How can I allow Split View on my iPad running iPadOS 26?

Sja_321 wrote:

I certainly agree. It is far more complicated now and takes a lot longer to figure out simple things like being able to swipe up to close the apps. I wish the three dots were still at the top. They were straightforward, quick, and easy to use.

The three dot button to control multitasking is still present - but is visually now a traffic-light button. These are illustrated within my earlier reply to this thread; once understood, controlling App windows using the button is straightforward - and using it will become second nature as you become accustomed to this revised control.

The button location has changed. Instead of being top-centre of the App window (a location which frequently conflicted with controls for many third-party Apps - of which regular complaint was seen here), the button is now at top-left of App windows that are not being viewed in full screen mode.

For Apps that are being viewed in full screen mode, a simple downward swipe from the top-edge of the screen reveals the new menu bar - where the button is located at the left.

Remember, for iPadOS 26, you have a configuration choice to use Full Screen Apps only, use Windowed Apps, or Stage Manager mode as you prefer:

Settings > Multitasking & Gestures - select your preferred multitasking mode

Apple invites constructive feedback, comments and feature requests via their product feedback pages. For iPad and iPadOS:

Feedback - iPad - Apple

If you would like to see additional multitasking options or controls in a future version of iPadOS, this would be the most appropriate channel through which to make a request.

Really, so many keystrokes, and figuring out how many fingers to use to do this or that, and exactly where to place them is becoming overly complicated and frustrating.

The iPad User Guide is a rich and frequently overlooked resource that documents the many features and capabilities of iPad. The User Guide can be accessed here:

iPad User Guide - Apple Support

The Tips App, installed by default, provides a brief introduction to new features and capabilities of iPad and iPadOS 26 - and leads you to the User Guide. In case you missed it, here is a link to the Tips App:

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/tips/id1069509450

Apple also has a huge YouTube Channel - containing videos and feature guidance:

https://www.youtube.com/user/Apple

[Edited by Moderator]

I’m not sure what your stake in this is, but I have no idea why you keep directing people to a post you made that doesn’t address the issue at all. Did you ever use the feature pre-iOS26?

The new 3-dot button isn’t the same as the old one, it’s the equivalent of the macOS window controls and only lets you maximise, hide, or close the window. The friction now is that you used to be able to just drag an app to the side or tap the 3-dot button and choose side-by-side and have it snap into split-screen view automatically but now have to either manually resize and move both windows or swipe down and choose to snap each window through a menu once for each of the two windows you want to have up side-by-side.

The flick (but don’t drag!) gesture to snap windows is so unintuitive that I imagine most people won’t even know it exists, you’d only discover it by accident.

This is a tablet device OS that now has a more cumbersome window manager than both Windows and macOS do; it's a bad change to have made without leaving in the equivalent drag-snap functionality that we’ve had and loved for years. What reason would anyone have for having a window only partially open with the Home Screen visible behind it? Apple had it right already.

See After updating my iPad to iPadOS version … - Apple Community on the split screen problem.

iPadOS multitasking has received a significant makeover from that to which you may be accustomed in iPadOS 18.x and earlier - and may take a little time to learn and adjust your workflows. You would be well advised to review the official iPadOS User Guide and the many available online tutorials (such as YouTube) to become better acquainted with the new multitasking interface and associated gestures and controls.

Work with multiple windows at once on iPad - Apple Support

OS - iPadOS 26 - Apple

While the previous Slide Over view has been retired, Split View remains - although it is accessed differently. You can have two or three App windows side-by-side - or a spit the screen into four quadrants.

To access, assuming that the current App window is not maximised; touch-and-hold the traffic-light icon at top-left of the App window to expose the Fill & Arrange options:

The current App window will move aside, allowing you to open another App; the selected view will open the selected Apps in their own windows - which can be resized laterally, as before, by dragging the divider to left or right.

If the App window is already maximised, swipe downwards from the top-edge of the screen to expose the new menu bar - then use the traffic-light icon as described above.

alexander287 wrote:

The new stage manager is absolutely frustrating .

I use my ipad for work and use two Apps on screen everyday and most of the time. But now my fast workflow is much slowed down.

Please Apple. Go let the user decide if they want Split View or the new Stage Manager.

