Your iPhone May Get a 'Desktop' Mode With iOS 19

Rumors suggest that Apple is working on ways to make the iPad more like a Mac with iPadOS 19. While the company won't be bringing macOS to the iPad (as much as I'd love that to be the case) there could be upgrades that transform the tablet experience more into a desktop computing experience. The thing is, it isn't just the iPad that appears to be getting desktop features—the iPhone might be getting in on the fun, too.

In a post covering the iPadOS 19 rumors, leaker Majin Bu had this to say about the iPhone: "iOS 19 isn’t being left behind. Source say that iPhones with USB-C will support external displays, offering a [Stage Manager-like] interface. While not a full desktop mode, it will allow users to extend their screen space, great for presentations, editing, or enhanced viewing."

If true, this would be a huge change for the iPhone. While Apple lets you mirror your iPhone's screen to external displays, it has never offered an extended display option. With extended displays, you are able to have different windows open on different devices: You could use your phone to present a slideshow on a monitor or projector, while still using your phone to reference speaker notes, for example.

A mirrored display, on the other hand, is much more limited, as you're only showing what's on your iPhone's screen on the larger display. It can be helpful, but also troublesome, as everything on your iPhone's display is mirrored. Getting to keep your iPhone's display private while controlling what gets displayed on the external screen would be a game changer.

Extended displays also respect the dimensions of the screen you're connected. When you mirror your iPhone to a TV, for example, it'll show up vertically. If you're in an app that supports landscape mode, you can flip your iPhone to fill up more of the display, but it still won't match the dimensions of most TVs and monitors (unless you're using a Home button-era iPhone with a 16:9 display). The other exception is media playback, which will render in the original photo or video's dimensions, but the entire setup is far from ideal.

All that said, Majin Bu does report that it's possible there will be issues with the resolution or number of apps that can be extended at any given time. Really, this rumor is thin, and doesn't offer us a lot of information to work from at this time.

The iPhone would be far from the first mobile device to offer a feature like this. Apple's own iPads are able to extend to other displays via Stage Manager, and many smartphones offer a desktop mode—like Samsung's DeX.

Could this "desktop" mode be a sign for a future device?

9to5Mac seems to think this rumored feature isn't so much about Apple's vision for the iPhone as it currently exists, but another device entirely: the iPhone Fold.

Apple's rumored foldable iPhone is still at least a year out if the leaks are to be trusted, but 9to5Mac sees its influence already. The outlet believes the device will act like an iPhone when folded and an iPad mini when unfolded, so such a device would benefit from a desktop mode.

I buy the argument: If a foldable iPhone would benefit from a desktop mode—or at least extended display support—why not beta test that feature on existing iPhones while you continue to work on the foldable? Of course, it's all speculation, and Apple will almost certainly not reveal a foldable phone at WWDC 2025. But if the company does announce an extended display mode as part of iOS 19, it could offer a clue to the company's future plans for the iPhone.

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