The Best iPad Tips and Tricks to Turn You into a Power User

While there are definitely things to complain about when it comes to professionals who want to use the iPad, the truth remains that Apple’s tablet is the best option on the market today. That hasn’t changed, with only Samsung offering any type of real competition in the space, unless you count Microsoft’s Surface line. With 2023 upon us, we thought it would be the perfect time to share some of the best iPad tips and tricks so you can make the most out of your iPad.

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Add Widgets To Your Home Screen

1. Long press a blank space on your Home Screen until you enter “Jiggle” mode (icons start jiggling).
2. Tap the + button in the top left-hand corner.
3. Locate and select the widget that you want to add.
4. Select which size you want to have on your Home Screen.
5. Tap the Add Widget button at the bottom.
6. Tap Done in the top right-hand corner.

Some apps will require you to set up a few extra things in order to take full advantage. For example, if you’re using Fantastical, you might need to select which calendar events you want to see within the widget.

Connect A Bluetooth Mouse or Trackpad

1. Make sure the Bluetooth mouse or trackpad are turned on.
2. Put the device into pairing or “discovery” mode.
3. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
4. In the sidebar on the left, tap Bluetooth.
5. On the right side of the screen, locate the Other Devices section.
6. Select the Bluetooth mouse or trackpad that you are trying to connect from the list of available devices.
7. In some instances, you might be prompted to provide a code. Apple suggests just entering 0000 to continue the pairing process.

Universal Control

Provided that your Mac is running at least Monterey version 12.3 and your iPad is at least running iPadOS 15.4, you can use Universal Control. Simply place the devices next to each other, and then drag the cursor from your Mac to your iPad. A little graphic will appear, encouraging you to “push” through the invisible barrier between your devices. But if you want to try and fine-tune the settings a bit, here’s how you can use Universal Control:

1. Open the System Preferences app on your Mac.
2. Click Displays in the bottom toolbar.
3. Click the Display Settings… button in the bottom right.
4. In the sidebar, click Advanced…
5. From there, you’ll have the following options:
   • Allow your cursor and keyboard to move between any nearby Mac or iPad
     • Your cursor and keyboard can be used on any nearby Mac or iPad signed in to your iCloud account.
   • Push through the edge of a display to connect a nearby Mac or iPad
     • Allow the cursor to connect to a nearby Mac or iPad by pushing against the edge of a display
   • Automatically reconnect to any nearby Mac or iPad
     • Allow this Mac to automatically reconnect to any nearby Mac or iPad you’ve previously connected to.

After everything is finished being set up, you’ll be able to move back and forth between your Mac and iPad, using the cursor and keyboard on both. This also works for dragging and dropping things like files from one device to the other with ease.

Enjoy Split View

This is the easiest and one of the most convenient options of multitasking using your iPad. You divide the screen into two and runs two apps next to each other. This feature works better in the landscape mode with apps that are split screen compatible.

1. Open one of the apps you’d like to use and click on the three dots at the top of your screen.
2. Choose the middle icon. When prompted, select the other app you’d like to use; in this case, we’ll open Safari.
3. Once your app has loaded, you can use the apps alongside each other.

When the two apps are split-screen compatible, you should see a line on the left-hand side of the sidebar. By dragging the line dividing the two apps left and right, you can set the space allocated to each app on the main screen.

Use a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller

With the release of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and even macOS Ventura, Apple is finally bringing official support for you to use Nintendo Switch Pro Controller with iPhone and iPad. Here’s how you can get your devices set up with the Pro Controller:

1. Grab your Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.
2. At the top of the controller, press the small pairing button next to the USB-C charging port.
   • Continue holding until the LED lights begin flashing to indicate that you have entered pairing mode on the controller.
3. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
4. Tap Bluetooth.
5. Under the Other Devices section, tap the name of your Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.
6. Wait a few moments.

Once paired, the Pro Controller will appear under the My Devices section of the Settings app. Now, you can go about playing your favorite emulators, or other games, all while using the Pro Controller.

Customize Controller Layout

Official support in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 goes far beyond just being able to play your favorite Apple Arcade games with the Pro Controller. Apple is also bringing full-on controller layout customization to the iPhone and iPad. This means that if you want to remap some of the buttons on your Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, you can do just that!

1. Make sure that your Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is paired to your iPhone or iPad.
2. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
3. Scroll down and tap General.
4. Scroll down again and tap **Game Controller.
5. Select the name of your controller.
6. Tap Default Controls.
7. Select the controls that you would like to remap on your controller.

Alternatively, Apple even makes it possible for you to remap the controller to have a custom layout for specific games.

1. From the Game Controller settings panel, tap the name of your controller.
2. Tap Add Game Controls.
3. Select the game that you want to change the controls for.
4. From the list of options, tap the name of the game again.
5. Select the controls that you would like to remap.

This is a much more in-depth customization than we expected to see from Apple with iOS 16. It’s clear that the company is focused on continuing to improve the mobile gaming experience.