Here is a great example that shows how complicated the new Stage Manager is compared to the old Split View.

https://youtu.be/spOPvD6R53g

This is a user-to-user technical community. Contributors here are all end-users, just like you. Other than the site Moderators, Apple neither monitors nor participates within this Community. As such, your comments here will not be seen by Apple.

Apple invites submission of constructive comments and feature requests via its Product Feedback portal. For iPad and iPadOS:

Feedback - iPad - Apple

As for your difficulty with Split Screen, please see my earlier replies to this thread. Once the revised controls are understood and practiced, using Split Screen is both straightforward and quick. While your initial frustration is fully understood, persevere a little...

Just like you, I initially found the new controls to be a hinderance. With a little practice, learning how to use the three-dot traffic light button and how the windows will simply snap to either edge of the screen with a simple flick, the new system is as intuitive as it is powerful. 🙂

facest wrote:

I’m not sure what your stake in this is, but I have no idea why you keep directing people to a post you made that doesn’t address the issue at all. Did you ever use the feature pre-iOS26?

The new 3-dot button isn’t the same as the old one, it’s the equivalent of the macOS window controls and only lets you maximise, hide, or close the window. The friction now is that you used to be able to just drag an app to the side or tap the 3-dot button and choose side-by-side and have it snap into split-screen view automatically but now have to either manually resize and move both windows or swipe down and choose to snap each window through a menu once for each of the two windows you want to have up side-by-side.

The flick (but don’t drag!) gesture to snap windows is so unintuitive that I imagine most people won’t even know it exists, you’d only discover it by accident.

Yes, I use iPadOS multitasking features heavily - and have done so ever since its initial very cumbersome implementation some years ago. iPadOS multitasking has developed over the years, latterly introducing the three-dot button at top-centre of App Windows...

The iPadOS 17/18 multitasking control implementation that you seemingly favour also had its fare share of just criticism - a common complaint being that the fixed button location interfered with, or was too close to, other screen elements, making many Apps difficult (or impossible) to use. A further criticism was the very limited window resizing and positioning when using Stage Manager - availability of this feature being limited to only the more powerful models of iPad and iPad Pro with adequate resources.

Apple has significantly reworked multitasking to address many of the earlier limitations of the entire OS, making the iPad significantly more flexible and multitasking available over a wider spread of iPad models. Yes, it is arguably true that the revised multitasking trigger-button now requires an extra tap or two to access some of its capabilities.

Split Screen is, as you have described, a little more complex to efficiently master. As with all prior implementations of iPadOS multitasking, you can expect the new controls and capabilities to evolve and morph over the lifespan of iPadOS 26.x - at least one such change being anticipated in the not so distant future.

Apple does invite submission of constructive feedback, comments and feature requests via its Product Feedback portal. If you have any feedback to offer, or changes that you might like to see in a future update of PadOS 26, this would be the most appropriate channel through which to communicate your thoughts to Apple:

Feedback - iPad - Apple

For the record, I use iPad and iPadOS heavily - choosing the flexibility and portability of iPadOS in preference to more traditional laptop and desktop computing platforms. iPad (in particular iPad Pro) has evolved into true alternative to Mac and Windows PC. While there are still a small number of tasks and usage cases that do not translate well to iPad, they are in the increasing minority.

Returning to your first question...

My stake in this? I - like all other contributors here - am an end-user. Other than using Apple's product, I have no direct affiliation with Apple. Yes, like you, I have frustrations with iPadOS - but look deeper at the many advantages and benefits of the vastly improved capabilities of this platform bought by iPsdOS 26.

As with every major version release that comes before it, the early release comes with some problems that will be worked-out in the early dot-releases; while speculative, if consistent with prior versions, iPadOS 16.1 and 16.2 are perhaps likely to have worked-out the initial kinks and functional issues, benefiting from feedback (such as yours) from the many millions of users worldwide.

I encourage you to experiment and work with the new interface. With practice, it becomes second nature. Provide constructive feedback to Apple as already suggested; while you are unlikely to receive a reply, we understand that all feedback is logged, analysed and forwarded to the relevant areas of Apple and its Development teams.

