iPadOS 27 breaks external-display presenting, teacher says
A teacher who writes a blog about teaching has published a short complaint about what he calls a devastating regression in iPadOS 27. He relies on writing on handouts from his iPad, projected via AirPlay to an external screen his students can see. While he does that, the iPad is also doing other things: controlling a PowerPoint presentation on his Mac, showing his private notes on points to mention and students to call on, and showing poll results before he reveals them to the class. Being able to do other things on the iPad while the audience sees only the presentation or handout is, he says, essential to a variety of pedagogical moves he uses. His verdict: Apple "just completely broke it."
The problem, as he describes it: as of iPadOS 27, if several windows are open while AirPlaying (whether or not Stage Manager is on), tapping anything other than the presenting app makes the external display snap to showing the whole iPad screen. His students then see his notes on who he wants to call on, and poll results that should be hidden from them. They also get distracted by windows popping up and disappearing. He adds that at a big conference this would be extremely embarrassing.
The apps react differently once the display has switched. In GoodNotes, the presenter view returns when he taps back on the app. In Keynote, the presentation exits entirely. In PowerPoint, the app is left in a limbo where he has to restart the presentation to proceed. He links a Reddit post that illustrates the behavior in GoodNotes and invites readers to try it themselves.
He says he understands why Apple changed things. In iPadOS 26, which app could "control" the external display was hard to identify: you swiped up as though going to the home screen, then tapped the app you wanted in the dock, and that app took over the external display if it had a presentation mode. That was weird and hard to understand, he writes, but Apple's solution, as he sees it, is to let whichever app was tapped most recently take over, which he calls much, much worse.
His own proposal, offered with the caveat that he is not a developer: an app in presenter mode (PowerPoint playing a presentation, or an open GoodNotes document) should always keep precedence on the external display until the presentation is stopped, the document is closed, or the app is quit.
He talked about the issue on an episode of Mac Power Users in early September, and says the behavior has not changed as of now, including in the latest betas. He hopes the post spreads the word, or that someone has found a workaround. He has filed a feedback report with Apple, code FB23615646, and encourages readers to file their own and mention that code. He will update the post if anything changes. For now, he writes, he cannot recommend this operating system to anyone using an iPad to teach or present.
Key facts
- The author says that in iPadOS 27, with multiple windows open during AirPlay (Stage Manager on or off), tapping any app other than the presenting one makes the external display show the whole iPad screen.
- Students can then see private material such as notes on whom to call on and poll results meant to stay hidden.
- Apps react differently: GoodNotes returns to presenter view when tapped back, Keynote exits the presentation, and PowerPoint is left in limbo until the presentation is restarted.
- In iPadOS 26 control of the external display was hard to identify; the author says iPadOS 27 lets the most recently tapped app take over, which he finds much worse.
- He says the behavior is unchanged in the latest betas, has filed Apple feedback report FB23615646, and asks readers to do the same.
Why it matters
Showing one thing to an audience while keeping private material on the device is the whole point of presenter setups. The author says iPadOS 27 undoes that: a single tap on another app can put notes or hidden poll results in front of the room. He sees the cause as a design choice, not a crash. In iPadOS 26, working out which app controlled the external display was confusing. Apple's fix in iPadOS 27, as he reads it, hands the screen to whichever app was tapped last.
Who it affects
The author is a teacher who projects handouts from an iPad over AirPlay, and he says the same problem would hit anyone presenting this way, including at a big conference, where he calls it extremely embarrassing. He names three apps affected: GoodNotes, Keynote and PowerPoint. He does not recommend iPadOS 27 to anyone using an iPad to teach or present.
How to use it
The post offers no workaround; the author asks readers whether someone has one. What he does suggest is to reproduce the behavior yourself, file a feedback report with Apple, and mention his feedback code FB23615646. His own proposal for the fix is that an app in presenter mode should keep the external display until the presentation stops, the document closes, or the app quits.
How solid is it
This is a first-person account from one teacher who says he is not a developer. It is detailed and describes the behavior across three apps, and he links a Reddit post showing the GoodNotes case. The post reports no response from Apple, and it does not say which beta or release build he tested. Treat it as a credible user report, not a confirmed Apple position.
Risks and caveats
The claims about what Apple intended and why come from the author's reading, not from Apple. The source gives no counts of affected users or devices, and it does not say whether the issue reaches beyond iPads. He says the behavior persists in the latest betas, so it could change before or after a final release; he promises to update the post if it does.
“I can’t recommend this operating system to anyone using their iPad to teach or present.”
— Post author, a teacher (name not given in the text)