WWDC 2022 is less than two weeks away and naturally the rumor mill is buzzing with new features. One of the biggest questions asked every year is about iPadOS. Will this year's iPadOS update finally unleash the full power of the iPad hardware?
Recent changes to WebKit hint at big changes coming to the iPad in terms of window resizing. Quick info for those unfamiliar: WebKit is Apple's browser engine that powers Safari and other web browsers. Since WebKit is an open source engine, the code is public and can be contributed by anyone on GitHub viewed As Steve Troughton-Smith on Twitter now reported The latest additions the WebKit infrastructure on GitHub to support a new “multitasking mode” that would allow free resizing of windows on iPadOS. A separate A GitHub update from an Apple engineer confirmed these changes and again pointed to updates to WebKit that are intended to improve compatibility with this so-called “multitasking mode.”
iPadOS 16: WebKit changes give hope
Smith explained exactly what this could mean and compared it to the “Tablet Mode” feature currently available for Windows devices:
It looks like "multitasking mode" is something that can change at runtime, allowing apps to switch in and out of it. I could imagine something like Windows 10's "tablet mode" that you can toggle at any time to restructure the UI for touch or mouse and keyboard.
The WebKit code repeatedly references whether the iPad has "multitasking mode" enabled or disabled. Safari would adjust its behavior depending on the current state of this system switch. It's hard to get too many specific details out of these changes to the WebKit infrastructure, but WebKit changes have been a good indicator of future iPadOS, iOS, and Mac updates in the past.
WWDC 2022 starts on June 6th
This is also not the first piece of information from WebKit that hints at changes in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16. In February, changes to the WebKit code were reported that suggest that iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 could bring new features for Dark Mode as well as an API for managing cookie consent forms and allowing or blocking modal pop-ups for certain websites. These features could also make their way to macOS, as WebKit is the engine that also powers Safari on the Mac. But: These WebKit changes related to the new "multitasking mode" should also be treated with caution for the time being. We have all been disappointed many times because we hoped that a new iPadOS update would bring significant improvements for power users. Nevertheless, hope dies last - we will know more by June 6th at the latest. (Photo by Elinaxx1v / Bigstockphoto)
