iPadOS 26 makes major changes to how multitasking works via a new app windowing system. And Apple’s new system got a lot better for me after I changed one key setting.
‘Automatically Show and Hide Dock’ makes iPadOS 26 multitasking feel more Mac-like
In iPadOS 26, apps get an entirely new windowing system that works a lot like the Mac.
You can freely resize windows, overlap them, and do all the things that Stage Manager once tried to do, but couldn’t quite deliver.
The update also brings the menu bar to the iPad, with direct inspiration from the Mac.
But as great as those changes are, there’s another feature that might just make your iPad feel even more Mac-like than ever. And it’s tied to a new toggle found in Settings.
Inside the Settings app in iPadOS 26, the Multitasking & Gestures menu reveals a new option: ‘Automatically Show & Hide Dock.’
For Mac users, this toggle will be entirely familiar, but with a twist.
By default, macOS always shows the dock unless you choose to have it automatically hide. The other exception is when apps are in full-screen. So on Mac, the setting reads: ‘Automatically hide and show the Dock.’
On iPad though, things work a little differently.
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