Check Out iPadOS 15's New Multitasking Features - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Check Out iPadOS 15's New Multitasking Features

iPadOS 15 includes most of the new changes that were introduced in iOS 15, but there are also some iPad-specific features designed specifically for Apple's larger-screened iOS devices. One of these new features is an update to multitasking, which we've highlighted in our latest YouTube video.


Multitasking can be done the same way as it was before, but there's also a new multitasking menu that streamlines the multitasking experience, offering quick-tap options for entering into Split View or Slide Over with two apps. In the App Switcher view, you can also get into a quick Split View mode by dragging one app's window onto another, which is handy.

Apple also added a "Shelf" feature for managing multiple windows of the same app, so if you have multiple Safari windows, you can use the Shelf to swap between them for multitasking purposes.

There are multiple keyboard shortcuts that are available for multitasking to make it easier to swap between windows without your fingers having to leave the keys. Many of the shortcuts use the Globe key on an attached keyboard.

These new multitasking features will take some time to get used to, but overall this seems to make multitasking more intuitive to use. Have you tried iPadOS 15? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Related Forum: iOS 15

Popular Stories

iPhone Handoff iOS 27 Feature

T-Mobile to Charge $5 a Month for iOS 27 iPhone Handoff

Thursday September 10, 2026 3:58 pm PDT by
T-Mobile will charge customers $5 per month to use iPhone Handoff, an e-SIM feature that allows the same phone number to be used on two separate iPhones. iPhone Handoff requires carrier support, and at launch, only T-Mobile users in the U.S. and Deutsche Telekom users in Germany will be able to use it. T-Mobile says customers can use their number across two compatible iPhone models and...
iphone duo

IMAX Reacts to iPhone Duo's 1:1.4 Aspect Ratio Displays

Friday September 11, 2026 4:42 am PDT by
Production theater company IMAX has responded in a mixed way to Apple's embrace of a 1:1.4 aspect ratio on the iPhone Duo's inner and outer displays. The boxier ratio happens to be very close to the classic "full-frame" IMAX 1.43:1 aspect ratio, which comes from the geometry of the company's original 15-perforation/70mm film system. In response to an X post from someone wondering if we'll see...
iOS 27 Feature Dark

Apple Announces iOS 27 Release Date

Wednesday September 9, 2026 10:46 am PDT by
At its event today unveiling the iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5, Apple Watch Series 12, and more, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released later this month. iOS 27 has already been available as a developer beta since June and as a public beta since July, and Apple today said that the update will be released for all users with a compatible iPhone model on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 is...

Top Rated Comments

oneMadRssn Avatar
69 months ago
The problem is this isn't "new multitasking." All the issues and limitations of multitasking that have existed since iOS9 are still there.

This is certainly a UI improvement, and I like that there are more visual cues and less reliance on learning swipe-gestures. But this solves none of the reasons that people felt limited by multitasking on iPad.

Specifically, the maximum number of concurrent apps is still just two (three if you count the slide-over which has it's own usability challenges) and only in limited space configurations. But the bigger issue is there is no way to run a computationally or network intensive process in the background indefinitely. It is not true multitasking if important processes have to be kept in the foreground in order for them to complete.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LFC2020 Avatar
69 months ago

It looks so simple. I like it.

Apple needs to introduce more finger gestures.
Took a lot of courage releasing iOS 14 again.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kiensoy Avatar
69 months ago
I really wanted the option for split view to be top/bottom apps when in portrait. 😔
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69 months ago
better than before, but still an awful implementation. there's a better way of doing multitasking that's more productive.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
69 months ago

It looks so simple. I like it.
Sarcasm?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheDailyApple Avatar
69 months ago

Took a lot of courage releasing iOS 14 again.
People when Apple stuffs a bunch of new features into an update:

“Why can’t Apple move to a biyearly update schedule or focus only on stability and speed every other year? This release is so buggy. I miss snow leopard!”

People when Apple doesn’t introduce many new features (which generally results in a more stable release):

“Apple can’t innovate anymore, they’re letting their platform stagnate. I’m switching to Android/Windows.”
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)