Get This App If You Use an External Monitor with Your iPad
When I first connected my iPad Pro to an external monitor, my immediate reaction was, “why is the app not full screen? what are these black bars on the sides doing?” My next thought was, “oh no, this was a mistake.”
And I wasn’t alone. I poured over forums on MacRumors and Reddit. There were lots of other iPad users who thought they could hack their way into productivity paradise and only to hamstringed by that 1.43:1 ratio (11"). Luckily, it turns out, Yannik Schrade made an app called Shift Screen to solve that problem.
Basically, Shift Screen is a browser that projects to your external monitor. You can put up to four windows on your external monitor and utilize the entire screen. Don’t worry, while the browser does store some data on your iPad, it does not allow the developer to access this data.
Here’s how it works. You open a new window, enter the URL, and off you go. The app is full screen on the external monitor. If you need more windows, you can add a new one with a few clicks (more on that later). The best use case is when you use web apps, which the app does a good job of showing in full screen.
As an added bonus, the app can be moved to the left side of your iPad (not the monitor) screen so you can use another app in split window view. Here’s an example:
Here, I have the Shift Screen app on the left hand side, and my Safari browser on the right in the iPad screen. On my external monitor, I have two windows opened via the Shift Screen app.
It is important to understand what this app does not do (at least currently). It does not allow you to put any app on the external monitor. It has to be a website or a web app, and you have to pull it up through the Shift Screen app.
After using the app for a few weeks, here are some quick thoughts:
Pros
- Best and only solution to Apple’s limited external monitor full screen support.
- Works well with most websites.
- Javascript bookmarklet support is available. (I haven’t been able to really try this out).
- Does not require jailbreaking or other modifications to iPadOS.
- Developer is active and has version 3.0 coming up with keyboard shortcuts.
- Not too expensive at $4.99 USD considering the functionality and the ongoing development.
Current Limitations
- No keyboard shortcuts (but coming in Version 3.0).
- No tab support.
- Mouse sensitivity. Because the app works by projecting itself onto the external monitor, the pointer becomes extra sensitive when the app is docked as a small left sided app in split view. You can change the settings of the pointer in the system, but just be aware of this.
- It takes a while to get a new window opened. You need to click the window management icon →create new window →new website (vs. new web app) →then type the website in the URL location box. Hopefully, the Version 3.0 shortcuts will help given it will include the shortcut for opening new windows.
- Scrolling can be a bit jaggy, just ever so slightly. The app does have a “Scroll and Zoom” option icon. Once clicked, the scrolling and zoom is as smooth as native Apple apps.
Final Thoughts
This is a great first try at solving the persistent challenge of working on an external monitor with an iPad. It is a work in progress, but it is good enough for now to get some basic function for those who need it. I would recommend you to try it out and support the developer, who has been pretty active on Twitter with current and future plans. Hopefully, this will inspire Apple to think about how a more OS wide solution.
