10 Awesome iPad Features You Must Use

Whether you’re a long-time user or just starting out with an iPad, there may be some features you haven’t discovered yet. In this article, we’ll go through ten great features that every iPad owner should know about.

1. Use Your iPad as a Second Mac Display

One of the amazing features that iPad users can take advantage of is called Sidecar. This feature allows you to use your iPad as a second monitor for your Mac, either by mirroring or extending your desktop. However, it’s important to note that not all iPads or Macs support this feature, so be sure to check Apple’s latest system requirements. In order for Sidecar to work, both your iPad and Mac need to be signed in to the same Apple account, and Handoff must be enabled. Once you’ve connected your devices, Apple provides a useful sidebar that makes it easier to use Mac apps on your iPad. If you have an Apple Pencil, you can even use your iPad as a graphics tablet.

2. Take a Full-Page Website Screenshot

Using your iPad’s screenshot feature, you can capture a full-page screenshot of an entire web page. To do so, first trigger a screenshot: press the top button and volume up button (on an iPad without a Home button) or press the Home button and the top button (on an iPad with a Home button). When you see the thumbnail in the corner, tap it, then select the “Full Page” tab. Finally, choose “Save PDF to Files,” and you’ll get a full-page screenshot that you can see later in the Files app.

3. Send Photos, Videos, or Files With AirDrop

Using AirDrop, it is simple to wirelessly transfer photos, videos, and other files from your iPad to other Apple devices that are close by. You can find AirDrop in the share menu and it works with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. For it to work, both devices must have AirDrop set up and Bluetooth enabled.

To send files or media, open the app you want to use, tap the share button (a square with an upward-pointing arrow out of it), and then select “AirDrop.” The file(s) will wirelessly beam to the other Apple device after you select the nearby Apple device to which you want to send them.

4. iPad Keyboard Shortcuts

You might not be getting the most out of the keyboard experience if you use a physical keyboard with your iPad. Apps for the iPad are able to use a variety of Mac-like Command key shortcuts, including Command+C and Command+V for copying and pasting respectively. If you have trouble remembering the shortcuts for a specific app, you can always view a cheat sheet by pressing and holding the Command key.

5. Achieve Peace With “Focus”

Use the Do Not Disturb mode, which is a part of the Focus feature, if you don’t want to be interrupted by messages, notifications, or alerts on your iPad. You can set up Do Not Disturb in Settings to turn on automatically at specific times of the day (like when you’re working), or you can manually switch it on and off in Control Center by tapping the crescent moon icon.

6. Customize Your Mouse Buttons

When using a mouse with an iPad, you can change how its buttons behave, including giving useful functions to any additional buttons the mouse may have.

To do this, you must first enable the AssistiveTouch accessibility feature. Then, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Devices and choose the name of the attached mouse device. You can select “Customize Additional Buttons” there, click a mouse button, and then select a feature from the list, like “Home” or “App Switcher.” You can quickly switch between apps using just your mouse in this manner.

7. Use Multitasking to Be More Productive

Learning to multitask will help you get more done on your iPad if you use it for work. With iPadOS 15, the multitasking menu makes multitasking simpler. You can access it by tapping the three dots in the top-center of your screen. A small menu will appear, from which you can choose between full-screen view, split view, and slide over. Later in 2022, when Stage Manager—a desktop-like environment with windowed iPad apps—is released as part of iPadOS 16, this will be taken a step further.

8. Use Picture in Picture For Video

Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode allows you to continue watching a video or a FaceTime call while doing other things on your iPad when you’re watching a crucial video or participating in a FaceTime call. The video is shrunk and turned into a resizable thumbnail that plays continuously in the bottom-right corner of your screen. In a supporting app, tap the Picture-in-Picture icon (which resembles two overlapping rectangles with a diagonal arrow pointing down and to the right) to activate it. Once the video display appears, you can resize it or move it around the screen with your finger. You can dismiss it by tapping the “X” button in the Picture-in-Picture window.

9. Lock Your iPad Screen Orientation

Do you get tired of your iPad’s screen rotating (from portrait to landscape and vice versa) every time you shift your position on a bed or couch? If this is the case, you can easily lock the screen rotation so that it does not change when you physically rotate the iPad. Open Control Center and tap the icon for orientation lock, which resembles a padlock with a circled arrow around it, to accomplish this. Open Control Center and select the orientation lock icon once more to disable it later.

10. Use Night Shift to Relax Your Eyes

Your eyes may occasionally get tired if you read on your iPad at night because of the screen’s intense blue light. Fortunately, Apple includes Night Shift with the iPad, a feature that tints the screen to a more warm, orange hue to lessen eye strain and perhaps prevent sleep issues from late-night screen exposure. To use it, open Control Center and press and hold the brightness slider for a few seconds until another menu appears. You can turn it on by tapping the “Night Shift” button, and you can also turn it off later in the same way.