what is the new icon on ipad after OS26 and how do i get rid of it

You appear to have enabled the Hover Text feature. Many have observed that this feature has been unexpectedly enabled by the iPadOS 26 upgrade.

Hover Text is simply disabled from iPad settings:

Settings > Accessibility > [Vision] Hover Text > Hover Text - set to OFF

try

Odd icon on iPad main screen that locks t… - Apple Community