I certainly agree. It is far more complicated now and takes a lot longer to figure out simple things like being able to swipe up to close the apps. I wish the three dots were still at the top. They were straightforward, quick, and easy to use. It's also not so easy to maximize the app you're on once you are finished multitasking. Really, so many keystrokes, and figuring out how many fingers to use to do this or that, and exactly where to place them is becoming overly complicated and frustrating. Sometimes, less "help" is better than more. When a new feature is introduced, it would be thoughtful of Apple to give you the choice of using it or not using it, and a simple toggle to either use it or not to use it.

my Org used "Split Screen" in iPadOS18 and its continued use is needed going forward of multiple apps.

Im fully aware of the changes in iPadOS26, but Im very confused by the following.

• There is still a SHORTCUT standard for Split screen.
• If that is utilized, there is a different behavior of the shortcut
  • If in STAGE MANAGER, the shortcut opens the two apps defined in the shortcut properly
  • If in WINDOWED mode, then a strange behavior of various apps open with use of the shortcut.

I was surprised that when in the WINDOWED mode, the apps defined in the shortcut are NOT constantly called to the screen

Thoughts?

The new stage manager is absolutely frustrating .

I use my ipad for work and use two Apps on screen everyday and most of the time. But now my fast workflow is much slowed down.

Please Apple. Go let the user decide if they want Split View or the new Stage Manager.

Here is a great example that shows how complicated the new Stage Manager is compared to the old Split View.

https://youtu.be/spOPvD6R53g

onlyeji wrote:

It no longer allows us to screenshot from the corner option when you’re on a multi-task window. It was really helpful for me as a student, since it was quick and easy. :( I hope this gets fixed.

For iPadOS 26, to avoid conflict with window resizing, the corner swipe gesture with your finger is inhibited when using the Windowed Apps and Stage Manager multitasking modes - but remains available using the Full Screen Apps mode. In all modes, the corner-swipe gestures are accessible when triggered with an Apple Pencil.

Totally agree I recently just update my iPad to the newsoperating system it is a nightmare and I can tell you I hate it. I love the split review. This is what I used. I pay for easy to have a two Windows side-by-side. I can study techno lesson music and watch TV but now everything is getting so complicated and I still don't know what the **** the difference between stage management and the wi. I hope just get worse and worse. They turn iPad into a computer so what is different between iPad and Mac Air . I think a lot of people will get rid of iPad and switch the Samsung, which offer much much better product activities and currently there's no difference between an iPad and MacBook.

boxuanfromhalifax1 wrote:

Totally agree I recently just update my iPad to the newsoperating system it is a nightmare and I can tell you I hate it. I love the split review. This is what I used. I pay for easy to have a two Windows side-by-side. I can study techno lesson music and watch TV but now everything is getting so complicated and I still don't know what the **** the difference between stage management and the wi. I hope just get worse and worse. They turn iPad into a computer so what is different between iPad and Mac Air . I think a lot of people will get rid of iPad and switch the Samsung, which offer much much better product activities and currently there's no difference between an iPad and MacBook.

Split View still exists - and with a little practice, the new controls become second nature. Perhaps reading the guidance provided in my earlier replies to this thread will help to clarify how multitasking features are accessed in iPadOS 26.

We humans often resist change, but we must evolve - just as commercial products will evolve to maintain relevance in the marketplace. You are of course able to choose the device (and Operating System) that best meets your needs - including those that you perceive to be "simpler" and easier to use. Be mindful that other manufacturers devices may also evolve over time.

Apple invites submission of constructive comments and feature requests via its Product Feedback portal. If you would like to see the ability to use the earlier/simpler multitasking features with which you are accustomed, this would be the most appropriate channel to make you voice heard.

For iPad and iPadOS:

Feedback - iPad - Apple

I just have to go on record to say the new multitasking option and missing 3 dots for split screen is VERY ANNOYING!!!

As a multitasking person, this recent update does not make the multiple screens easier at all!

It’s awkward and creates more steps.

There should be an option to have the split screen like it used to be!

Im all in for upgrades, but only if they make sense and don’t cause more frustration!

Nathan Jones2 wrote:

Split view does NOT exist. I just checked the guidance.

Split View surely does exist in iPadOS 26/26.0.1 - and as of release of iPadOS 16.1 today, Slide Over View has also been restored.