Memory Swapping in iPadOS 16 (specifically Safari apps like Prime Video)

[v1ctorS]

I'm a Mac user and have been for quite some time. A few months ago I tried out the iPad Pro 12.9 inch with the Magic Keyboard and iPadOS 15 because I like iOS and its streamlined and intuitive UI experience, but returned it after a few days mainly because I wasn't happy with how Safari worked compared to macOS. On my Mac I usually have 5-10 tabs open including Amazon Prime Video and YouTube, but with Safari on iPadOS 15, both these websites would constantly reload after switching to another app such as Teams or Outlook. Normally this wouldn't be such a big deal, but I found that Amazon Prime Video content would always crash after a few minutes when viewed in Safari whereas the videos would playback just fine in the app (which sucks because it's limited to 720p).

I was hoping that the new Memory Swap feature which allows apps such as Safari to swap data to the internal flash storage will fix this and enable me to watch Prime Video content in Safari. Does anyone have any hands on experience with Prime Video in iPadOS 16 in the latest Developer Beta?

 

[Ludatyk]

Umm.. I’m confused by this. Why are you watching Prime Video in Safari on the iPad? You can use the Prime Video app and use PiP.

Same goes with Youtube… I find it’s better to use with the app. But when iPadOS 16 officially released and developers can update their apps to take advantage of the newest features… then we can give you a better idea of the experience.

 

[rui no onna]

Umm.. I’m confused by this. Why are you watching Prime Video in Safari on the iPad? You can use the Prime Video app and use PiP.

As the OP mentioned, higher resolution/quality via web browser versus just 720p in app.

 

[v1ctorS]

Umm.. I’m confused by this. Why are you watching Prime Video in Safari on the iPad? You can use the Prime Video app and use PiP.

Same goes with Youtube… I find it’s better to use with the app. But when iPadOS 16 officially released and developers can update their apps to take advantage of the newest features… then we can give you a better idea of the experience.

I tried using the app from the App Store, but videos were limited to 720p, which isn't exactly pretty on a 13 inch screen. With all the research I have done and the Public Beta around the corner, I'm feeling confident enough that Prime Video is going to work properly now, so I will pick up my iPad Pro tomorrow. Thank you for your input.

 

[Ludatyk]

As the OP mentioned, higher resolution/quality via web browser versus just 720p in app.

Okay, but I still stand by my initial response. You get a better experience versus the app than the browser. And there’s no way to check if the picture quality is 720p. Only selections available is good, better and best.

This is the same settings in the browser as well.

 

[v1ctorS]

How is a lower resolution and arguably worse UI a better experience? And there is no need to check the numbers, it is very obvious if you're on a bigger display.

 

[mrochester]

Why does these app developers only offer lower resolutions in their apps? I thought apps were supposed to give users a better experience than the web.

 

[rui no onna]

Why does these app developers only offer lower resolutions in their apps? I thought apps were supposed to give users a better experience than the web.

I think that's just Amazon. I've used iTunes, Movies Anywhere, Disney+, VUDU and Amazon Prime had the lowest quality. Blurriness/lack of detail and artifacts were obvious. No need for Superman eyes to notice.

The other services have pretty good video quality.

 

[Alias3800]

I'm a Mac user and have been for quite some time. A few months ago I tried out the iPad Pro 12.9 inch with the Magic Keyboard and iPadOS 15 because I like iOS and its streamlined and intuitive UI experience, but returned it after a few days mainly because I wasn't happy with how Safari worked compared to macOS. On my Mac I usually have 5-10 tabs open including Amazon Prime Video and YouTube, but with Safari on iPadOS 15, both these websites would constantly reload after switching to another app such as Teams or Outlook. Normally this wouldn't be such a big deal, but I found that Amazon Prime Video content would always crash after a few minutes when viewed in Safari whereas the videos would playback just fine in the app (which sucks because it's limited to 720p).

I was hoping that the new Memory Swap feature which allows apps such as Safari to swap data to the internal flash storage will fix this and enable me to watch Prime Video content in Safari. Does anyone have any hands on experience with Prime Video in iPadOS 16 in the latest Developer Beta?

I too thought that using the app for Prime Video would be best until I tried it myself (just now). If anyone else states otherwise, they haven’t actually used it and watched anything.

I’m on beta 3 and have an M1 iPad. From my limited testing, I was able to keep 5 tabs open, one of which was prime video, and jump through different apps while the video was playing in PiP, including Youtube, Apple News, a stage manager window with 4 apps open (Reminders, Notes, Apple Music, and something else). I did this from the Mac using Universal Control, if that matters as all.

Nothing reloads and everything seems to keep up just as fast as if only one app were running.

 

[Ludatyk]

I too thought that using the app for Prime Video would be best until I tried it myself (just now). If anyone else states otherwise, they haven’t actually used it and watched anything.

I disagree. Quality is just the same on the app and that’s primarily how I watch Prime Video content is through the app. And I just tried on the browser itself… there is no difference in quality.

How is a lower resolution and arguably worse UI a better experience? And there is no need to check the numbers, it is very obvious if you're on a bigger display.

In terms of better experience… it’s more so browsing and responsiveness. All I’m going by is what you brought up… you mention you are getting 720p and I wanted to see how that was possible.

 

[v1ctorS]

I too thought that using the app for Prime Video would be best until I tried it myself (just now). If anyone else states otherwise, they haven’t actually used it and watched anything.

I’m on beta 3 and have an M1 iPad. From my limited testing, I was able to keep 5 tabs open, one of which was prime video, and jump through different apps while the video was playing in PiP, including Youtube, Apple News, a stage manager window with 4 apps open (Reminders, Notes, Apple Music, and something else). I did this from the Mac using Universal Control, if that matters as all.

Nothing reloads and everything seems to keep up just as fast as if only one app were running.

That's the kind of feedback I was looking for. Thanks.