Older Apple iPads to get Stage Manager support with iPadOS 16.1 beta 

Apple’s beta builds for iPadOS 16 are currently available for users with supported iPad variants and one of the top features of the new operating system for the devices is the Stage Manager feature, which lets users multitask much more efficiently between many apps at the same time. Until now, the feature was only available on iPads running on the company’s in-house M1 chip, but that changes with the new iOS 16.1 beta update.
The update also brings the feature to older iPads, meaning devices like the Non-M1 11-inch iPad Pro or the 12.9-inch iPad Pro can now also use Stage Manager. However, as per a report XDA Developers, the devices need to be third generation or higher.
The Stage Manager feature is also limited (for now) on the older iPads, with support only extending to up to four apps at a time instead of the eight apps that you would get with an M1-based iPad. Older iPad Pro models which support stage manager with the update will also not be able to use the feature on an external display like the M1 iPads and must stick to the tablet-display.

Apple had earlier suggested that the Stage Manager feature would require an M1-chip but due to a “strong interest in being able to experience Stage Manager” on older iPads, the feature is being brought to third and fourth-gen iPad Pro variants with a watered-down implementation. Here’s the full statement from the company on the matter, via Engadget.
“We introduced Stage Manager as a whole new way to multitask with overlapping, resizable windows on both the iPad display and a separate external display, with the ability to run up to eight live apps on screen at once. Delivering this multi-display support is only possible with the full power of M1-based iPads. Customers with iPad Pro 3rd and 4th generation have expressed strong interest in being able to experience Stage Manager on their iPads. In response, our teams have worked hard to find a way to deliver a single-screen version for these systems, with support for up to four live apps on the iPad screen at once.”

I finally went ahead and *disabled* Stage Manager on my iPad Pro. For now.
As much as I love using 3-4 apps at once, the implementation just isn’t there yet. Crashes every few minutes; hard to use multi-window for the same app; UI glitches everywhere.
I hope Apple delays this.
— Federico Viticci (@viticci) August 18, 2022
Meanwhile, the Stage Manager feature has been removed on M1-based iPads due to technical reasons and Apple has reportedly suggested that it will bring back the feature later this year with another update. Note that iPadOS 16 is currently in beta and the version is expected to be released publicly next month in its stable avatar for all supported iPads.