When iPadOS 26 arrives later this year, it will transform the iPad into a much more powerful device for professionals, whether they’re photographers or videographers. While PetaPixel has already reported on iPadOS 26, it is worth taking a closer look at one fascinating feature that may have flown under the radar: background tasks.
As CineD notes, when iPadOS 26 lands, it will enable users to perform background tasks on their iPad tablets. In the case of Apple’s native video editing app, Final Cut Pro, which is already great on iPad, and Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve, video editors should be able to render and export videos in the background while performing other tasks on their tablets.
While app developers will need to enable background task support for their software, which Blackmagic has not officially confirmed for its iPad video editor, the new feature promises to be transformative. Apple showed off the feature in action with Final Cut Pro during its WWDC keynote address.
“When users start a long-running process in an app, Background Tasks will show up with Live Activities, giving users complete control and a clear sense of what is running,” Apple explains. “And developers can use an updated Background Tasks API that allows users to perform long-running tasks from their apps, too.”
“For years an iPad could crunch high-bit-rate footage, yet the moment you switched away from Final Cut Pro (or any other app like DaVinci Resolve) the export froze,” CineD writes. “iPadOS 26 sets the stage to end that pain.”
Better still, this new feature will not be limited to only Apple’s highest-end, Apple Silicon iPad tablets. Instead, it will work on any iPad that supports iPadOS 26, which includes the 2018 A12X-powered iPad Pro to the latest M-series device. The complete list of iPad models compatible with iPadOS 26 is available on Apple’s website.
Being able to set the iPad on one task, like rendering a video export, while doing something else may not sound like a huge deal, but it really is for iPad users who have long wished the otherwise powerful tablet could behave more like a dedicated desktop computer. While iPadOS 26 may still stop short of turning the iPad into a full-blown Mac, which may very well be for the best, the OS update significantly narrows the gap between the two devices and makes the iPad a viable option for power-hungry professional users. Add in the revamped file management system, and photographers have plenty to look forward to as well.
Developers have access to iPadOS 26 beta tests now, and a public beta will arrive in July. The public release version of iPadOS 26 is expected to launch this fall.
Image credits: Apple
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