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Isn’t this just stage manager with extra steps ?

Newgoblin49

Newgoblin49

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 29, 2024
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I don’t get the hype for this new iPadOS update. It seems to me like this new Windows tiling feature is the exact same thing as stage Manager, which was there for a very long time. It’s just reinvented a little bit. That’s all so why the sudden hype?
 
Well, since no one has it yet, your guess is as good as mine (downloading and will report back).

And hype? I'm not 100%, but doesn't that take a little while to build?
 
You have to activate stage manager as before.You can now run more than 4 windows on a screen at a time. Opened up seven or so documents in pages for example.
The file system menu is universal whatever app it is. However, it appears you need the ipad to be paired with a mouse or the Magic Keyboard
The close, minimise and full screen option is available whatever way you use the ipad. It expands when you touch it or if there is a cursor over it.
The cursor is not round anymore. It is now a traditional cursor.
 
You can now move windows off screen whereas before it would just bounce straight back on
The beta is very buggy as you would expect.
Preview is a stand alone app
 
The Game 161 said:
No

Stage manager is awful

This is great. Basically like using a Mac
Click to expand...
I concur.

I wouldn't go as far as say Stage Manager is wrong for everyone. I am sure there are folks that think it's the best implementation of windowing system. But I am a Mac user and having to juggle multiple stages with apps opening at this stage and that was just too much work.

Multiple windows is supposed to be messy, which is why iPad defaults to the full screen experience. But once you are on the multiple windows mode, I should be able to make whatever mess that helps me be productive.
 
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My guess is that it’s basically stage manager integrated into the main Home Screen.

Previously, you needed to toggle stage manager on, the apps you had so carefully set up would be lost once you turned stage manager off, and the windows always felt more finicky to arrange and resize. This looks like it streamlines the process and should make people use it more.
 
It's a little bit buggy but the new multitasking and windowing feature is much better for my use case- I like to draw in Procreate and often need to use a reference that isn't totally compatible with the reference photo feature built into procreate- this new windowing feature is much better than the old slipover for having a second window with a reference to draw from.

There are still some bugs but I am pretty optimistic that this will be a good experience by the time it launches in September, at least for my use case.
 
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I am wondering how many people actually use stage manager? And why was stage manager once considered so 'heavy' that only the higher end iPads could run it? There is this idea of sessions that stage manager offers, but I never really got the hang of it.
 
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nutmac said:
Multiple windows is supposed to be messy, which is why iPad defaults to the full screen experience. But once you are on the multiple windows mode, I should be able to make whatever mess that helps me be productive.
Click to expand...
I disagree, having multiple windows is not supposed to be messy. I like the option that Apple has given the user because they know some users care to have a structured environment.

You have the option to have a messy environment as you suggested and a structured one... I argue the best way to do be productive is having a focus setting. And I'm running iPadOS 26... still using Stage Manager, but I will default to the new window (multiple) system on an external monitor particular for the bigger display.
 
Devvy said:
I am wondering how many people actually use stage manager? And why was stage manager once considered so 'heavy' that only the higher end iPads could run it? There is this idea of sessions that stage manager offers, but I never really got the hang of it.
Click to expand...
I use Stage Manager every day.
 
As mentioned, it's very buggy (as you would expect), but it is a huge step in the right direction. Far more usable.
 
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Abazigal said:
My guess is that it’s basically stage manager integrated into the main Home Screen.

Previously, you needed to toggle stage manager on, the apps you had so carefully set up would be lost once you turned stage manager off, and the windows always felt more finicky to arrange and resize. This looks like it streamlines the process and should make people use it more.
Click to expand...

Screenshot from settings. I was curious how this was going to work as someone who uses Stage Manager all the time. Taking a bit of getting used to, that's for sure.

IMG_0385.jpeg
 
I’m not on 26 yet, but I’m a little curious as to what happens to apps that aren’t in view, as in has the traditional multitasking app switcher been done away with? I never liked it personally and was unsure why an app I opened once two weeks ago continued to show up in it, when tapping on that ‘window’ would have to relaunch the app anyway.

It seems like now minimising might throw apps off to the side of the exposé, which is fine and pressing the red button in the traffic lights closes the app down completely? Is anyone able to confirm?
 
I have a question for the beta users: if I want to keep certain apps bundled together in a single space/stage (for example, Mail, Calendar, and Messages), with no other apps in that stage/space, and have those apps come up together when I tap any of those icons in the dock, do I still need Stage Manager turned on? It seems from the description in the Settings app that if you want more than one work space to keep persistent apps grouped together, Stage Manager needs to be enabled.
 
