Apple released iPadOS 16.1 beta 4 to developers earlier today. One of the biggest changes in the new beta build is that it expands support for the Stage Manager feature to iPad Pro models that don’t have an M1 chip.

The information comes from Engadget. According to the report, iPad Pro models released in 2018 or later will be able to take advantage of Stage Manager. This means the Stage Manager feature will work on iPad models with an A12X or A12Z chip, despite Apple claiming that it will work only on iPads with an M1 chip.

On the whole, it means that when iPadOS 16.1 launches next month, the Stage Manager feature will be available on the 11-inch iPad Pro (first generation and later) and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (third generation and later). It will, however, only work on the iPad’s built-in display, and you won’t be able to use an external monitor.

Apple Confirms External Display Support Will Come Later This Year

Apple has also confirmed that the external display support from Stage Manager has been removed in the latest beta. The feature will be rolled out via an OS update later this year. However, it will only be available on iPads with an M1 chip. It won’t expand to older iPad Pro models. Here’s what Apple had to say:

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.

Because some members of the iPad community have voiced concerns about Stage Manager, in particular when using it with external displays, it is understandable that Apple is taking some extra time to fix it. 

Have you installed the latest beta build on your iPad? How has your experience been with the Stage Manager? Let us know in the comments section below!

Source: Engadget