iOS 19 leak tips DeX-like desktop mode coming to iPhone 17 Air and company — iPadOS 19 to get revamped Stage Manager 2.0

We have already been given a sneak peek at what's to come with the iPhone 17 and 17 Air dummy units being tested at Chinese retailers, but a new leak from the prolific leaker MajinBu has revealed that some major upgrades may be in-store for iPhone and iPad users when iOS and iPadOS 19 drop. 

The biggest detail in the leaker's report is the upcoming inclusion of a desktop-like interface for external display support on USB Type-C iPhones — likely starting with the iPhone 15 and of course including the upcoming iPhone 17 series. This new UI will supposedly resemble Apple's current Stage Manager solution that has been implemented on current-generation iPads. This news comes shortly after similar functionality, Desktop View, was revealed to be coming to Android 16 in the near future. 

Despite using USB-C connectors that only support USB 2.0 transfer speeds, Apple's iPhones already support DisplayPort for external video and image display, but there has been no desktop mode available. The hardware capability has apparently always been there, just waiting for Apple to take advantage of it. 

Despite using USB-C connectors that only support USB 2.0 transfer speeds, the USB Type-C ports on iPhones do support DisplayPort for external display support. The hardware capability has apparently always been there on phones like the iPhone 16, just waiting for Apple to take advantage of it. 

The same set of leaks also claims that Apple will update the Stage Manager interface for devices like the iPad Pro M4 13-inch (curr. $1,199.99 on Amazon) with the simultaneous introduction of iPadOS 19. Stage Manager 2.0, as it has been called by the leaker, will add a menu bar along the top edge of the display, similar to the current implementation on macOS, and it will “make managing apps and windows smoother and more productive.” It seems as though there are more changes coming to multitasking in iPadOS 19, but no specific updates were mentioned aside from the top menu bar. Stage Manager 2.0 will also supposedly be automatically enabled when the Apple Magic Keyboard is connected to the iPad — a change that should make using the multitasking view more convenient. 

Currently, it seems as though Apple will start testing iOS and iPadOS 19 in June, with a full release likely coinciding with the expected September launch of the iPhone 17 family.