Unhappy with the newest OS 26 upgrade

First, perhaps understand the Apple Support Community is a user-to-user technical forum. Contributors here are all end-users, just like you. Other than the site Moderators, Apple neither monitor nor participate here. As such, if you hope to reach Apple through these forums, you will be disappointed.

Apple does invite submission of constructive comments, feedback and feature requests via its Product Feedback portal:

Feedback - Apple

As for Liquid Glass, iOS/iPadOS 26.1 introduced a new setting that subtly charges its appearance:

Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass - select Clear or Tinted

Sadly, for iPad, this new setting makes very little difference for those that struggle with both the appearance and overlapping screen elements introduced with Liquid Glass - an issue that is often not understood by those that don't have or regularly use an iPad. While iOS for iPhone and iPadOS for iPad are closely related, some features can have substantial differences in how they appear on related devices.

If you are experiencing difficulty with the new Liquid Glass UI, there are other settings that can significantly improve the appearance and suppress the majority of unwanted effects:

1. Settings > Accessibility > [Vision] Display & Text Size > Reduce Transparency - set to ON
2. Settings > Accessibility > [Vision] Display & Text Size > Increase Contrast - set to ON
3. Settings > Accessibility > [Motion] Reduce Motion - set to ON

Each if these settings can be used individually, or in combination. Setting Reduce Transparency alone (1) will likely suppress the majority of your issues. The Reduce Motion setting (3), if used, will eliminate the "lensing" effects of the Liquid Glass UI. Experiment; you should find a combination that works for you.

I suggest that you begin with setting Reduce Transparency to ON - and then, if needed, experiment with additional use of one or more of the other options.

NB: The new Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass setting can only be changed/toggled while Reduce Transparency is set to OFF. You might find that setting Liquid Glass to Clear, prior to enabling Reduced Transparency to ON, may give the best result.

Liquid Glass is here to stay - and will likely evolve throughout the lifespan of iOS/iPadOS 26. Hopefully, Apple will provide additional controls with which to selectively eliminate some aspects of the new UI to better meet the functional and visual needs of the wider user population. Liquid Glass is very "pretty" - but for some is arguably form over function, reducing legibility and usability.

Continued...

Your comments concerning unnecessary "bubbles" perhaps refers to the revised multitasking capabilities and controls.

Multitasking

Apple has enhanced its documentation to reflect the new multitasking capabilities and controls. To better understand the changes, I recommend that you start with the video introduction here - and then read the remaining explanations:

Multitask on iPad with iPadOS 26 - Apple Support

iPadOS multitasking has received a significant makeover from that to which you may be accustomed in iPadOS 18.x and earlier - and may take a little time to learn and adjust your workflows. You would be well advised to review the official iPadOS User Guide and the many available online tutorials (such as YouTube) to become better acquainted with the new multitasking interface and associated gestures and controls.

Work with multiple windows at once on iPad - Apple Support

OS - iPadOS 26 - Apple

The three-dot multitasking button with which you are no doubt familiar from earlier versions of iPadOS has been replaced with the traffic-light button to access and control the revised window-based User Interface.

If you dislike the windowed environment, you can switch to using the basic Full-Screen App mode - but this disables all multitasking capabilities and hide the traffic-light controls; you will not be able to use split screen or slide-over modes with which you are likely familiar:

Settings > Multitasking & Gestures - select Full Screen Apps

Apple invite submission of constructive comments and feature requests via its Product Feedback portal. If you would like Apple to reconsider recent changes, or alter the appearance or function of the multitasking controls, this would be the most appropriate and effective path to having your voice heard:

Feedback - iPad - Apple

Update to iPadOS 26 should not materially impact the performance of your iPad. That said, subsequent to update, the iPad will initially be running a lot of background administrative processes such as re-indexing the system and downloading additional software assets - during which the iPad may appear sluggish until the background housekeeping concludes. Nominal performance should return with a few days.

If your iPad is not operating as expected following update to iPadOS 26, try a forced-restart - as this will often clear an isolated or post-update software issue:

Force restart iPad (models with Face ID or with Touch ID in the top button)

If your iPad doesn’t have the Home button, do the following:

1. Press and quickly release the volume button nearest to the top button.
2. Press and quickly release the volume button farthest from the top button.
3. Press and hold the top button.
4. When the Apple logo appears, release the top button.

If a problem persists after performing the restart, it may be necessary to reset your iPad settings. While this reset will not cause any loss of data, as a precaution, it is always wise to ensure that you have a current iCloud or iTunes backup before performing the reset:

How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

When you are happy to proceed, you can perform the reset from iPad settings:

Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad > Reset > Reset All Settings

If the problem still doesn’t clear, the next step is to reset the iPad to factory settings:

Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings - Apple Support

Otherwise, you would be best advised to seek assistance directly from Apple Support. You can contact the Support Team using the Support link at top-right or bottom-left of this page. Alternatively you can initiate and manage your support cases using the excellent Apple Support App. If not already installed on your iPad, the App can be downloaded from the App Store:

https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-support/id1130498044

You might also visit the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store or Apple Authorised Service Provider (AASP) - where the technicians will be able to assist with troubleshooting:

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple