News
- iPadOS’s Stage Manager feature is coming to more iPads
- That could improve multitasking capabilities for iPad users
- But iPadOS 26 brings even better features to iPad than Stage Manager
If you’re a fan of multitasking on any of the best iPads, you were probably heartened to see all the new features Apple brought to iPadOS 26 at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). But while those additions are sure to make a splash for productivity power users, the company is also extending the existing Stage Manager feature to even more iPads.
In case you missed it, Stage Manager lets you group apps into sets and then switch between those sets as needed. It’s designed to help you focus on one task and all the windows you need to complete it, then change to a different task and group of apps after. It’s available on both iPadOS and macOS.
With iPadOS 26, Stage Manager will be available on more iPads than before. Previously, it only worked on the 13-inch iPad Pro with M4 chip, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (third generation or later), the 11-inch iPad Pro (first generation or later), and the iPad Air (fifth generation or later).
As noted on Reddit, in addition to those tablets, Stage Manager now also works with the third-generation iPad Air or later (not just the fifth-generation model), the iPad mini (fifth generation or later), and the entry-level iPad (eighth-generation or later). In essence, Stage Manager works with any iPad that can run iPadOS 26.
Better than Stage Manager(Image credit: Apple)Stage Manager has proven to be a somewhat divisive feature since it was released – not helped by a buggy launch – and it’s struggled to establish itself as a must-have element of iPadOS. Although I was intrigued by it at first, I quickly found Stage Manager to be a little half-baked, and it never became a regular part of my setup on either my iPad or my Mac.
What looks to be far more interesting is the range of productivity tools Apple has added to iPadOS 26. That includes a Mac-like menu bar, full overlapping app support, window resizing, and even the “traffic light” buttons used to close, minimize or maximize app windows. Window tiling in particular is an excellent addition to the iPad, as you get a lot more window position options than just using an older feature like Split View.
Being able to use an iPad like a Mac offers much more appeal to me than Stage Manager. That’s partly because the Mac-like interface is just much more familiar to anyone who has used a computer before – there’s no new system to learn, as there is with Stage Manager. And gaining these new tools now makes it much more comfortable to work on the go with my iPad, as I no longer need to sacrifice capability in the name of portability.
Still, with Stage Manager coming to more iPads than before, it could still find an audience among Apple fans who have never had access to it. In any case, combined with iPadOS 26’s new multitasking features, it’s clear that Apple is taking productivity and user interface management a little more seriously.
You might also like- Microsoft Teams is working on variable notification sizes
- The new addition should hopefully minimize disruption while working
- All Microsoft Teams users should benefit upon launch
Being distracted by unruly Microsoft Teams pop-ups could soon be a thing of the past, thanks to a new update coming to the service soon.
The video conferencing platform has revealed it is working on adding a feature which will allow users to tweak the size of Teams notifications.
Once released, this tool should mean users are safe from having distracting pop-ups catch the corner of their eye when working - something I know I've definitely fallen victim to in the past.
Microsoft Teams notification sizesIn a Microsoft 365 roadmap post, the company explained the feature will, quite simply, give users the chance to "change the size of Teams notifications".
This includes a new "compact" size, which the company says, "takes up less space on the user's screen and offers a clean, minimalist design."
That's all the detail we currently have on the feature itself, which we're guessing will be accessible from the Settings menu or preferences list.
The feature is listed as being "in development", but has a scheduled rollout start date of July 2025, so users don't have too long to wait. When released, it will be available to users across the world using Teams on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.
The launch is the latest in a series of recent improvements to Microsoft Teams announced by the company as it looks to improve the experience for users.
This includes a tweak that will allow multiple people to control slides being presented in a meeting or call.
Microsoft says the addition will mean that presenters are able to maintain "a smooth flow during meetings or webinars" - hopefully meaning the end of manual slide changes - and hopefully, the phrase "next slide please".
It also recently announced it would be adding noise suppression for participants dialing in to a call, which should spell an end to potentially ear-splitting call interruptions, or participants being deafened by background noise from another person on the call.
The platform also revealed it is rolling out "enhanced spell check", giving users the tools to make sure their messages are as accurate as possible.
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