In a significant move, Apple has expanded its popular Live Activities feature to the iPad and Mac for the first time with the highly anticipated iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe updates.
Originally launched on the iPhone 14 Pro, Live Activities offers users real-time updates from apps, including tracking a food delivery status, or sports scores, without opening any of them.
Live Activities feature
On iPadOS 26, Live Activities will be associated with the latest feature dubbed as Background Tasks.
Until now, iPad apps were limited from running processes once they were no longer in the foreground.
With iPadOS 26, however, intensive background activities such as large file exports or processing-heavy tasks can continue running, and Live Activities will update users about its progress.
To note, it’s a highly anticipated enhancement that significantly improves the capabilities of the iPad, offering an intuitive and seamless user experience.
Meanwhile, macOS Tahoe integrates Live Activities via improved iPhone integration.
Expanding on last year’s iPhone Mirroring in macOS Sequoia, this update allows users to see Live Activities from their iPhones straight in the Mac’s menu bar.
It offers real-time updates to users, such as a sports score, and more without even attending to their phone.
In addition, once you tap the Live Activity, it will launch the iPhone Mirroring app, offering users direct access to the app.
