iPadOS 26 will ‘completely revamp multitasking,’ add new Preview app: report – 9to5Mac

WWDC is days away, and Mark Gurman has published a comprehensive new report on what to expect. Here’s what he had to say about iPadOS 26 changes coming, including a major multitasking revamp, new Preview app, and more.

iPadOS 26 to bring major multitasking overhaul, new Preview app, possible keyboard requirement

Gurman’s new report says that Apple is “completely revamping multitasking features on the iPad to be more Mac-like.”

While he has previously shared that a macOS-inspired software update was coming, this language of a complete revamp indicates Apple may entirely replace some of the existing multitasking systems in iPadOS.

He adds that the new multitasking features might even require users “to be hooked up to a keyboard and trackpad,” meaning certain functionality may not be available at all when using an iPad in ‘tablet mode.’

Unfortunately, Gurman doesn’t get into the specifics of what these multitasking changes will be. For example, he doesn’t address prior rumors about the iPad gaining a Mac-style menu bar.

There is one big new feature revealed for iPadOS and iOS 26 though: a Preview app is coming.

Gurman, writing for Bloomberg:

Apple is bringing its longstanding Preview app from macOS to iPadOS and iOS for the first time, giving iPad and iPhone users an in-house solution to PDF management, annotation and editing. The software looks similar to the Mac version, and its launch screen is in the same style as apps like Pages and Keynote. It includes a big logo on the top portion of the screen advertising the Preview name and a gallery of document options below it. The app will be preinstalled rather than launch via the App Store.

9to5Mac sources corroborate the addition of the Preview app and more advanced file management features coming in iPadOS 26.

Overall it sounds like the Preview app will essentially pull together a lot of existing features, such as from Quick Look, into an improved one-stop feature hub.

I’m excited to see what Apple has in store for us, and hope this time it can get iPadOS multitasking just right.

What are you expecting from iPadOS 26 multitasking? Are you excited to get a Preview app? Let us know in the comments.

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• AirPods Pro 2 (now only $169, down from $249)
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