Apple has faced trial and error when it comes to implementing multitasking on iPad. iOS 9 for iPad brought Split View/Slideover (more on that in a later post), and iPadOS 16 introduced Stage Manager.
However, since the launch of iPadOS 16 (and its subsequent releases), Stage Manager was limited to these iPad models below:
- iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later)
- iPad Pro (M4)
- iPad Air (5th generation)
- iPad Air (M2/M3)
In fact, during the development stage of iPadOS 16, Stage Manager was initially limited to M-series iPads before Apple decided to extend that support to 2018/2020 iPad Pro models.
In iPadOS 26, Apple introduced a new intuitive windowed apps mode that’s inspired by macOS. During the event, Apple stated that this new window management system extends to iPad and iPad mini, but Apple didn’t specifically say anything about Stage Manager. However, according to several Reddit users online, it looks like that Apple is finally extending both Windowed Apps and Stage Manager to all iPad models that can run iPadOS 26, even the earliest models such as the iPad (8th generation).
This is huge news for all iPad users as it makes this feature even more accessible to any iPad model.
As a refresher, iPadOS 26 will support the following iPad models:
- iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later)
- iPad Pro (M4)
- iPad Air (3rd generation and later)
- iPad Air (M2/M3)
- iPad (A16)
- iPad (8th generation and later)
- iPad mini (A17 Pro)
- iPad mini (5th generation and later)
Keep in mind that full external display support is still limited to only M-series iPads; this includes:
- iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation and later)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation and later)
- iPad Pro (M4)
- iPad Air (5th generation)
- iPad Air (M2/M3)
We’ll continue to post WWDC-related announcements from here on out, so make sure to our website or follow us on X (@appleosophy) to stay updated with the latest Apple news!
