Do more with your iPad by running multiple apps side by side
Ever since the very first iPad was unveiled way back in 2010, users have demanded Mac-style multitasking – and Apple has tried various ways to deliver it, with mixed results. In addition to the two existing ways to multitask, Slide Over and Split View, some recent iPad Air and iPad Pro models now have a third option: Stage Manager.
Stage Manager is in iPadOS 16 (and macOS Ventura), and it’s the most Mac-like interface Apple has used on the iPad. It enables you to run several apps in their own resizable windows, just like you would on a Mac desktop, and you can switch between them by tapping on them. It feels very Mac-like, especially if you have an external keyboard and mouse.
Different views
Stage Manager isn’t for everyone, though. For starters it only works on M1-powered iPads, which means owners of older iPads (and even the 2021 entry-level iPad) won’t benefit from the feature. And, at the time of writing, it’s still in beta, with noticeably rough edges that Apple is racing to fix in time for the final iPadOS 16 release, which is due sometime in October.
In this tutorial, we’ll look at the three different ways you can organise your apps for multitasking on your iPad: Split View, which as you’d expect splits the screen between two apps; Slide Over, where one app floats above another; and the new Stage Manager.
HOW TO View multiple apps on iPad
To use Split View, tap on the ‘…’ at the very top of the app you’re currently using and tap Split View. The app will move to the side and your Home Screen appears; tap the app you want to launch. You can adjust the split by dragging it.
If you want your current app to take up most of the available screen space, use Slide Over instead of Split View. This brings up the second app you choose in a much narrower panel. As with Split View you can drag and drop between apps.
