iPadOS 19 Rumored to Show Mac-Like Menu Bar When Connected to Magic Keyboard

When an iPad running iPadOS 19 is connected to a Magic Keyboard, a macOS-like menu bar will appear on the screen, according to the leaker Majin Bu.

ipad air magic keyboard feature
This change would further blur the lines between the iPad and the Mac. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously claimed that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS," with unspecified improvements to productivity, multitasking, and app window management, and the addition of a macOS-like menu bar would certainly align with that overall plan.

In a blog post today, the leaker also claimed that iPadOS 19 will enhance Stage Manager, the feature that lets you use multiple apps at once on an external display. The leaker said that Stage Manager will work more seamlessly, but they did not provide any specific details about the alleged improvements. They also said that iOS 19 will enable at least a basic version of Stage Manager on iPhone models with a USB-C port.

The first beta of iPadOS 19 should be available after the WWDC 2025 keynote on June 9, but some new features are not enabled until later betas.

Majin Bu has a mixed track record with Apple rumors, with some hits and some misses.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
ios 26 1 slide to stop

iOS 26.1 Brings Back 2007 Feature in New Way

Friday October 31, 2025 1:40 pm PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important. Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped. The new ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
apple tv hd

Apple Launched Its Big New Vision for TV 10 Years Ago Today

Thursday October 30, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple launched the Apple TV HD, the Siri Remote, tvOS, and their accompanying App Store a decade ago today, marking a major overhaul of the device. The new vision for the Apple TV was unveiled on September 9, 2015 during Apple's "Hey Siri" event in San Francisco, where CEO Tim Cook introduced the device with the statement, "The future of TV is apps." The announcement represented a major...

Top Rated Comments

Reason077 Avatar
27 weeks ago
“How curious it is,” Pooh said aloud, to nobody in particular, “that the iPad tries so very hard to be like the MacBook, but never quite manages to feel as settled and cozy.”

You see, the MacBook is like a warm armchair by the fire. You sit down, and everything is where it ought to be. Menus are at the top, folders behave like proper friends, and when you click, things listen. It's a sensible sort of magic.

The iPad, on the other paw, is always trying to do tricks—jumping and spinning and saying, “Look! I can be a computer too!” which is very sweet, but sometimes a bit too eager, like Tigger with too much juice.

“Wouldn’t it be rather nice if the iPad just let itself be a MacBook", Pooh pondered.

And then he had a second smackerel of honey, because thinking is hungry work.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacKid Avatar
27 weeks ago
Oh god, we don’t need on screen dropdown versions of cut/copy/paste, we need a reliable version of Files
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
applefan8254 Avatar
27 weeks ago
Can we get multiple users please? Thank you
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jole Avatar
27 weeks ago
iPadOS foundation is very capable, but anything resembling full featured computer is intentionally disabled. How about allowing us to run full apps, virtual memory with swap, background tasks, JIT, compilers, command line, … All that would be possible if Apple would unlock the capabilities.

??
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thejadedmonkey Avatar
27 weeks ago
Just an Apple keyboard? What about any other mice and keyboards? There's no technical reason my Logitech G915 mechanical keyboard and G703 mouse can't make use of a menu bar when a Magic Keyboard can.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Achillias Avatar
27 weeks ago
This simply isn't enough. Apple absolutely needs to implement a Dex-style mode on iPadOS. That thing has way too much power for the tasks it's limited to. It should essentially be a laptop, allowing users to choose whether they prefer to buy a laptop or do all their work on the iPad.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)