Snippet: A Fix for iPad Multitasking ☇

Shared on February 6, 2020

Ryan Christoffel for MacStories:

My proposal for a new multitasking system employs a UI mechanic that already exists across both iPhone and iPad. Without losing any of iPadOS 13’s current functionality, it brings the iPad closer to its iPhone roots again and makes multitasking accessible for the masses.

Context menus are the key to a better multitasking system.

When you long-press an app icon in iOS and iPadOS 13, a context menu appears and provides various options. These menus, I believe, are the perfect home for multitasking controls.

My initial thought when iPad multitasking complaints started appearing was something using a contextual menu from the Dock, but didn’t give it much more of a passing thought. Christoffel really thought through every angle of this and the explanations are well-detailed (complete with excellent mockups by Silvia Gatta).

Snippets are posts that share a linked item with a bit of commentary.