iPadOS 16 window resizing? This clue suggests it could come at WWDC

As is always the case ahead of WWDC, speculation is in full gear regarding potential new features and changes. One of the biggest questions every year is whether that year’s iPadOS update will finally be the one to unleash the full power of the iPad hardware.

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

Window resizing with iOS 16?

For those unfamiliar with it, 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 accessed by anyone on GitHub.

As first noted by Steve Troughton-Smith on Twitter, recent additions to the WebKit infrastructure on GitHub indicate support for a new “multitasking mode” that would allow for freely resizable windows on iPadOS. The updates to the WebKit GitHub indicate that iPadOS would add a new systemwide toggle for a “multitasking mode” that would enable this feature.

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

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

It looks like ‘multitasking mode’ is something that can change at runtime, so apps can transition in and out of it. I could envision something like Windows 10’s ‘tablet mode’ that you can toggle at any point to restructure the UI for touch vs mouse & keyboard.

The WebKit code repeatedly references the idea of whether or not the iPad has “multitasking mode” enabled or disabled. Safari would adjust its behavior based on the current state of that system toggle.

It’s hard to glean too many specific details from these WebKit infrastructure changes, but WebKit changes in the past have been good indications of future iPadOS, iOS, and Mac updates. This also isn’t the first piece of information from WebKit that we’ve seen potentially hinting at iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 changes.

In February, 9to5Mac reported on changes to WebKit code that suggest iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 could bring new features for Dark Mode as well as an API to manage cookie consent forms and allow for or block modal pop-ups for specific websites. These features could also make their way to macOS, since WebKit is the engine that powers Safari on the Mac as well.

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