‘iPadOS 17 Rumors: Support for Webcams and Improved External Display Management with Stage Manager’

iPadOS 17 rumors are starting to trickle in, and Apple may (finally) support webcams and better manage external displays with Stage Manager, according to the Twitter account analyst941.

More comprehensive screen management

This rumor mill, who was right on Dynamic Island last year and recently predicted a special version of iPadOS 17 for a 14″ iPad Pro, therefore announces that Stage Manager will improve with the 15th version of the iPad OS.

iPadOS 17 Stage Manager tidbits:

• External monitor webcam support.

• Audio output source settings.

• Stream Multiple audio/vid sources at once with Stage Manager on.

• Resizable dock (in external display settings only)

• Sleep iPad display; external display stays on.

— 941 (@analyst941) April 30, 2023

The first point would therefore be support for webcams integrated into monitors with Stage Manager, and therefore probably USB webcams in general, since the majority of these go through a standardized driver. Monitors aren’t necessarily as well-equipped as iPads, but a few monitors offer effective solutions, like theDell 6K Screen seen this morning.

The use of Stage Manager decrypted on iPad

Another, related option would be the ability to properly handle audio outputs at the OS level, probably macOS-style. Indeed, many monitors offer an audio output or speakers. Finally, two other small refinements would join Stage Manager: the possibility of putting the iPad to sleep without cutting off the external screen and the possibility of modifying the size of the dock.

Remember that Stage Manager requires a 5th generation iPad Air (M1) or a iPad Pro equipped with an M1 or M2 chip to support external monitors. And remember that if the Studio Display integrates a webcam and speakers, this is not the case of the Pro Display XDR.