What's New With Multitasking in iPadOS 26.2 - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

What's New With Multitasking in iPadOS 26.2

With the third beta of iPadOS 26.2 that came out yesterday, Apple made some useful updates to the way that multitasking works on the iPad.

Watch on YouTube
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.

iPadOS 26.1 brought back Slide Over, one of the main multitasking views from iPadOS 18 that was removed in iPadOS 26. In iPadOS 26.2, Slide Over works more like it did before, and there are also useful new options for replacing apps in a tiled view.

When in Windowed or Stage Manager mode in iPadOS 26.2, you can drag and drop apps into various multitasking views, including Slide Over. Apps can be dragged over from the Dock, Spotlight search, or App Library.

Drag an app to the left or right side of the display to enter a tiled view that's similar to Split View. Drag an app further left or right to establish it as a Slide Over app. There are visual indications that let you know when an app is in a left, right, or Slide Over position.

If you have a Slide Over window open or apps in a tiled view, you can drag another app over the top of the existing one to put the new app in its position. You still can't stack multiple apps up in Slide Over, but at least you can now drag apps into place like you could in iPadOS 18.

Popular Stories

Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Smart Home Hub to Feature iMac G4-Style Design

Wednesday September 30, 2026 4:36 am PDT by
Apple's long-rumored smart home hub will have an iMac G4-style design and a host of unique features, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. The smart home hub is said to feature a square 6-inch display, with variants that can be placed on a countertop or mounted on a wall. It features a single FaceTime camera on the front, with microphones and speakers in its connected base. Gurman described the...
HomePod minis on gradient feature 1 1

Three New Apple Smart Home Products Coming on October 13

Wednesday September 30, 2026 4:04 am PDT by
Apple plans to introduce a series of new smart home products on Tuesday, October 13, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple reportedly plans to debut its long-awaited smart home hub device, a new HomePod mini, and a new Apple TV on the date. The new HomePod mini and Apple TV are set to retain their existing designs, but tout faster chips to support Siri AI. The new HomePod mini will...
iPhone Duo Open

iPhone Duo Reportedly Facing Production Problems Ahead of Launch

Tuesday September 29, 2026 6:16 am PDT by
The iPhone Duo is reportedly facing production difficulties ahead of its October launch, with early output expected to be limited. A person said to be close to Foxconn's supply chain told China's Jiemian News that final assembly yields for Apple's first foldable iPhone were only slightly above 60% as of September 17. The source said that, under Apple's current quality standards, it could...

Top Rated Comments

11 months ago
Multitasking on ipad is such a mess. It's so insanely complicated with a million ways to do very similar things for no reason.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
beautyहमempty Avatar
11 months ago
final drag and drop again. I can’t even believe they got rid of that. Despite the more macOS like features, they could have simply kept slide over, drag and drop apps and Split View
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pdaholic Avatar
11 months ago
I’m actually using my iPad again after installing this beta. If we can get multiple apps in slide over again, I’ll be content.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
11 months ago
This really is a great bring-back. The best of the old and the best of the new. The new broom may sweep cleaner, but the old broom knows the dirt.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
baryon Avatar
11 months ago
The only thing I really hate is that you can accidentally resize full screen windows if you drag from any corner. This also disabled the drag-from-corner shortcuts that I used a lot. In iOS 18, you could use the corner shortcuts as well as split view and slideover. Now if you want to use corner shortcuts you have to completely disable multitasking. And if you use multitasking, you have this whole mess of a billion ways to multitask, when realistically on an iPad Mini I NEVER want to resize windows. I just want split view and slideover, and nothing else. With all these complex interaction modes, it would not be a huge deal for Apple to just add adjustments to how deep you want to multitask. I don't want the menu bar, the corner resize and the traffic lights, because they're too small to use and too easy to accidentally invoke.

Now you can drag down from the top right corner to do control center, drag down from the top left to do notification center, drag down from the top middle for the menu bar, drag either corner diagonally to resize... it's a bit too much. And turning off multi tasking means I lose the one thing I like: slideover.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zach-coleman Avatar
11 months ago
This entire situation is basically the worst possible case scenario I could have imagined in the past years when people were begging to make the iPad more Mac like. They ripped out the system for touch and replaced it with one that’s clunky and annoying without a mouse. I don’t know why they had to completely toss out the old system that was working fine if they’re going to provide three options anyways.

If an app supports the new system, it also supports the old system, because it’s just a way for the OS to resize apps to a given size. There’s not much 3rd party complication here, it’s mostly on Apple.

I am super happy that the people who wanted the iPad to have more mac-like features got what they wanted. But to me it is a tablet, I just want to do tasks that require 1-2 apps on it, and easily be able to get in and out of that. The old system was elegant bordering on perfect, even this new attempt still has a large amount of friction. The reason I typically like Apple software is because they avoid these kinds of pain points. If they don’t get serious about fixing this I probably will not buy another iPad, and it used to be my second favorite Apple product line.

I am downloading the beta now to try it, I will amend my post if I’m wrong. The video seems to imply it still requires thinking about windows far more than I have any interest to when using an iPad.

