It’s no longer necessary to have the M1-iPad in order to test Stage Manager, Apple’s Stage Manager feature. (Image Source: Apple)
Apple‘s Beta versions of iPadOS 16 are currently available to users who have accepted iPad variants . One of the most popular characteristics of the brand new operating system that is available for iPad is its Stage Manager feature, which allows users to multitask more efficiently across multiple applications simultaneously. The feature was available only on iPads with the company’s internal M1 chip However, that’s changed with the latest iOS 16.1 Beta update.
The update also adds Stage Manager to iPad models older than, which means devices such as those with the Non-M1 11.2-inch iPad Pro as well as an 12.9-inch iPad Pro can now be able to use Stage Manager. But, according to an article by the XDA Developers the devices must to be of the third generation or better.
This stage Manager feature is not available (for currently) on older iPads, and support limited for up to 4 apps at once as opposed to the standard eight apps are available on the M1 iPad. The older iPad Pro models which support stage manager after the update will not be able to utilize the feature on a display external to the tablet as the M1 iPads do and are limited to the tablet display.
Apple has previously stated it was possible that Stage Manager feature would require an M1-chip , however because of the “strong desire to use Stage Manager” on older iPads it is now being made available to third- as well as fourth generation iPad Pro versions with a less-expensive implementation. Here’s the complete announcement from Apple on the issue through Engadget.
“We created stage Manager as a brand innovative way to multitask using multiple, resizable windows that can be stacked that can be used on each iPad display as well as an external display. This is in addition to the capability to play as many as eight active applications on one screen. This multi-display capability can only be achieved with the maximum power of the M1-based iPads. Customers using the iPad Pro 3rd and 4th generation have expressed an desire to use stage manager on the iPad. As a result, our teams have been hard at work to discover a way to offer a single screen version of Stage Manager for these devices and support for as many as four active applications for the iPad screen simultaneously .”
However it appears that it appears that the Stage Manager feature has been removed from M1-based iPads because of technical issues. Apple has been reported to have said that it may return the feature in the coming year in a subsequent update. Be aware this: iPadOS 16 is currently in beta and is scheduled to go live later this month in a stable form for all compatible iPads.
