After overhauling the multitasking experience in iPadOS 26 by introducing window tiling and advanced background processing, Apple is gradually restoring some beloved features from previous iPadOS versions. In iPadOS 26.1, Apple brought back Slide Over—a feature that lets you keep an app floating in front of all others. To activate Slide Over, users tap the three-button menu, long-press the green window control icon, and select “Enter Slide Over.” This makes it convenient to keep apps like videos, AI chatbots, or Notes persistently accessible while working within other apps.
Now, with iPadOS 26.2 Beta 3, Apple has reintroduced another key multitasking capability: drag and drop for apps. This feature, highly valued by users, had been removed in the initial release of iPadOS 26. Beta testers running iPadOS 26.2 Beta 3 can quickly switch between apps by dragging them from the Dock, Spotlight Search, or App Library and dropping them onto the home screen or into multitasking views.
The restored drag-and-drop functionality greatly enriches the multitasking experience. When at least one app is open on the home screen, users can drag other apps into different multitasking layouts, including Slide Over. Dragging an app to the middle of the screen allows opening windows in various sizes. Apple has added useful visual cues signaling whether the app will open on the left or right side or in Slide Over mode. Moreover, thanks to iPadOS’s improved background app management, existing apps in Slide Over or tiled views remain open even when replaced by new apps, enhancing workflow continuity.
Though Apple may continue refining drag-and-drop before final release, its return marks the restoration of one of the most intuitive and efficient multitasking methods on iPad—a feature once central to iPad productivity. This update, alongside the return of Slide Over, signifies Apple’s commitment to bringing iPad multitasking closer to the flexibility and power of macOS, pleasing users who rely heavily on multitasking workflows.
This revision sharpens the explanation of how the features work, highlights the user benefits more clearly, and uses polished, engaging language for readability and impact. The content is factually detailed, reflecting the latest iPadOS 26.2 Beta 3 improvements on drag and drop multitasking and Slide Over
