This is not bad news at all, because the new iPadOS 26 update has a far superior windowing system in place.
iPadOS 26 Introduces a Far More Robust Multitasking System, Ditches Split View and Slide Over in Favor of the New One
Apple has implemented a new windowing system with iPadOS 26 that is a mix of the traditional Split View, Slide Over, and Stage Manager.
However, Stage Manager still remains exclusive to iPad Air and iPad Pro in iPadOS 18 since it allows you to create dedicated stacks of apps, and it supports external displays.
With iPadOS 26, Apple is bringing Stage Manager to all iPads as well, not just iPad Pro and iPad Air.
What makes the new windowing system great is the amount of apps you can have open at the same time on the display – there’s no limit to it at all.
With the new windowing system in place, Apple has dropped the age-old Split View and Slide Over multitasking options.
But, you can still do ‘Split View’ and ‘Slide Over’ using the new system by dragging and adjusting app windows to your liking.
Since Apple has included the horizontal traffic lights from the Mac to iPad as well, it gives you multiple options for resizing, tiling and arranging app windows too.
Just press the ‘green’ traffic light button, and it will show you several options for window tiling options on the screen. Just choose the one that fits you best and away you go with your multitasking on iPad.
Sure, this is something that will definitely take a while to get used to, especially if you have been living your entire life around the Split View and Slide Over modes, like I have.
But I’m confident the benefits of this new system will outweigh the initial inconvenience users are going to face.
If you are feeling adventurous and want to test out the new windowing system in iPadOS 26, you can download the first developer beta on your iPad today.
