10 Essential iPad Tips and Tricks

13 May 2010 | Advice | Angela Topchu on Google+

Apple’s users will have been enraged for years that they can only perform one task at a time on their device and even with the release of iPad, Apple could not overcome this shortcoming, as its operating system lacks multi-tasking support at present. But one of iPad’s unique features is that, it is designed in such a way that anyone can use it. But even still, there are things that you’re just supposed to magically know, things no one ever necessarily tells you. So here we present some of iPad’s tips and tricks and because the iPad runs the same OS as the iPhone you’ll find that many of these tips will work just as well on that device, too.

1. Quick volume mute

Unlike the iPhone, there’s no dedicated mute button on the iPad. However, you can still cut the sound in a hurry if you need to pretend you’re doing something serious instead of watching the latest YouTube viral. Simply keep the ‘Volume down’ button depressed and the sound will mute.

2. Add extra apps to your tray

There are four apps in the iPad’s Dock (the shelf along the bottom of the Home Screen) by default, but you can have up to six apps here for quick access. Press and hold any icon on the Home Screen until the icons start to wobble, then drag two more apps to your Dock.

3. Save time using Spotlight

Instead of wading hopelessly through your music library looking for that one song you want, or endlessly hacking through your Contacts. It’s much quicker to make use of the Spotlight search – it can search both iPod and Contacts. Flick right on the Home screen to access Spotlight search, or press the Home button. It also works for launching apps.

4. Redefine your iPad Home button

Double-clicking the Home button takes you to the home screen by default, but you can redefine its action in General – Home. To help save you time you can set it to bring up Spotlight search or the iPad application.

5. Make use of suggestions

As you type you’ll notice that the iPad guesses at the word you’re typing. To choose these suggestion simply stop typing the word and tap the space bar. If you’re typing a lot of text then this can be a real time saver.

6. Enable Autofill

Save time filling out web forms in Safari by making use of Autofill. In Settings choose Safari - AutoFill, then select Use Contact Info to autofill information from the Contacts app, or Names & Passwords.

7. Add a web page to the iPad home screen

If you visit a web page frequently then save time ponderously locating it in your Safari bookmarks by adding it as an icon to your Home screen. Tap the + icon in Safari then tap “Add to Home Screen”.

8. Quicker websites

Save time typing web addresses in Safari by using the iPad’s “.com” key when typing in a URL. A little-known timesaver is that if you hold down the .com key you get access to a menu that offers a .co.uk option, too.

9. The Soft Reset

The single most common thing people don’t realize about the iPhone OS (from my experience) is how to perform a soft reset which you’ll find extremely useful in cases when the system freezes. Just hold the top (power) and bottom front (home) button for a few seconds. Your iPad will restart. To force quit an application, just hold the home button by itself in a similar fashion.

10. Use the magnifying glass

You’re entering text but you realise you’ve made a mistake a couple of lines back. You either fumble about with your finger trying to get back to the exact place, or you use the magnifying glass. Touch and hold your finger in the right area and the magnifying glass appears, enabling you to fine tune your insertion point.

10 Essential iPad Tips and Tricks

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