iPadOS 26.2 RC

This update enhances the new windowing system introduced in iPadOS 26 with familiar drag and drop gestures for tiling app windows and creating a Slide Over window. It also includes enhancements to Apple Music, Podcasts, and Games, as well as other features, bug fixes, and security updates for your iPad.

• Multitasking gestures to quickly tile windows or place an app in Slide Over by dragging app icons from the Dock

• Favorite Songs playlist appears in Top Picks on the home tab
• Offline lyrics for downloaded songs so you can view them without an internet connection

• Automatically generated chapters make it easier to navigate episodes
• Links to mentioned podcasts let you see and follow other podcasts mentioned in the episode you’re listening to directly from the player and transcript

• Filters in the Games library let you find games by category, size, and more
• In-game challenge score banners provide real-time updates when someone new has taken the lead
• Improved support for connected controllers such as Backbone and Razer

• Additional Lock Screen time customization option lets you further adjust its appearance, giving the Liquid Glass material more or less opacity
• Alarms for Reminders help you stay on top of urgent tasks, and provide snooze and Live Activity support if you’re not ready to check the reminder off
• AirDrop codes offer an additional layer of verification when using AirDrop with unknown contacts by providing a code on the receiver’s device that the sender must enter to complete the transfer
• Apple News Section links at the top of the Today feed offer easy navigation to popular topics like Sports, Politics, Business, and Food
• Multipack accessory pairing in the Home app lets you use the same setup code to easily enroll multiple accessories when sold together
• Flash for alerts in Accessibility Settings offers the additional option to have the device screen flash when you receive a notification
• Tables in Freeform can hold text, images, documents, and drawings, with cells that intelligently resize to fit, bringing structure to the infinite canvas
• Fixes an issue where pre-release albums in the Apple Music library were not immediately playable at their release time
• Fixes an issue where a Privacy and Security setting may incorrectly be marked as managed by an enterprise organization.

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit: https://support.apple.com/100100

Some features may not be available in all regions or on all iPad models. To learn more, please visit: https://apple.com/ios/feature-availability/

Software updates, like this one, add new features and improvements that may affect performance and/or battery life. To learn more, please visit: https://support.apple.com/125039