RLRabb said:
I have a question for the beta users: if I want to keep certain apps bundled together in a single space/stage (for example, Mail, Calendar, and Messages), with no other apps in that stage/space, and have those apps come up together when I tap any of those icons in the dock, do I still need Stage Manager turned on? It seems from the description in the Settings app that if you want more than one work space to keep persistent apps grouped together, Stage Manager needs to be enabled.
Click to expand...

This is exactly the bit that is throwing me off (as someone who has used Stage Manager since it launched). On Mac I use spaces quite a bit and I've gotten into that type of routine with Stage Manager on iPad. Treat them like different spaces so to speak. I'm used to keeping a 'space/stage' with reminders and calendar. And using 3-4 finger gesture to swipe to the next stage with something else open. Can't do that with this multitasking. It treats it much more like a traditional macOS desktop.
 
RLRabb said:
I have a question for the beta users: if I want to keep certain apps bundled together in a single space/stage (for example, Mail, Calendar, and Messages), with no other apps in that stage/space, and have those apps come up together when I tap any of those icons in the dock, do I still need Stage Manager turned on? It seems from the description in the Settings app that if you want more than one work space to keep persistent apps grouped together, Stage Manager needs to be enabled.
Click to expand...

I’ve only been using iPadOS 26 for a limited time, but you have to use Stage Manager to group apps together and so far for me it’s significantly better than iPadOS 18. On macOS, I would use desktops to group my apps together. So I would have 3 Desktops (one with Calendar/Mail/Reminders, one with Photos and another with Safari and Messages) and I would swipe between them with gestures.

So far on ipadOS 26, I’m doing the same but with Stages. So I have a stage with social medias apps (FB, X, Insta), one with Calendar/Mail/Reminders, another with photos and another with Safari and messages. Swiping through them is similar to swiping desktops.
 
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achappy said:
I’ve only been using iPadOS 26 for a limited time, but you have to use Stage Manager to group apps together and so far for me it’s significantly better than iPadOS 18. On macOS, I would use desktops to group my apps together. So I would have 3 Desktops (one with Calendar/Mail/Reminders, one with Photos and another with Safari and Messages) and I would swipe between them with gestures.

So far on ipadOS 26, I’m doing the same but with Stages. So I have a stage with social medias apps (FB, X, Insta), one with Calendar/Mail/Reminders, another with photos and another with Safari and messages. Swiping through them is similar to swiping desktops.
Click to expand...
Are these stages saved across reboots? If one or all of a stage’s apps aren’t running, are they started for you? I have never had a Stage Manager-compatible iPad, so I am curious about how these things work.
 
It’s always something said:
Are these stages saved across reboots? If one or all of a stage’s apps aren’t running, are they started for you? I have never had a Stage Manager-compatible iPad, so I am curious about how these things work.
Click to expand...

I just did a quick test and the stages were saved with their apps and reopened after a quick reboot. Not sure if this will always be the case but it did in this instance.

I didn't use Stage Manager before, especially once they stupidly restricted the size of the windows. Not only were the sizing in fixed increments, but you also couldn't use the entire height of the iPad. They enforced this small border around the apps so it wasted space. iPadOS 26 Stage Manager is significantly better.
 
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Newgoblin49 said:
I don’t get the hype for this new iPadOS update. It seems to me like this new Windows tiling feature is the exact same thing as stage Manager, which was there for a very long time. It’s just reinvented a little bit. That’s all so why the sudden hype?
Click to expand...

You can open more than just 3 windows, you can resize them how you like and place them where you like, you have Mac-like controls in the corner and there is a Mac-like Expose now.

All of these combined - make it work quite a bit better. It’s actually a big deal in practice.
 
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achappy said:
I just did a quick test and the stages were saved with their apps and reopened after a quick reboot. Not sure if this will always be the case but it did in this instance.

I didn't use Stage Manager before, especially once they stupidly restricted the size of the windows. Not only were the sizing in fixed increments, but you also couldn't use the entire height of the iPad. They enforced this small border around the apps so it wasted space. iPadOS 26 Stage Manager is significantly better.
Click to expand...
Thank you for testing this!
 
No, Stage Manager is like Spaces, which I never use. It's useless when you want to do something like have a chat app be persistent while you're switching around apps.
 
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