Within iPadOS 16 (and macOS 13 Ventura), Apple is offering overhauled multitasking capabilities by way of Stage Manager. This feature allows users to manage several tasks at the same time, resizing app windows and quickly switching between them. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t seem to have Stage Manager quite right on the iPad. It’s unusually bug-ridden, even for a beta, and developers and users alike have criticized its confusing interface. It also isn’t compatible with most iPads, a fact that has stirred up quite a bit of controversy.
Despite having started beta testing concurrently with iOS 16, it appears that the following significant iPad software update will arrive a month later than iOS 16. According to some sources, Apple will delay the release of iPadOS 16 until October even though it has previously released iOS and iPadOS at the same time. A number of persons with inside knowledge released the information to Bloomberg under false pretences. For the first time that I can recall, Apple will delay the release of the iPad version of its operating system while releasing the iPhone version. The sources claim that some of the delay is necessary to polish the new iPad multitasking features.
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Of course, many of us can remember a similar situation with iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. Features like SharePlay and Universal Control ended up late by several months after the new version released.
Apple May Release iPadOS 16 Alongside macOS 13 Ventura Instead of iOS
Should Apple go through with rumored plans to delay iPadOS 16 until October, it could mean a launch alongside macOS 13 Ventura. That could make sense, actually, since Ventura offers its own take on Stage Manager. Typically, Apple releases its mobile operating systems in September, followed by the new macOS version in October. According to the sources, iOS 16 is still on track to release in September. Several new features to iOS 16, though, won’t arrive in the initial version. This includes the Live Activities feature, which will allow apps like Uber to pin a live updating notification to the iPhone’s Lock Screen.
