Over the last few months, I’ve become engrossed in the new window tiling feature introduced with iPadOS 26. Among all the new productivity enhancements in this update, this one seems poised to genuinely challenge the dominance of the MacBook. While it’s true that the usability of iPadOS 26 far surpasses anything I’ve experienced with the iPad Pro in the past eight years, I often found myself frustrated with switching between apps, as they would eventually become too hard to locate.
Naturally, I can select them from the Dock or get a clean slate by swiping up twice. Nevertheless, the feature I found myself longing for the most was the capability to develop multiple desktops for separating different applications. For instance, I would like to have Apple’s Notes app and Safari on one desktop, Mail, Messages, and Slack on another, along with my photo editing software on its dedicated desktop. Even though I still believe Apple should incorporate Mac-like desktops into the iPadOS 26 window tiling experience, I recognized that Stage Manager already provides this.
By reverting to Stage Manager, I ultimately discovered a way to effectively manage all of my apps. I can arrange my frequently used apps across different desktops, and that’s when it dawned on me: Window tiling isn’t the feature that makes iPadOS 26 a multitasking marvel. Rather, it’s all the additional enhancements that Apple introduced in iPadOS 26 — particularly these new features and improvements:
– **Overhaul of background apps:** Even if an app is running in the background, it can still export a video, download a file, or carry out a task. This capability was absent in iPadOS 18.
– **Preview app:** The new Preview app simplifies the process of editing a PDF, signing a document, or sketching an image. We’ve already taken this app for a test drive, and it truly makes a significant impact on iPadOS 26.
– **Files app:** The Files app has received an updated list view, the option to resize columns, and the ability to personalize the color of folders. Now, every opened document directs to Preview, which is incredibly easy to navigate.
– **Mac-style menus and buttons:** iPadOS 26 introduces Mac-style menus, meaning every app features the familiar “Files,” “Edit,” “Format,” and “View” options at the top of the screen. Plus, there are new buttons available to minimize, maximize, or close an app.
– **Apple Intelligence:** Apple has enhanced integration with ChatGPT, providing on-screen awareness when utilizing Apple’s AI alongside OpenAI models. More AI functionalities are also on the way for the tablet.
While Apple could eventually combine window tiling and Stage Manager into a unified experience — assuming the company resolves the issue of absent desktops — users will likely switch between these two multitasking features after upgrading to iPadOS 26 before ultimately choosing one. Although everyone should experiment with window tiling prior to reverting to Stage Manager, the latter may prove to be the superior choice for the majority of users. After two months, I still assert that Stage Manager is the optimal method to fully utilize the 13-inch display of the M4 iPad Pro.
That being said, I wouldn’t advise using Stage Manager on the Mac, as the original experience is already satisfactory. However, for the iPad, Apple has done an exceptional job of providing various methods to view and interact with each of your open apps. Additionally, a convenient menu can assist you in resizing your apps if you find it challenging to organize them on your screen.
With this in mind, if you’re opting out of the iPadOS 26 public beta, now is the perfect time to take your iPad and Magic Keyboard out of storage and give them another shot. iPadOS 26 truly transforms everything.
