iPadOS 26.1 Brings Back Multitasking Feature That Never Should Have Been Removed

With iPadOS 26, Apple finally gave iPad users the one thing that they’ve been asking for: desktop-like multitasking. Finally, you could resize and move app windows anywhere on your iPad’s homescreen, similar to how you can on macOS or Windows. But the software update came with one downside: it removed a beloved multitasking feature that had been introduced for iPads in 10 years ago.

I’m, of course, talking about Slide Over. The multitasking feature was introduced for iPads in 2015, so long ago that iPadOS was still called iOS; Slide Over was part of iOS 9. With Slide Over, you could open an app as one that floated on top of a full-screen app or two apps in Split View. The feature was fundamental for juggling multiple apps on the iPad.

So when Apple removed it altogether in iPadOS 26, people got big mad. Why would Apple nix a perfectly good feature, but keep the widely disliked Stage Manager? Whether Apple heard feedback or just came to its own senses, Slide Over is now back as part of the iPadOS 26.1 update that dropped yesterday.

To bring Slide Over back, you first need to make sure your iPad, running the iPadOS 26.1 update, is in “Windowed Apps†mode. You can check this by going into the Settings app, then down to “Multitasking & Gestures.†There are three multitasking modes: Full Screen Apps, Windowed Apps, and Stage Manager. Make sure it’s not in the other two modes.

Then open up an app, press and hold the traffic light icons in the upper-left corner, and then tap “Enter Slide Over.†Now, the app will still float above another app or split-screen apps, but it can be hidden to the left or right of your iPad’s screen with a swipe. To exit Slide Over, just press and hold the traffic light icon and tap “Exit Slide Over†to revert it back to a regular resizable window.

The new Slide Over also has a small upgrade: the Slide Over app can be resized from full height. Previously, you could only resize an app horizontally in Slide Over mode.

Overall, it’s nice to see the multitasking feature return. I had asked Apple about it at WWDC, and was surprised that it had been removed. I was told that the new Windowed Apps mode was a better replacement. Clearly, iPad owners disagreed.

Lately, it’s felt like Apple has lost its focus when it comes to software releases. Liquid Glass has its fans, but generally, it seems the UI has been a disaster from a legibility point. In iOS 26.1, Apple added a “tinted†setting for Liquid Glass that darkens the glassy and reflective interface to increase the opacity and add more contrast. It doesn’t totally revert iOS 26 back to its pre-Liquid Glass days, but it does make things literally easier on the eyes.

Apple can spin these additional settings as providing iPad users with more choice, but longtime users may feel like the company is adding and removing features without rhyme or reason.