How to Make the Most of Your iPad

The iPad is a powerful device that can do almost anything. From surfing the web to expressing your creativity to video editing for your YouTube channel, there’s no limit to what you can do with an iPad.

To make the most of your iPad, learn a few simple tricks that will help you get more done faster and stay productive.

1. Learn the Gestures

Gestures are an essential iPad navigation tool that can make multitasking a breeze. They mimic natural, real-world movements and are intuitive to use, making them an easy way for anyone to become a power user. Getting familiar with all of the gestures can take some time, but it’s well worth it in the long run. This will help you save time, increase productivity, and reduce the amount of tapping you have to do.

For example, if you are on a web page and want to return to the top, you can swipe up with two fingers. This also works in other apps, such as Notes or your Contacts list. Additionally, if you swipe down from the top of the screen, you will open Control Center. From here, you can view and action notifications.

You can also use gestures to quickly access your most recent apps, switch between apps, and more. Using these gestures is especially helpful on the new iPad Pro models, which don’t have a home button.

For example, you can swipe upwards with four or five fingers to reveal your open apps and a shortcut bar at the bottom of the screen. This can be useful if you’re working on a project and need to quickly switch between apps. You can also use the app bar to search for a specific app, contact, or website. To zoom in, place two fingers on the screen and move them apart or toward each other to zoom.

2. Create a Widget Stack

When Apple introduced the ability to stack widgets on an iPad, it instantly made them more usable for users. Widgets allow you to see the same information at once — such as your calendar or weather forecast — without having to open an app. They also take up less space on your Home Screen, which can help you prevent the clutter of having too many apps open.

You can create a stack by long-pressing on an empty area of your Home Screen and selecting the plus icon in the top left corner. When the apps begin jiggling, scroll through the available widgets and select the one you want. Then, drag it onto another widget of the same size to create a stack.

You should now have a smart stack that will automatically rotate throughout the day, based on what your iPad thinks you’d most like to see. You can also edit the widgets in a stack to personalize it.

You can also use the Quick Notes feature to handwrite notes on your iPad without having to open up the Notes app. This is a great feature to have if you’re frequently taking notes in class or at work and don’t want to deal with the on-screen keyboard. Just swipe up diagonally from any app or on the Home Screen to access the feature.

3. Monitor Your Battery

The iPad’s battery provides a significant amount of power, but it doesn’t last forever. The best way to prolong the life of your iPad is to monitor its battery health and take proactive steps to reduce energy consumption, such as lowering screen brightness and enabling Low Power Mode.

Apple doesn’t make it easy to natively see battery health on the iPad, but third-party apps like CoconutBattery and iMazing can help. These tools give you a more detailed look at your iPad’s maximum capacity, peak performance capability, cycle count, and more.

A battery’s maximum capacity is the amount of power it can hold when fully charged. If the percentage is near or below 80%, it may be time to consider replacing your iPad battery.

To find out more about your iPad’s battery, look for the number in the “Battery Effective Max. Capacity” or “Battery Charge Cycles” text box, which appear when you click the battery icon. You’ll also want to check the “Maximum Capacity Percentage” and “Original Capacity.” The former shows you your current maximum capacity, while the latter tells you how many charges your battery has gone through (everytime it’s charged from 0% to 100% counts as one cycle). The lower the original capacity, the sooner you’ll need to replace your iPad. The longer you wait, the more likely your iPad’s battery will degrade and become unreliable.

4. Invest in Product Protection

Whether you’re using it to take notes during a meeting or to play Angry Birds with your toddler, the iPad is a versatile and helpful piece of technology. But like any other expensive electronic device, it can be prone to damage. This is why it’s important to invest in product protection. This way, you can rest assured knowing your investment is protected from accidental damage and that you’re covered if something does go wrong.

When it comes to protecting your iPad, the best thing you can do is set a strong passcode. This will prevent anyone from accessing your tablet and potentially reading your private data, such as credit card numbers or your top secret plans for world domination. You can do this by navigating to your Settings and selecting Touch ID & Passcode. From here, you can change the default password and enable the option for your iPad to erase itself after a certain number of failed passcode attempts.

You should also turn on Find my iPad, which will help you locate your device should it ever get lost or stolen. You should also avoid jailbreaking your iPad, as this will allow you to download apps that are not verified by Apple and could pose security risks.