Tech Friday: Learning to be more productive with iPadOS 26.1 Windows and SlideOver features
Posted By RichC on November 21, 2025
I’ve been using an Apple iPad the same way for nearly the past decade or so (yikes, 2011); using it has been pretty much a habitual rut for me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy using every iPad for reading, browsing, note taking (typing as I don’t have an Apple Pencil) and answering emails … but when it comes to “computing” … it is always back to my computer. For me that means a desktop set up, even when using the MacBook Air M2 from a few years ago or my modified but aging iMac from 2012 (has it been that long)?
Recently I updated the iPadOS to 26 and then 26.1 and started wondering just what new tools could be available that I might want to use. Sizable windows could be helpful; even on a small screen … which brings me back to using windows on a tiny blue mono-color screen on a Mac SE (mid-1980s). The current trick for me is to size and position them so that I can touch any corner and bring a window and therefore, an app, to the forefront. For me the screen is still a little to small on my 11” iPad to work side-by-side .. or often even in a downsized window (side-by-side has been available for a while but I’ve never used it),
Another helpful feature besides “windows” is the SlideOver feature which pins a small app to either side and with a flick of the finger can be brought to the front and then flipped back off to the side and hidden — see the calculator in the above example.
Now I’m sure true iPad aficionados would cringe at how I use an iPad, but for me it is handy enough for reading, researching, note taking (typing) or just answering messages and emails when away from the desk. As they say … YMMV. 😉
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