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As always in the run-up to WWDC, speculation about potential new features and changes is in full swing. One of the biggest questions every year is whether this year’s iPadOS update will unleash the full power of the iPad’s hardware.

Ahead of WWDC 2022 kicking off June 6th, recent changes to WebKit hint at big changes coming to the iPad in regards to window resizing…

Window resizing since iOS 16?

For those unfamiliar with it, WebKit is Apple’s browser engine that powers Safari and other web browsers. Because WebKit is an open source engine, the code is public and anyone on GitHub can access it.

As I first noticed Steve Troughton-Smith on Twitter, recent additions to the WebKit framework on GitHub point to support for a new “multitasking mode” that will allow windows to be freely resized in iPadOS. WebKit GitHub updates indicate that iPadOS will add a new system-wide toggle for “multitasking mode” that will enable this feature.

A separate GitHub update from an Apple engineer confirmed these changes, again citing WebKit updates intended to improve compatibility with this so-called “multitasking mode.”

Smith elaborated on exactly what this could mean, compared to the “tablet mode” feature currently available for Windows devices:

It appears that “multitasking” can change at runtime, so applications can jump in and out of it. I could imagine something like “tablet mode” in Windows 10, which you can toggle at any time to restructure the user interface for touch instead of mouse and keyboard.

The WebKit code repeatedly mentions whether “multitasking” is on or off on the iPad. Safari will adjust its behavior based on the current state of this system switch.

It’s hard to glean too many specific details from these WebKit infrastructure changes, but WebKit changes in the past have been a good sign of future iPadOS, iOS, and Mac updates. This is also not the first piece of information from WebKit that potentially hints at changes in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16.

In February, I announced changes to the WebKit code that suggest that iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 may provide new features for dark mode, as well as an API for managing cookie consent forms and allowing or blocking modal pop-ups for specific websites. These features may also come to macOS as WebKit is an engine that also supports Safari on Mac.

Again, take these WebKit changes related to the new “multitasking mode” with a grain of salt for now. We’ve all been burned many times hoping that the new iPadOS update will bring significant improvements for power users, but this seems like pretty solid evidence that iPadOS 16 could be the year that finally changes.

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