iPadOS 26 is a major upgrade for iPad productivity, but one of the new features that makes it the most Mac-like is buried inside Settings for the dock. Here are the details.
iPadOS 26 can keep showing dock even when working inside apps
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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