—

Edit after trying: It’s better than the video made it look. It’s still worse than it was before but tolerable now. (Buggy, rotating into portrait seems to banish the non-focused window to be inaccessible.) HUGE step in the right direction. I could see them refining this into something at least as good given a few more updates. New annoyance is you can’t do the swipe from left edge back gesture, that triggers it trying to resize the window even if it’s on the left side of the screen.

Opening a new app from the dock just places it “on top of” the Split View which is also annoying. Hopefully they don’t leave it here.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
AT&T Acknowledges iPhone 18 Pro Max Issues: 'Update Immediately'
AT&T Acknowledges iPhone 18 Pro Max Issues: 'Update Immediately'
2 hours ago
New 'AirFly Drive' Accessory Turns Wired CarPlay Into Wireless CarPlay
New 'AirFly Drive' Accessory Turns Wired CarPlay Into Wireless CarPlay
7 hours ago
Apple Shares Photos Shot on iPhone Duo
Apple Shares Photos Shot on iPhone Duo
9 hours ago
Apple Says iPhone Duo Has Replaceable 'Cover Layer'
Apple Says iPhone Duo Has Replaceable 'Cover Layer'
10 hours ago
Apple's Smart Home Camera Will Apparently Have 'No Video Recording'
Apple's Smart Home Camera Will Apparently Have 'No Video Recording'
12 hours ago
Apple TV Just Updated Its Selection of 'Bonus' Movies
Apple TV Just Updated Its Selection of 'Bonus' Movies
13 hours ago
iPhone 18 Pro Colors Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Choose?
iPhone 18 Pro Colors Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Choose?
14 hours ago
Early Prime Big Deal Days: Best Discounts on Accessories, TVs, and More at Amazon
Early Prime Big Deal Days: Best Discounts on Accessories, TVs, and More at Amazon
14 hours ago
MacBook Pro With OLED Touch Screen Rumored to Launch in October or November
MacBook Pro With OLED Touch Screen Rumored to Launch in October or November
15 hours ago
Apple's All-New Home Hub Rumored to Launch in These Four Colors
Apple's All-New Home Hub Rumored to Launch in These Four Colors
16 hours ago
iPhone 18 Pro Aperture Control Goes Fully Manual in Halide 3.2
iPhone 18 Pro Aperture Control Goes Fully Manual in Halide 3.2
17 hours ago
Apple Stores Receive 'Do Not Open' Boxes Ahead of Smart Home Products Launch
Apple Stores Receive 'Do Not Open' Boxes Ahead of Smart Home Products Launch
18 hours ago
iPhone 18 Pro Sales Jump in China Ahead of iPhone Duo Launch
iPhone 18 Pro Sales Jump in China Ahead of iPhone Duo Launch
18 hours ago
Apple TV Still Down for Some Users Following Apple Services Outage
Apple TV Still Down for Some Users Following Apple Services Outage
19 hours ago
PSA: Apple Mail on Mac May Stop Syncing Microsoft 365 Accounts Today
PSA: Apple Mail on Mac May Stop Syncing Microsoft 365 Accounts Today
19 hours ago
Apple's Smart Home Hub: Everything We Know So Far
Apple's Smart Home Hub: Everything We Know So Far
1 day ago
Apple's Home Hub Borrows From the iPhone Duo's StandBy Mode
Apple's Home Hub Borrows From the iPhone Duo's StandBy Mode
1 day ago
Apple Invites App Updated With Three New Features
Apple Invites App Updated With Three New Features
1 day ago
Apple Event on October 13?
Apple Event on October 13?
2 days ago
Apple Watch SE 3 vs. Series 12 Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Buy?
Apple Watch SE 3 vs. Series 12 Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Buy?
2 days ago
iPad Mini 8 to Offer These 10 New Features
iPad Mini 8 to Offer These 10 New Features
2 days ago
DoorDash Unveils AI Food Ordering Through Apple's Messages App
DoorDash Unveils AI Food Ordering Through Apple's Messages App
2 days ago
Amazon Takes Up to $150 Off Select M5 MacBook Air Models
Amazon Takes Up to $150 Off Select M5 MacBook Air Models
2 days ago
Apple Still Plans to Release a New Full-Sized HomePod
Apple Still Plans to Release a New Full-Sized HomePod
2 days ago
Apple Working to Expand HomeKit
Apple Working to Expand HomeKit
2 days ago
Apple Smart Home Hub to Feature iMac G4-Style Design
Apple Smart Home Hub to Feature iMac G4-Style Design
2 days ago
Three New Apple Smart Home Products Coming on October 13
Three New Apple Smart Home Products Coming on October 13
2 days ago
Apple Pay Now Available in India With Axis Bank Cards
Apple Pay Now Available in India With Axis Bank Cards
2 days ago
OpenAI Launches Always-On 'Dots' Agents to Rival Meta's Muse
OpenAI Launches Always-On 'Dots' Agents to Rival Meta's Muse
2 days ago
AirPods 5 Teardown: Batteries Removable, Case Still Tough
AirPods 5 Teardown: Batteries Removable, Case Still Tough
2 days ago

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors