Earlier today, Apple released iPadOS 16.1, developer beta 3, which adds Stage Manager support for 2018 and 2020 12.9” iPad Pros as well as the 11” iPad Pro. However, external display support will remain an M1 iPad-only feature that will be released in a future iPadOS update later this year.
In a statement to Engadget reported by N. Ingraham, Apple said:
We introduced Stage Manager as a whole new way to multitask with overlapping, resizable windows on both the iPad display and a separate external display, with the ability to run up to eight live apps on screen at once. Delivering this multi-display support is only possible with the full power of M1-based iPads. Customers with iPad Pro 3rd and 4th generation have expressed strong interest in being able to experience Stage Manager on their iPads. In response, our teams have worked hard to find a way to deliver a single-screen version for these systems, with support for up to four live apps on the iPad screen at once.
External display support for Stage Manager on M1 iPads will be available in a software update later this year.
In preliminary testing of the update, our Federico Viticci says that the latest beta also clears up many of the bugs users have experienced:
Well, well. Just used Stage Manager on the latest iPadOS 16 beta for 30 minutes for normal work stuff.
– No crashes whatsoever
– App switcher scrolling is fixed
– Edge swipe gestures are fixed
– Smoother animations all aroundIt feels *much* better. We’re getting there? 🤞
— Federico Viticci (@viticci) September 27, 2022
It’s excellent to hear that Apple is expanding the availability of Stage Manager based on the feedback from iPad users. I’m also glad to hear that iPadOS has stabilized. I’ve been using my iPad Pro more often lately and, like many others, have run into frequent crashes and visual glitches in the iPadOS 16.1 betas. It shouldn’t be too much longer before iPadOS 16.1 is released publicly.