iPadOS 26 brought an all-new multitasking experience to the iPad, but it came at the cost of Slide Over, an omission that proved controversial among iPad users. It also removed key Split View features as well.
With iPadOS 26.1, Apple responded to some of that feedback and added a new version of Slide Over back to the iPad.
Now, Apple has released iPadOS 26.2 beta 3 and it gives Slide Over and Split View on iPad another improvement.
iPadOS 26.2 adds a key new Slide Over and Split View feature
In the initial implementation of Slide Over in iPadOS 26.1, Apple covered the basics. You can use the green traffic light window control to put an app in Slide Over mode. That window then floats on top of your other windows, and can easily be hidden when needed. Split View is activated the same way.
One key feature that’s missing, however, is the ability to drag an app out of the dock to enter Slide Over or Split View mode.
In iPadOS 26.2 that functionality has been restored. You can now drag an app from your iPad’s dock or Spotlight results to quickly put it in a Slide Over or Split View window.
When you drag the app icon, the window preview morphs to indicate whether you’re placing it in Split View, Slide Over, or a full window. This is very similar to the iPadOS 18 implementation of the features.
Slide Over is still missing features like the ability to have a stack of multiple apps. It also still requires that you use the new windowing mode in iPadOS 26, so it doesn’t work in Full Screen Apps mode.
That said, iPadOS 26.2 is a huge step in the right direction for people still longing for the pre-iPadOS 26 implementation of Slide Over and Split View. It’s also great to see Apple responding to feedback at such a fast pace.
... continue reading