When we are talking about the iPad 2, we are talking about the world’s best tablet device. If you are new to iOS and you got this glorious gadget in your hand, it will certainly take quite some time to make yourself feel at home. So here are some Tips and Tricks to get you right to the core of the features and experience. And these Tips and Tricks are also applicable to the first generation iPad so I hope nobody is still feeling left out.
Orientation Lock or Mute?
You can choose what your side switch can do, either use it as a Lock Rotation or Mute. All you have to do is Settings > General and choose between Lock Rotation and Mute.
Access all running apps
Now this is one feature I have noticed many newbie’s to Apple find it hard to locate. You may have ended up running several apps, and you will not even notice the pile created in the background. Double Click on the Home Button and all the apps running on the iPad will be presented on a horizontal bar along the bottom of the screen. Click on an app to move it, or swipe the screen downwards to remove this bar.
Control iPad notifications
Notifications can be very annoying at times, and it is good to know how to control them. Go to Settings > Notifications and configure alerts and corresponding sounds which will appear.
Stop notifications for joining Wi-Fi networks
It is very pesky to receive notifications regarding Open available Wi-Fi networks when you are least interested in accessing one. Go to Settings, Wi-Fi and turn off Ask to Join Networks. You can still join the networks you require, but it won’t bug you constantly.
Volume Mute
A good option for muting your iPad is to press and hold the Volume down button.
iPad Screenshot
You can take a screenshot on your iPad by pressing Home and then the Sleep/Wake button. The screen will flash and you’ll hear a click, indicating the photo has been taken. Screen shots are saved automatically in Photos gallery.
Find my iPad
Find My iPad is free on the iPad, you will have to go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars and click on Add Account button and select MobileMe.
Login using an iTunes or MobileMe account or create a free Apple ID. After verification, return to the MobileMe screen and switch on Find My iPad. You will be able to see your iPad on a map and install the Find My iPhone app from the App Store.
iPad Caps Lock
If you need a single capital letter the use one shift key, but in case you need to type several capital letters then double tap the enter shift key. This may seem elementary, but at times is very hard to come across.
Hope this makes your accessibility and usage of the iPad much easier. Stay tuned for more such tips and tricks.
Thanks for the great tips. I own an iPad (first version) and never got to read the user manual the first day I unwrapped it and since them I never find it necessary to read that manual at all. Thanks to this post I just discover my iPad has been running pretty much all apps I have in the device because I thought just just closing it or moving to another app closes the previous one. Using the tip you provided proves me wrong.
The iPad screenshot tip is also new to me. So I used your tip right way.
Thanks for all those great insights.