For me, the most frustrating change in iOS 26 is how the new Preview.app overrides Quick Look in the Files.app. This has gotten so frustrating that I was nearly ready to delete Preview entirely in order to restore the old behavior.
But after much searching I finally found a solution: Press and Hold a file, tap Open With, then scroll to the very bottom of the app list and choose “Preview with Quick Look”.
This will set set Quick Look as the default for all files of the same type!
There are several UX blunders in Apple’s implementation of this, making it unexpected and difficult to discover, but at least a solution exists.
He’s referring to the Files app for iOS and iPadOS. Prior to xOS26, there was no Preview app for these OS’s. So, opening a file via the Files app used the more rudimentary Quick Look function. Now that a mobile Preview app exists, the default has changed to using the mobile version of Preview. He provided a method to restore the prior behavior.
Hi David - thx for the tip, I used to navigate via the menus, and I am now tapping the spacebar, it’s so simple - I need to review many (could be 80) PDFs a day and this will save me so much time. Really appreciate your comment.
I accidentally deleted the Photos App earlier this year, and was able to restore it by swiping all the way to the right – to the screen “App Library” – and searching for Photos. It had the “Download from Cloud” icon, and I was able to restore it.
(Edit to add: for some reason, this has long confused me. The screen “App Library” is the rightmost screen on my iPhone, but to reach it, one must swipe one’s finger from the right to the left. So is that swiping right? or swiping left? I obviously haven’t had enough coffee)
This is a great tip! I knew about adding apps back from the App Store, but not this way.
To add to this, since we are talking about the Preview app on an iPad, by default the right-most icon on the dock on an iPad is the App Library. I don’t have my iPad with me, so I can’t see for sure if this behavior is duplicated on iPadOS.
I call it swiping left, but perhaps a better description is swiping from right to left.
Well it’s not just the new behavior but… Apple installs a new app that takes over some functionality and doesn’t bother to explain it on device. The first time I encountered it I was also flummoxed at what it was: some kind of apparent interface with files app at the bottom, some curvy-cornered Preview App title and “scan document” or “new document” buttons, and some hidden curvy-cornered imagaery window behind it. Like, what the heck is that? It was the first time I’d encountered Preview and I couldn’t make out what that jumble of stuff was. No question mark icon to explain anything.
Preview on the Mac is much nicer and I was looking forward to using it on the “i’s” but… hm.
Don’t worry too much. Apple will eventually realise its mistake and restore QuickLook as it was. I do wish Apple would fix its software and app issues and hold back these ‘enhancements’ until the issues are fixed.
Not to defend Apple, rather to remind users that, iOS and recently MacOS have included the Tips app which seems to be the place Apple shares details of new and changed stuff. For example on an iPhone running 18.6.2 the Tips app leads the landing page with an iOS 26 preview, but just below that is a Get Started segment and a What’s New - in iOS 18 item.
Spending a bit of quality time in Tips upon moving to a new OS is probably worthwhile if you don’t enjoy being blindsided by some of the more jarring or unexpected changes. I know I should do this more often than I’ve done thus far, but tend to ignore/forget.
unfortunately this does noch work for Preview.APP, but thanks