- Getting to Know Your iPad
- Turning Your iPad On and Off
- Using Your iPad
- Performing Basic Operations
- Managing Your iPad's Battery
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Performing Basic Operations
Now that you know where (almost) everything is on your iPad, let’s learn some of the most common operations necessary to get things done.
View and Respond to Alerts
When your iPad or a specific app has something to tell you, you see an alert pop up onscreen. Depending on your settings and the importance of the alert, it may appear briefly at the top of the screen and then fade away, or remain in the center of the screen until you take some necessary action. Some alerts also appear on your iPad’s Home or Search screens.
Pull down on the alert to respond to it without leaving your current app.
Swipe the alert from right to left to respond to an alert when your iPad is locked.
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Display the Control Center
When you want instant access to key system settings, such as screen brightness and volume, open your iPad’s Control Center.
- Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to display the Control Center.
- Tap any icon to turn on or off that control.
Drag any slider to adjust that control.
Swipe from right to left to display the second screen of the Control Center.
Close the Control Center by swiping down until it moves off the bottom of the screen.
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Adjust the Brightness
As noted, most of the more immediate iPad settings are accessed via the Control Center. This includes the device’s screen brightness control.
- Swipe up from the bottom edge of any screen to display the Control Center.
- Drag the brightness slider to the right to increase screen brightness and to the left to decrease screen brightness.
- Tap the Night Shift button to turn on the feature, which makes the screen colors warmer and easier to see at night. Tap the button again to return to normal screen colors. (The first time you enable this feature, you are prompted to set the Night Shift schedule.)
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Change the Volume Level
Use the volume controls on the right side of your iPad to raise and lower the sounds you hear from the iPad’s speakers.
- Press the volume up button to increase the device’s volume level.
- Press the volume down button to decrease the device’s volume level.
- Press and hold the volume down button to temporarily mute the sound. Press the volume up button to increase the sound again.
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Rotate the iPad
As previously noted, you can use your iPad in either vertical (portrait) or horizontal (landscape) modes. The Home screen and most apps automatically rotate and adjust their displays to optimize how they work in either mode.
- To switch from horizontal to vertical mode, simply rotate the iPad 90 degrees left or right. (Rotating left—counterclockwise—puts the volume controls on top of the iPad, and the Home button on the right.)
- The Home screen automatically adapts to the new orientation.
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Activate Do Not Disturb Mode
There may be times when you don’t want to be disturbed by alerts and notifications or by requests to video chat via FaceTime. When you don’t want to be bothered by these and similar requests, activate your iPad’s Do Not Disturb mode. When Do Not Disturb is activated, you won’t see or hear notifications, alerts, and system sound effects. (Audio from music, movies, and TV shows is not muted.)
- Swipe up from the bottom edge of any screen to display the Control Center.
- Tap the Do Not Disturb button to mute all system alerts and notifications. Tap the button again to return to normal operation.
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Enter Text with the Onscreen Keyboard
Many applications let you (or even require you!) to enter text onscreen. You may be writing a note or memo, or browsing a web page that asks you to enter information into an onscreen form.
When you need to enter text onscreen, use your iPad’s onscreen keyboard. In most instances, the keyboard appears automatically, on the bottom half of the screen, when you tap within a form field or document.
- Tap within a document or form field to display the onscreen keyboard.
- Tap a key on the keyboard to enter that character onscreen.
- Tap the Shift key to enter a capital letter. Double-tap the Shift key to engage caps lock.
- Tap the Number key to display numbers and special characters.
- Tap to enter a number or special character.
Tap the ABC key to return to the normal alphanumeric keyboard.
Tap the Emoji key to display and enter a range of emoji.
Tap a tab to display different types of emoji.
Tap to enter an emoji.
Tap the ABC key to return to the normal alphanumeric keyboard.
Tap the Keyboard key to hide the onscreen keyboard.
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Copy and Paste Text
Whether you’re using your iPad to write long letters or short Facebook posts, it’s handy to be able to copy and paste text from one location to another.
- Press the screen to make the magnifying glass appear.
- Move your finger left or right to position the insertion point.
- Lift your finger to display the pop-up menu. Tap Select to select the current word.
- Tap and drag the starting and end points to select more or less text.
- Tap Cut to cut this selection (move it to another location).
- Tap Copy to copy this selection (duplicate it in another location).
- Press or double-tap the screen where you want to paste the cut or copied text. This displays a different menu of options. (The options available differ from app to app.)
- Tap Paste.
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Set an Alarm
Your iPad includes a Clock app that lets you set a timer or an alarm. It also functions as a stopwatch.
If you want to use your iPad as a (very expensive!) alarm clock, use the Clock app to set an alarm.
- Tap the Clock icon to open the Clock app.
- Tap the Alarm icon at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the + icon to create a new alarm.
- Use the clock control to set the alarm time.
- To have the alarm repeat on later days, tap Repeat and select which day(s) you want to use it.
- Tap Label to create a name for this alarm.
- Tap Sound to select the sound you want to hear when the alarm goes off.
- Tap “off” the Snooze control if you don’t want to be able to snooze through the alarm.
- Tap Save. The alarm is created and activated.
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Set a Timer
There are times when you need to set a timer—when you’re cooking in the kitchen, for example, or putting the grandkids in a timeout. You can use the Clock app for all your timer needs.
- Tap the Clock icon to open the Clock app.
- Tap the Timer icon.
- Use the timer controls to set the length of the timer.
- Tap the sound icon to set the sound you hear when the timer goes off.
- Tap Start to start the timer.
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Use the Stopwatch
Finally, the Clock app also lets you use it as a stopwatch, so that you can time any ongoing event.
- Tap the Clock icon to open the Clock app.
- Tap the Stopwatch icon.
- Tap Start to start the stopwatch.
- Tap Stop to stop the stopwatch. The elapsed time is displayed onscreen.
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