Activate Stage Manager

Unlike some of Apple’s other marketing terms, Stage Manager doesn’t really sound like something that is set to take the world by storm. But for one reason or another, this is the name for the all-new iPad multitasking experience that is also coming to the Mac. Gone are the days of being limited to two apps in split-view, while possibly using a third app with SlideOver. Apple has laid the groundwork in previous iPadOS releases, all leading up to the introduction of Stage Manager.

1. Unlock your iPad.
2. Swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to reveal Control Center.
3. Tap the Stage Manager button. The icon looks like a rectangle with three squares to the left.

Alternatively, you can enable Stage Manager from the Settings app.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
2. From the sidebar on the left, tap Home Screen & Multitasking.
3. Tap Stage Manager.
4. Tap the toggle next to Use Stage Manager on iPad to the On position.

Once activated, you’ll see a new section appear on the left side of your screen. This is called the Recent Apps section, providing another way to switch between apps or recently-created app groups.

Group Apps When Using Stage Manager

What makes this even more exciting, at least for productivity nerds, is that you can group different apps together. This makes it so you can go from working on a presentation to chatting with your friends, without getting distracted.

All of the apps can be resized to your liking, and even though it might get a bit cramped, we’re just excited about the fact that it’s possible. So here are the steps you need to take if you want to know how to group apps on iPad:

1. Open the first app that you want to use.
2. Move the cursor to the left for Recent Apps or to the bottom for the Dock.
3. Drag and drop the app onto the main screen.

And that’s it! You’ve created an app group using Stage Manager, and those apps will remain grouped together until you remove one (or both) of them. This also means that they will be accessible from Stage Manager’s Recent Apps menu, along with the traditional recent apps overview.

Add Third-party Cloud Services To Files on iPadOS

The Files app allows you to not only manage local storage, but also makes it possible to manage all of your Cloud File Services from your iPad. Gone are the days of needing to download and use all of the different apps just to access files in different places. Now, you can access, edit, organize, and manipulate those files that are strewn across different cloud file services. If you have determined which cloud service you will use, you’ll need to get the documents and all to show up in the Files app. Here’s what you’ll need to do, regardless of what service you are using.

1. Download and set up the third-party cloud service application.
2. Open the Files app on your iPad.
3. Tap the Browse tab at the bottom.
4. Tap the More button in the top right-hand corner of the sidebar.
5. Select Edit.
6. Toggle the apps and services you wish to access to the On position.
7. Tap Done in the top right-hand corner.

Once you have connected the service to the Files app, you will be able to quickly access it from the sidebar. And you can even use the basic search function at the top to locate something specific, regardless of if you’re in a different area of the app.

Connect An External Drive

1. Plug in the external drive to the USB-C port on your iPad or Magic Keyboard.
2. Open the Files app on your iPad.
3. In the sidebar, locate and select the external drive that you just plugged in.

Now, you can manage and of the files that are stored on the external drive. And just like you would when connecting a drive to your Mac, you can transfer files between devices with ease. Additionally, you can also connect multiple devices to your iPad, provided that you have a USB-C hub or dongle of some kind.

Use An External Display

If you want to use your iPad with an external monitor, you’ll first need to identify and recognize what iPad you own. For example, if you own an M1-powered 11-inch or 12.9-inch iPad Pro, these make use of Thunderbolt 4. Meanwhile, the 2022 iPad Air “only” uses USB-C which will still work with many monitors, but doesn’t provide fast transfer speeds.

You’ll then need to identify which monitor you own and are planning to use with the iPad. In most instances, all you’ll really need is either an HDMI to USB-C cable, or you could use a dock or USB-C dongle in order to use your iPad with an external monitor.

Change External Display Settings

We’ve already covered Stage Manager and how you can use that when your iPad is connected to an external monitor. However, here are a few of the other options that you’ll be able to customize to improve your experience:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPad running iPadOS 16.
2. In the sidebar, tap Display & Brightness.
3. On the right side under Displays, select your connected monitor.

From here, you have the ability to change the Display Zoom, which can either allow for more content to be viewed or not. There is also a Display Setting available if your monitor support HDR content. This may be greyed out by default, but if your monitor and cable support HDR, you’ll be able to switch between SDR and HDR. The last option allows your external display to match the “dynamic range and framerate of the content you’re viewing.” However, Apple does warn that “this may result in flickering or long periods of black whenever content changes” so proceed with caution on that front.

The last option you might want to change is the Arrangement of your iPad and its connected displays. This is one of those “surprising” features that we didn’t expect to see. But if you go to the main Display & Brightness screen and then tap Arrangement, you can actually place where your iPad is in relation to the connected monitor.

Use Your iPad with Apple Fitness+

Fitness+ is a subscription service unveiled in 2020 that is tailored around personalized workouts. The service is built around the Apple Watch, which makes sense given that the Watch Series 6 was announced at the same time.

In addition to working in tandem with your Apple Watch, Fitness+ has a few extra tricks up its sleeve. The biggest of which is the ability to view the various video workouts with Apple “screens”. This includes the likes of an Apple TV, iPhone, or iPad. Then, the data is collected by your Watch and displayed on the screen in real-time, so you can make it easy to track your progress throughout the workout.

