Stage Manager Not Showing Up On iPad In iPadOS 16.1? (Fix?)

iPhone Tricks > How To

Posted in How To by Mike on October 26, 2022

Stage Manager not working on iPad

Is Stage Manager not showing up on iPad after iPadOS 16.1 update? You’ve installed the most recent public release but this new multitasking feature is not available? It won’t show up in Control Center or within the Settings app. Here is what to do!

Stage Manager Not Showing On iPad?

This problem has been reported by Levi:

“I don’t see stage manager option”

We’ve found similar reports on Reddit:

“Stage manager stopped working on my m1 iPad Pro”

Stage Manager Not Available On Older iPads

First of all, you should be aware that this feature isn’t working with all iPad models that are compatible with iPadOS 16.

According to Apple, Stage Manager is showing up only on:

• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd gen. and later)
• iPad Pro 11-inch (1st gen. and later)
• iPad Air (5th gen.)

Fact: Stage Manager not working with iPad Air (3rd and 4th gen.), iPad mini 4 and 5, iPad 5th to 8th gen.

How To Fix Stage Manager Not Showing Up

If your iPad is updated to iPadOS 16.1 or later and is a compatible model, make sure that the feature is turned ON in Settings:

• 1. Open Home Screen & Multitasking menu.
• 2. Tap Stage Manager.
• 3. Enable ‘Use Stage Manager on iPad’.

Stage Manager In Control Center

You can quickly toggle this feature On or Off from the Control Center. Add it there by following these steps:
Settings -> Control Center -> Stage Manager (tap the green ‘+’ icon next to it and drag & drop to position the toggle in the desired order).

Tip: If Stage Manager isn’t working or stopped working we recommend you to reboot iPad and the functionality should return!

Stage Manager Not Showing For External Display?

Although this new multitasking feature worked in the iPadOS 16.1 beta testing stages with external displays, Apple has decided to pull the functionality in the public release.

Apparently, it was to glitch and it requires more fine tuning. We expect it to roll out in iPadOS 16.2

Have you managed to fix Stage Manager not working on iPad? Do you have a batter solution or other problems to report? Share your feedback in the comments.

Related: For more iPadOS 16 issues and their available workarounds please check our extended review.