Rumor claims Apple is working on new iPad app window management feature

Source: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore

A new rumor claims that Apple is working on a new feature for iPadOS that could automatically detect a connected keyboard, shrinking your windows from full screen to make them more manageable.

The report comes from the Twitter account Majin Bu, a self-professed researcher who posts insight into Apple software. The account shared the first hands-on video of the new green iPhone 13 well before anyone else just last week, as well as leaking new upcoming iPhone cases prior to the Apple event last week.

From the leak:

Apple is developing a smart system for iPadOS. Apps will continue to open full screen but automatically shrink when connected to keyboard and trackpad. Internally it is called Apple Mixer. We don’t know if it will be included in iPadOS 16 or not, It should be M1 iPad exclusive.

As noted, this is purportedly a feature only for Apple’s M1 iPad, so the M1 iPad Pro (2021) and iPad Air, and might not be ready in time for iPadOS 16, expected to debut at WWDC later this year.

While you should definitely take the report with a pinch of salt, it could indicate that Apple is trying to make the keyboard and iPad experience more convenient and tactile for users, giving them better options for app and screen management beyond either Full Screen or Split Screen. Indeed, the image shared by the account seems to indicate floating windows more indicative of Apple’s desktop experience on its Mac lineup.

With the advent of Universal Control on iPad And Mac, rolled out officially early this week, Apple is doing more to blur the lines between the iPad and the Mac in terms of software and usability, a key criticism of the iPad lineup in recent years. Many of Apple’s best iPads have lots of power, but software that can’t really take advantage of all that juice. The new rumored feature, if indeed real, could be a great next step in terms of multitasking on iPad beyond the current options of Split View, Slide Over, and Centre window.