IPadOS 26
iPadOS 26 is the seventh major release of Apple's iPadOS operating system for the iPad. It was announced on WWDC25 on June 9, 2025, and released on September 15, 2025. The direct successor to iPadOS 18, it was announced alongside iOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, visionOS 26, and tvOS 26—all of which introduced the "Liquid Glass" design language. The version number—26, for 2026—reflects Apple's shift to a model-year nomenclature for its operating systems.
iPadOS 26 only runs on iPads with Apple's Neural Engine. It dropped support for exactly one iPad, becoming the third version to do so and the first since iOS 11. It was the first iPadOS version to drop support for an iPad with a 10.2-inch display.
New features and changes
Design language
iPadOS 26 introduced a new design language, the first since iOS 7, dubbed "Liquid Glass". Many UI elements are more transparent, similar to visionOS.UI
A new optional windowing system replaced the Split View and Slide Over introduced in iOS 9, creating a similar experience to macOS. Apps are freely resizable, with "traffic light" controls akin to macOS that allow a user to minimize an app, close it, or make it full-screen. Window tiling options are also available when flicking windows to edges of the display or using new tiling options. A macOS-style menu bar is also available by swiping down on the top of the display. The new system is powered by a new windowing engine that optimizes window rendering by analyzing which windows are being actively used. This allows the new windowing system to be available on all iPads that support iPadOS 26, while also allowing more windows on the screen at once.Due to being revamped to use the same internal architecture, the existing Stage Manager is now supported by all iPads that support iPadOS 26, instead of only models with M-series chips and A-series iPad Pro models with iPadOS 18 support.
Journal
The Journal app, previously available only on iOS, now has a dedicated iPadOS and macOS version, with the iPadOS version having support for the Apple Pencil stylus.Preview
iPadOS 26 now has a Preview app, similar to its equivalent on macOS, with Apple Pencil support to enable features such as markup.Local Capture
iPadOS can now separately record high-quality video and audio streams while using applications like video conferencing, which can be shared or used in editing applications for podcasting. The local capture is encoded as an MP4 file, using HEVC video and FLAC audio.Supported devices
iPadOS 26 requires an A12 chip or later. It drops support for the 7th-generation iPad, which has an A10 SoC.The 3rd-generation iPad Air is the only supported iPad with a 10.5-inch display, while the 5th-generation iPad Mini is the only supported iPad with a 7.9-inch display. Both of these, along with the 8th gen iPad are the supported white bezel iPads that run iPadOS 26.
Apple Intelligence requires an Apple M1 or Apple A17 Pro processor or newer.
iPads that support iPadOS 26 are:
| Device | Chipset | Release year | Supported | Apple Intelligence support |
| iPad | A12 | 2020 | ||
| iPad | A13 | 2021 | ||
| iPad | A14 | 2022 | ||
| iPad | A16 | 2025 | ||
| iPad mini | A12 | 2019 | ||
| iPad mini | A15 | 2021 | ||
| iPad mini | A17 Pro | 2024 | ||
| iPad Air | A12 | 2019 | ||
| iPad Air | A14 | 2020 | ||
| iPad Air | M1 | 2022 | ||
| iPad Air | M2 | 2024 | ||
| iPad Air | M3 | 2025 | ||
| iPad Pro | A12X | 2018 | ||
| iPad Pro | A12Z | 2020 | ||
| iPad Pro | M1 | 2021 | ||
| iPad Pro | M2 | 2022 | ||
| iPad Pro | M4 | 2024 | ||
| iPad Pro | M5 | 2025 |