:

iPadOS 26 expected rollout timeline

Date
iPadOS 18 (2024) Timeline
iPadOS 26 (2025, Expected) Timeline
June 10/11
Announced, Dev Beta 1 released
Announced, Dev Beta 1 released
June 24
Developer Beta 2
No info
July 8
Developer Beta 3
No info
July 15
Public Beta 1
Public Beta 1 (around July 15)
Late July–August
More Dev & Public Betas
More Public Betas
Early September
Release Candidate (final beta)
Expected Final Beta
September
Official public release
Expected public release (Sept 16-25)

How to install iPadOS 26 on your iPad

If your iPad is in the support list, you can install the developer beta on your iPad. However, since it is a developer beta, the experience is super buggy, and I would recommend not installing it if your iPad is your primary device.

If you wish to continue and get access to the latest features, you can install the update by going to Settings > General Settings > Software Update > Beta Update and select iPadOS 26 Developer Preview. The update is about 10 GB in size.

Top 5 features coming to iPadOS 26

Liquid Glass Design

iPadOS 26 new design

Apple has announced a new Liquid Glass Design that overhauls the entire user interface for all major platforms.

While it received mixed opinions on iPhone, after spending some time with this new design on iPad Pro, it feels great on iPad.

Unlike iOS, iPadOS is very buggy and not as fluid as iOS 26. But you get a complete design revamp with glass and transparent design throughout the OS. The Control Centre feels a lot better on iPad compared to iOS 26; the animations are not as fluid as iOS, but since it is a developer beta, we expect things to get better in the near future. There are new icons, and Apple system apps get a complete revamp. Overall, the new design felt a lot better compared to iOS 26.

Better multitasking support on iPad

Better multitasking support on iPad

Finally, after years, Apple has finally brought windowing to iPadOS.

Now instead of opening 4 windows, you can place unlimited number of windows on the iPad screen without any limitations and each window can be resizable, has its own functions such as minimize, resize, close and more functions similar to macOS, and also gets menu bar and ability to add and manage folders to dock, almost replicating the macOS experience.

Run background tasks

Run background tasks

Another limitation that iPads had for years, despite having the same performance as Macs, is the limitation on background tasks.

While you can technically run background tasks with the Stage Manager on iPad, it’s still limited.

But Apple removed this background task limitation in iPadOS 26, meaning that now apps can run in the background without crashing.

So now you can upload files while the app is in the background, export videos if you are using a video editing software and more. You can also keep track of this background process in the Live Activities that are also coming to iPadOS this year.

Preview is coming to iPadOS

Preview is coming to iPadOS

Apple is bringing the popular and most loved Preview feature to iPadOS and iOS 26, which now lets you make edits to the files instantly and save them in any format you want. It is now available as a dedicated app on iPad.

3D math notes, Journal, and all-new Games app for iPadOS

New games app on iPadOS 26

Along with the core OS changes, Apple is also bringing the Journal app with Apple support to iPadOS 26, letting you finally save your thoughts using Apple Pencil.

Math notes in the Notes app are getting support for 3D objects, which you can visualize 3D graphs and objects natively inside the writing interface and interact with them.

And finally, a dedicated Games app to help you manage and discover all your installed games, connect with your friends, and see their progress inside the app.

Those are the 5 biggest changes coming to iPadOS 26 this year. This is the most exciting update for iPad in a long time, and it is truly a game-changer to take advantage of a large screen. There are also several other updates coming to iPad, and here is the complete change log.

iPadOS 26 Changelog

  • New Liquid Glass Design
  • Transparent, glass-like look across the system and apps
  • Updated Home Screen, Lock Screen, Control Center, and app icons with smoother animations
  • Mac-style Windowing System
  • Resize, move, tile, and close app windows freely
  • Exposé view to see all open windows
  • New menu bar at the top for commands and search
  • Split View and Slide Over are removed, and windowing replaces them

Apple Intelligence (AI features)

  • Live translation in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone
  • Create/edit emoji (Genmoji) and images (Image Playground) with AI
  • Smarter Shortcuts with new intelligent actions

Enhanced Files App

  • New list view with adjustable columns and collapsible folders
  • Customize folders with colors, icons, and emojis
  • Drag folders into the Dock
  • Choose default apps for file types

Preview App on iPad

  • Annotate PDFs and images
  • Use Apple Pencil or touch for sketches
  • AutoFill support for forms

Background Tasks & Audio/Video Tools

  • Run long tasks in the background with Live Activities
  • Select audio input per app/site; voice isolation and echo cancellation for clear recordings
  • Local capture lets you record video calls with high quality

New Apps & Features

  • Journal: write, draw, add photos/audio, view by maps
  • Games: unified app with live overlays, challenges, leaderboards

App Updates

  • Messages: polls, backgrounds, Live Translation
  • Calculator: math handwriting (Math Notes), 3D graphs
  • Photos: Library & Collections tabs, spatial 3D effects

Accessibility & Family

  • New Braille reader support
  • Improved reading options and motion cues
  • Better parental and communication controls
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