Highlights: PDF Reader & Notesv2026.1.1

What changed

• New featureDark appearance for PDFs with smart content handling that preserves images and annotations
• UXAuto Dark setting to synchronize PDF appearance with system settings
• RetentionNew onboarding flow
• PlatformSupport for iOS 26 and iPadOS 26
• PerformanceBattery life conservation via dark appearance mode

Reception

Original release notes

Dark appearance for PDFs! Smart content handling gives your PDFs light text on a dark background without changing images and annotations. This can reduce eye strain and improve readability in dark environments while conserving battery life. To try it out: open a PDF document and go to Settings from the More menu in the top right corner, then set Auto Dark as your Appearance. The setting is also available in the menu bar on iPad under View. The Auto Dark setting will automatically match the PDF appearance to the system appearance. No more glaring white pages in Dark Mode!

The new dark appearance for PDFs requires a device running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 set to Dark Mode.

Minor improvement:
- New onboarding flow