Apple has released iPadOS 26.1, the latest noteworthy software update for iPad. Here’s everything new.
iPadOS 26.1’s new features include Slide Over’s return
iPadOS 26.1 brings the return of a key multitasking feature that had been removed from iPadOS 26.0.
Slide Over is back. Now available alongside the existing windowing system, you can designate an app’s window as your ‘Slide Over’ window. Just use the ‘Enter Slide Over’ option hiding behind the green traffic light window control.
Your Slide Over window can be easily hidden out of sight and brought back in when needed. Hitting the shortcut ‘Globe key + \’ on a hardware keyboard quickly reveals or hides it.
The biggest advantage of Slide Over is that it floats above all other windows, so you can work inside any other app and still keep Slide Over on-screen.
In iPadOS 18, Slide Over let you add multiple apps in a single stack for easy switching. That’s no longer available, as the feature now limits users to a single app at a time. But on the plus side, the Slide Over window can now be resized to your exact preferences—that wasn’t possible before.
Beyond Slide Over’s return, iPadOS 26.1 includes these new features:
Liquid Glass debuts an optional new ‘Tinted’ setting to increase opacity
Music lets you swipe on the MiniPlayer to change tracks
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