1. Open the Fitness app on your iPad.
2. From the main screen, select a workout type.
3. Tap the Filter button.
4. Narrow down the choices for the workout that you want to perform.
5. You can perform these steps if you want:
   1. Watch a preview of the workout that you want to perform.
   2. Save a workout by tapping the Add button and selecting Save Workout.
   3. Review the Music playlist, or tap Listen in Music to add a specific playlist to the Apple Music app.
6. Once all of your choices are made, tap the Let’s Go button.
7. Tap the Play button to view your workout metrics from your Apple Watch.
8. After the workout has been completed, you can either view your results or start a Mindful Cooldown.

Drag and Drop Between Your Apps

Multi-taskers everywhere, rejoiced when Apple announced that you can finally drag and drop files between applications. This feature has been requested for years, and it has finally arrived. In the example, we’ll walk you through how to drop a picture or video into the Photos app.

1. Locate the photo or video that you want to add to the Photos app.
2. Touch and hold the image.
3. After the pop-up context menu appears, drag the image upwards.
4. Without lifting your finger, swipe up to go to the Home Screen.
5. Again, without lifting your finger on the image, open the Photos app.
6. Drop the image into the Photos app.

This can also be used if you have multiple images or files that need to be moved around, so you aren’t limited to just using one at a time.

Enjoy More Battery Life With Low Power Mode

Ever since the release of iOS 9, Low Power Mode has been available for the iPhone. However, the feature has not been made available on the iPad and Mac until this year. Thanks to iPadOS 15, you can enable Low Power Mode on your iPad and it will do the following:

“Low Power Mode temporarily reduces background activity like downloads and mail fetch until you can fully charge your iPad.”

Here’s how you can enable Low Power Mode on your iPad:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. In the left sidebar, tap Battery.
3. Tap the toggle next to Low Power Mode to enable it.

Once enabled, the battery indicator in the top right corner will turn yellow. This provides a method for you to always know whether you’re running in Low Power Mode or “normal” mode.

Increase Text Size In Any App

iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 give you the option to change the text size for each app manually, or you can opt to change the size for all of your apps. But before you can do so, you’ll first need to add the option to Control Center.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Scroll down and select Control Center.
3. Toggle Access Within Apps to the On position.
4. Under More Controls, locate Text Size.
5. Tap the + icon next to Text Size to add it to your Included Controls.

Now that the Text Size toggle has been added to Control Center, you have the ability to change the text size for each app manually. Here’s how you can do that from your iPhone or iPad.

1. Open the app that you want to change the text size for.
2. Swipe down from the top right corner to reveal Control Center.
3. Tap the Text Size icon that has two different-sized letters in it.
4. Tap the [This App] Only icon at the bottom.
5. Move the slider up or down to change the text size for the app.
   • At the top of the screen, you will see a preview to determine whether any more adjustments are needed.
6. Tap any empty space on the screen, or swipe up, to exit the Text Size panel.

Keep Your Tabs Organized With Safari Tab Groups

With the release of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, Apple has introduced Tab Groups for Safari. This is a (relatively) quick and easy way to group some tabs together, in order to access them later or whenever you need to.

1. Open the Safari app on your iPad.
2. Tap the Open Tabs (two stacked squares) button in the bottom right corner.
3. Tap or long-press the Tabs option in the middle of the bottom toolbar.
4. Select one of the following options:
   • New Empty Tab Group
   • New Tab Group from X Tabs.
5. Type the name that you want to use to identify the Tab Group.
6. Tap Save in the dialog box.

Jot Down Quick Notes

In addition to being able to quickly jot down some notes, Quick Notes also sync across all of your Apple devices. So you’ll be able to pull those Quick Notes later on from your iPhone or Mac.

Quick Notes with Apple Pencil

1. Unlock your iPad.
2. Using your Apple Pencil, swipe inward from the bottom right corner of the iPad screen.
3. Continue dragging until the gray box is fully expanded.

Quick Notes in Control Center

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Control Center from the sidebar.
3. Toggle Access Within Apps to the On position.
4. Scroll down under More Controls.
5. Tap the + icon next to Quick Notes.

Now that Quick Notes is enabled in Control Center, you can just swipe down from the top right. From there, tap the new Quick Notes icon and jot down your notes or thoughts.

Quick Notes From Safari

Thanks to the power of Quick Notes, the feature automatically detects what app you are using. So if you’re using Safari, you can save links, text, and even images right into Quick Notes.

1. Open Safari on your iPad.
2. Swipe to activate Quick Notes.
3. Tap the Add Link+ button in Quick Notes if you want to add a webpage.
4. If you want to add text or images, highlight them on the webpage.
5. Tap the Add to Quick Note button that appears from the pop-up menu.
   1. When saving images or text, Quick Notes also saves the URL of where you got the information from.

Another neat feature when using Quick Notes is the ability to just drag and drop from an app and into Quick Notes. Just highlight the text or image in Safari then drag and drop it into the Quick Note.