Apple has quietly removed one of the most useful multitasking features from iPadOS 26: the ability to use Slide Over with Sidecar. The change means you can no longer run a Mac app through Sidecar and an iPad app side by side on the same screen. It is a small but significant shift in how iPad and Mac integration works, and it has frustrated users who relied on the feature for serious multitasking.
What Slide Over Did
Slide Over was more than a convenience. It let you layer an iPad app over a Mac app streamed through Sidecar, creating a compact, dual-environment workspace. You could write notes while editing in Final Cut, reply to messages while sketching in Illustrator, or drag files between apps without switching screens.
For many users, this setup turned the iPad into a true hybrid device: a tablet, a sketchpad, and an extension of the Mac desktop all at once. Removing Slide Over breaks that seamless workflow. Now, you must choose between using Sidecar or accessing iPad apps in multitasking mode.
Apple’s Silent Documentation Change
The removal was not announced during WWDC or detailed in release notes. Instead, Apple updated its support documentation and quietly deleted any mention of Slide Over from its Sidecar guides. Even the original Sidecar Technical Brief, a PDF that explained how to use iPadOS features like Split View and Slide Over alongside Sidecar has disappeared from Apple’s website. The document was once public but now only exists in archives.
This subtle cleanup suggests Apple wants to redefine how users see Sidecar: as a secondary display tool rather than a multitasking bridge. The iPad can still switch between apps while using Sidecar, but true split functionality is gone.
If you’re trying to recreate a similar multitasking setup, here’s a detailed guide on how to use Split Screen on iPadOS 26 to make the most of the new layout.
Users are mad
Many longtime iPad and Mac users see the removal as a step backward. For people who built workflows around Slide Over, its absence means they now need separate screens or devices to achieve the same level of productivity.
Some see the move as part of a larger shift. Apple appears to be pushing Sidecar toward a simpler, more controlled experience rather than a fully flexible one. Others believe this is a temporary removal and expect the feature to return in a future update, possibly rebranded and promoted as a new capability during a future WWDC.
What You Can Do Now
If Slide Over was essential to your workflow, your options are limited:
- Use an older iPadOS version: Devices that cannot upgrade past iPadOS 18 still support Slide Over with Sidecar.
- Split tasks across devices: Use one device for Mac apps via Sidecar and another for iPad apps.
- Send feedback: Apple’s official feedback portal is the most direct way to request the feature’s return.
Bigger Picture
Apple’s decision to quietly retire features is not new. It often removes capabilities without notice and then reintroduces them later with new branding or deeper integration. Whether that happens here remains to be seen.
Slide Over made the iPad a far more capable multitasking tool, and its absence changes how power users interact with macOS and iPadOS together. To understand how multitasking has evolved, check out this breakdown of what changed in Split Screen with iPadOS 26 and how it compares to previous versions.
For now, Sidecar still expands your workspace, but it no longer lets you blend the best of both platforms on a single screen. If Apple wants to keep the iPad relevant to creative professionals and heavy multitaskers, restoring that flexibility might be the next step.
