Apple's iPhone Pro Max Has a Lot to Learn From the iPad

Commentary: Apple should borrow some of the iPad's tricks to make better use of the iPhone Pro Max's big screen.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max and 12 Pro Max are the biggest smartphones Apple has ever made. Both devices have a 6.7-inch screen, making them significantly larger than the standard 6.1-inch iPhone 13, 5.4-inch iPhone 13 Mini and 4.7-inch iPhone SE. While the hardware varies, all iPhones generally run the same software despite their size. If only there were more ways to make use of the Pro Max's larger screen.

Luckily, there is. Apple should draw inspiration from the iPhone's larger cousin, the iPad. Apple's tablets are loaded with extra features that make apps easier to use on a larger screen. The company even renamed the iPad's software "iPadOS" in 2019 to distinguish it from the iPhone's iOS. The iPad's interface had evolved so much by that point, it no longer made sense to lump both operating systems together.

I'm not suggesting something as drastic as a rebranding to "Pro Max OS." But I do think both Apple and its customers could benefit from iOS 16, the next major iPhone software version, having new features that are specific to the larger-size iPhone.

Doing so wouldn't be simple. Modifications would need to be made to bring iPad-specific features like multitasking to the iPhone Pro Max. But Apple already has a history of tailoring apps and software to specific products, as it proved with the original iPad and Apple Watch. So I'd trust it to do the same in this case.

Here are the iPad features I think would translate well to the iPhone Pro Max.

The iPhone Pro Max's large screen is great for focusing on a single app, like reading or watching TV. But I'd love to see a version of the iPad's multitasking capabilities on the iPhone Pro Max too. Being able to view more than one app on screen could prevent me from switching between apps so often.

Apple offers two main options for running multiple apps on the iPad's display: Split View and Slide Over. The first is self-explanatory; it lets you divide the screen between two apps. Android phones have also offered split-screen mode for years. Slide Over is a bit different. Instead of splitting the screen, you can open an app in a floating panel that can be positioned on either side of the screen.

If Apple were to bring any of these features to the iPhone Pro Max, I think Slide Over would be the most useful. Compared to Split View mode, it's a better way to make use of a smartphone-size screen. You'd be able to dedicate most of the screen to one app while quickly checking another. I'd love to glance at my Slack messages in a column along the side of my screen while using most of the iPhone's display to catch up on emails.

This is an example of an iPad feature that Apple would likely have to tweak significantly for the iPhone rather than bringing over the current version. The iPhone Pro Max is big for a phone, but it's still small compared to an iPad -- even the iPad Mini.