Apple Rolls Out iPadOS 26 Beta 6 With Key New Features

Apple is now ramping up the development of iPadOS 26 with beta 6 ahead of its official release a month from now. This version continues to tweak the general experience, as Apple is not only changing the visual language of iPadOS with Liquid Glass, but also adding more multitasking and productivity features.

One of the biggest changes available with iPadOS 26 that Apple continues to tweak with beta 6 is a new windowing system, which is another option for Stage Manager. While the latter continues to be exclusive to models with the M1 chip or newer, everybody now can enjoy multiple windows opened up at the same time. In addition, Apple now finally lets tasks run in the background, so if you're exporting a video or downloading a document, you can continue to work in a different app while the tablet handles the rest.

A little tweak that was made in a previous version was the addition of a Mac-like cursor. When using a Magic Keyboard or a third-party trackpad or mouse, you can shake it back and forth rapidly to make the cursor bigger temporarily.

One of the highlights of iPadOS 26 beta 6 is the new Preview app. It makes it easier to sign documents, edit a PDF, and sketch. The Files app has been improved with new view columns and the ability to change the color of the folders. The Shortcuts app is now powered by AI, so you can take advantage of Apple Intelligence there, including creating your own chatbot.

Speaking of Apple Intelligence, Apple also added new Image Playground styles powered by ChatGPT, fresh Genmoji capabilities, and improved Writing Tools thanks to updated models. Finally, users have other Mac-like capabilities, such as new buttons to minimize, maximize, and close apps, and a new menu with options to manage the app, such as "File," "Edit," "Window," and more.

Alongside iPadOS 26 beta 6, Apple has released the sixth beta versions of iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26.