iPadOS 16.2 now available with external display support

Apple has released iPadOS 16.2 with external display support, though the feature is limited to iPads with M-series processors.

Freeform and external display support are the headlining features for iPadOS 16.2. Both features were announced during WWDC 2022 but didn't make the initial release.

The iPadOS 16.2 release offers some further refinements to Stage Manager, though bugs still persist throughout this multitasking system. We laid out the extent of the issues with Stage Manager in our iPadOS 16.1 review.

Full external display support had appeared during the initial iPadOS 16 betas, but Apple removed it before the delay and final release. Now, external display support is back for M-series iPad users.

External display support has been a long-requested feature of iPad power users, and Apple announced it alongside a new windowing feature called Stage Manager. This controversial feature had been limited to iPads with M1 or M2 processors until user complaints pushed Apple to rethink the feature.

Now, iPads with an A12X, A12Z, M1, or M2 processor can use Stage Manager. However, external display support is still limited to M-series iPads.

Freeform is a new collaboration app that allows multiple users to interact with a document at the same time. The document is a sort of infinite whiteboard where handwritten notes, links, images, and more appear where users place them in real-time.

iPadOS 16.2 also contains new features available in iOS 16.2 like the restructured Homekit backend, Apple News in the Weather app, and the featured Apple TV app section. Users will be prompted to update their HomeKit architecture, but anyone not running the latest releases will lose access to their Apple Home.

Apple included support for its new security-focused features in this release — iMessage Contact Key Verification, Security Keys for Apple ID, and Advanced Data Protection for iCloud. Among other things, Advanced Data Protection enables end-to-end encryption of iCloud backups, Notes, and several other categories that weren't fully protected before.

The release notes also mentioned that AirDrop would get a 10-minute time limit for users who select "Everyone." This is meant to be a protection against unsolicited images.

How to install iPadOS 16.2

Open the Settings app.
Select General.
Select Software Update.
Select "Update to iPadOS 16.2."

AppleInsider has confirmed that the release is being served to users. It can take some time for Apple's content delivery network to fully populate, and servers will be under load. Both factors impact local visibility for any given user.

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4 Comments

jeromec 210 comments · 11 Years

About 1 year ago

I am a bit confused.
It seems to me that external display support has been here forever for iPads.

I believe the new thing is external display support with Stage Manager, which is a big deal, and could be called "full" external display support.

CousinIT 2 comments · 3 Years

That’s exactly what I read. It’s stage manager being added to external display support. It’s only on the (2) M series models as well.

tht 5594 comments · 23 Years

jeromec said:

I am a bit confused.
It seems to me that external display support has been here forever for iPads.

I believe the new thing is external display support with Stage Manager, which is a big deal, and could be called "full" external display support.

The prior external display feature was mirroring. Whatever was on your iPad display was mirrored on the external display. Specific apps could be designed to use the external display to extend the display area. Eg, a video editor could display video on the external display while showing its UI on the iPad.

You couldn’t have one app on one display and another app on the other display.

With Stage Manager, you can have 4 windows simultaneously displayed on one display and another 4 windows displayed on the external display. So up to 8 apps simultaneously displayed or a less number of apps with multiple views open. This makes it much more useful and increases productivity.

The windowing scheme still needs to be improved, bugs fixed, apps updated. Right now, it’s basically designed for novice users who want to display up to the aforementioned number of windows per display.

There is still a ways to go. No word from anybody, for all the freaking complaints, there’s no word from anyone on background multitasking. Multiple streams of sound and video needs to supported, include to and from peripherals. Shell access needs to be supported.

It’s getting there.

mattinoz 2473 comments · 9 Years

tht said:

jeromec said:

I am a bit confused.
It seems to me that external display support has been here forever for iPads.

I believe the new thing is external display support with Stage Manager, which is a big deal, and could be called "full" external display support.

The prior external display feature was mirroring. Whatever was on your iPad display was mirrored on the external display. Specific apps could be designed to use the external display to extend the display area. Eg, a video editor could display video on the external display while showing its UI on the iPad.
You couldn’t have one app on one display and another app on the other display.

With Stage Manager, you can have 4 windows simultaneously displayed on one display and another 4 windows displayed on the external display. So up to 8 apps simultaneously displayed or a less number of apps with multiple views open. This makes it much more useful and increases productivity.

The windowing scheme still needs to be improved, bugs fixed, apps updated. Right now, it’s basically designed for novice users who want to display up to the aforementioned number of windows per display.

There is still a ways to go. No word from anybody, for all the freaking complaints, there’s no word from anyone on background multitasking. Multiple streams of sound and video needs to supported, include to and from peripherals. Shell access needs to be supported.

It’s getting there.

All we need now is the ability to stream a Mac app on a local Network Mac to one of those App allocations without having push it there from the Mac.