iPad Users Furious Over Controversial iPadOS 26 Multitasking Changes

• iPadOS 26 has removed core multitasking features like Slide Over and the bottom app-switching bar.
• Users report that simple, one-swipe actions have been replaced with complex, multi-tap processes.
• The update is being criticized as a failed attempt to make the iPad more like a MacBook.
• Some long-time power users are so frustrated they are considering selling their iPads.

The recent release of iPadOS 26 has sparked a significant backlash among some of the iPad’s most dedicated users, many of whom claim the update has completely wrecked the multitasking experience. The core of the frustration stems from Apple’s decision to remove several long-standing, intuitive features in favor of a new, more complex windowing system that users are calling a major step backward.

The most lamented removal is Slide Over, the feature that allowed users to quickly pull up a second app in a floating window for quick interactions without leaving their primary workspace. What was once a single swipe now requires a cumbersome, multi-step process: users must return to the home screen, manually find and open the app, resize it into a floating window, and then manually minimize it again after use, breaking their workflow in the process.

Another major pain point is the removal of the horizontal bar at the bottom of the screen, which was the primary way to quickly swipe between different full-screen apps and Split View combinations. This fluid, muscle-memory gesture has been replaced by a system that forces users to pull up the app drawer or Exposé view and manually select the correct app arrangement, adding friction to a previously seamless action.

These changes are compounded by the loss of the versatile three-dot menu at the top of app windows, which provided instant access to manage different app instances and views. Like the other removed features, its functionality has been buried within other menus, turning simple one-tap actions into a more cluttered and less efficient experience for users.

According to those affected, the problem is not the addition of new tiling features, but the forced removal of a proven and beloved system without giving users a choice. The push to make the iPad function more like a Mac has, in the eyes of many, stripped away the touch-first simplicity that made the device unique and powerful in its own right.

The sentiment among this vocal group is that Apple should have enhanced its newer Stage Manager system while keeping the traditional Split View and Slide Over intact. Instead, the current implementation feels broken to many. With workflows built over years now completely dismantled, some long-time fans are so disappointed with the new direction that they are seriously considering abandoning the iPad platform altogether.