A new leak claims that iPadOS apps may become Quick Note-like floating windows, instead of always opening full screen - if a keyboard and trackpad are connected.
of the iPad in 2010, every app launches to full screen. There have since been improvements such as Split View, but all window management is down to the user. Now a new claim says this could change.
Apple is developing a smart system for iPadOS. Apps will continue to open full screen but automatically shrink when connected to keyboard and trackpad. Internally it is called Apple Mixer. We don't know if it will be included in iPadOS 16 or not, It should be M1 iPad exclusive. pic.twitter.com/1WfMj5TGue
— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) March 15, 2022
offers no further details, other than the feature reportedly being known within Apple as "Apple Mixer." Previously, Majin Bu has been better known for hardware leaks, such as ones to do with the size change for the Apple Watch Series 7.
It's not known whether an already open app would detect the iPad being connected to a keyboard and then change. Nor is it known whether this switch to floating app windows would be meant to work across all iPads.
If the apps also remembered where they were last positioned by the user, this could be a convenience for 12.9-inch iPad Pro users. It's likely to be less so for the 8.3-inch iPad mini.