iPadOS 26 public beta 1 is out. After a bit more than a month of beta testing for developers, Apple has now released the first glimpse of this upcoming operating system update to a broader audience. If you’re willing to try this update before it’s actually available to everyone later this fall, we’ve got a list of the top iPadOS 26 features you should be using.
Of course, the first thing you should do is check out the new Liquid Glass design. This is the first time Apple has completely revamped how the iPhone and the iPad look since iOS 7. You’ll notice that the Lock Screen, Home Screen, Control Center, app icons, and more look slightly different than they used to, featuring a unique transparency.
José Adorno for BGR
Besides the new design, you should start taking advantage of the new windowing system. Forget about Stage Manager, Split Screen, and Slide Over, as you can now add as many open windows to your Home Screen as you’d want. What makes this feature even better is that you can have apps running in the background, so you can export a video while scrolling through social media. Earlier this month, we penned an article instructing iPad owners on how to master iPadOS 26’s new multitasking capabilities.
iPadOS 26 brings even more to public beta testers
For Apple Pencil users, Apple created a new Preview app which lets you edit sketches, PDFs, and images. With that, you don’t need to use the Files app to sign a document or make changes to content. The company says this software was built to use with the Apple Pencil, which is very nice for those who spent the money on the Apple accessory.
On the Apple Intelligence side, users can take advantage of the new Shortcuts app, which can even create a real AI chatbot without using ChatGPT. However, if you prefer the OpenAI option, you should know that it now has onscreen awareness. ChatGPT can actually see what’s on your screen, and it can now help out by searching for information, helping you solve a math problem, and more.
Alongside iPadOS 26 public beta 1, Apple has also released the first test versions of iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26. We’ll let you know if we find any other interesting upgrades or additions in the public betas.
