A recent revelation said that if a keyboard and trackpad are connected, iPad OS applications may become floating windows similar to quick notes instead of opening in full screen.
Since the iPad’s debut in 2010, every app has been launched full screen. There have been some improvements since then, like the split-screen view, but all window management is up to the user. Now the new argument is that Apple may bring changes in this regard.
“Apple is working on a smart system for iPadOS,” said Majin Bu. “Apps will continue to open full screen but shrink automatically when connected to a keyboard and trackpad. Internally, it’s called Apple Mixer. We don’t know if it will. Included in iPadOS 16, it should be exclusive to the M1 iPad.” So far, Apple has launched the M1 iPad Pro and iPad Air 5.
It’s unclear if an app that’s already open will detect that the iPad is connected to the keyboard and then change. It’s also unknown if this move to floating app windows will work on all iPads.
It might be a convenience for 12.9-inch iPad Pro users if the app could also remember the last position of the user’s actions. But for the 8.3-inch iPad mini, it’s a different story.