iPadOS 19 needs these changes to be more like macOS

Apple will unveil iPadOS 19 at WWDC 2025 in June, and while most rumors focus on a new visionOS-inspired interface, a recent report revealed that Apple wants to make the iPad’s operating system “more like macOS.” This sounds too good to be true, and honestly I’m not expecting much. But there are some key changes that would already make iPadOS 19 more like macOS.

iPadOS 19 feature request

One feature I really miss on the iPad is Clamshell mode. Here, my MacBook is always connected to my Studio Display, and I use it with the lid closed because I like to focus on a single screen. But on the iPad, even if I have an external keyboard and mouse connected, I can’t turn off the iPad screen – otherwise everything stops working. For a device that tries to be a computer replacement, a feature like Clamshell mode is essential.

Of course, there’s a lot more Apple could do to improve the use of the iPad with external monitors – like having more interface scaling options like macOS.

I also hate how you can’t choose to play audio through the iPad’s built-in speakers when it’s connected to a display. This works fine when I’m using Apple’s Studio Display, which has great speakers, but not so much when I plug the iPad into a display without speakers. Speaking of audio, iPadOS also needs to better handle two or more audio sources playing at the same time without interrupting each one.

Stage Manager controversy | Illustration of the feature on Mac and iPad

Another small detail that would make a huge difference: having the ability to resize the Dock. On the Mac, the Dock can be any size you want. But on iPadOS, the Dock is sized according to the number of apps you have in it. Having fewer apps in the Dock means that it will look bigger on the screen, which is something I personally don’t like. Let us resize the iPadOS Dock, Apple.

I can also list a lot of other things, like having a better Files app, an easier way to install custom fonts, support for multiple user accounts, and more keyboard shortcuts. Again, I don’t expect Apple to turn iPadOS into macOS, but these details would already improve the experience of using the iPad a lot.