Apple reportedly will make meaningful improvements to the Stage Manager multitasking feature in iPadOS 17. Tweaks and additions include support for streaming multiple audio/video sources simultaneously, external monitor webcam support and more.
These changes should make Stage Manager much more useful, especially when connecting your iPad to an external monitor.
iPadOS 17 might focus on improving Stage Manager’s external display support
Leaker @analyst941, who previously shared several tidbits about iOS 17, claims Apple is working on some big Stage Manager changes for iPadOS 17. Below is a list of improvements Apple apparently plans to bring to the new multitasking interface:
- External monitor webcam support
- Streaming multiple audio/video sources simultaneously with Stage Manager enabled
- Resizable dock in the external display
- Change the audio output source
- Put iPad’s display to sleep while the external display stays on
The addition of external monitor webcam support will be handy, especially if you use your iPad with Apple’s Studio Display.
Since Stage Manager is also available on the Mac, many of these enhancements could also come to macOS.
Stage Manager suffers rocky start
Apple introduced Stage Manager as a new multitasking system in iPadOS 16 that finally brought floating, resizable app windows to iPads. However, users widely criticized the feature due to its somewhat confusing nature. This led Apple to delay Stage Manager’s release, as it improved the desktop-management feature based on user feedback. Apple initially even limited the feature to M1 iPad. But following criticism, it opened the interface to older iPads as well.
Stage Manager is primarily meant for use when you connect your iPad to an external monitor, allowing you to run up to eight apps simultaneously. However, you can enable the new interface on your iPad even when not using an external display.
You can go through our guide on how to get started using Stage Manager on iPad if you have not tried the new multitasking system yet.
