Transcription
The iPad is one of Apple's most versatile devices. It's thin, it's fast, it's powerful, and very portable. And honestly, for a lot of people, including myself, it is a great MacBook replacement.
But here's the thing, most iPad users are just scratching the surface of what this thing can actually do, especially now that it is running iPad OS 26. And it's not because the features of the iPad are not good. It's because some of the best iPad features are hidden behind gestures, settings, and menus that most people don't even know about.
So, in today's video, I'm breaking down 15 hidden iPad features that will make your iPad way more productive, save you time every single day, and genuinely improve your overall user experience. Also, today's video is sponsored by Paperlike, but more on them in a little bit. So, without any further ado, let's dive in.
All right, so the first feature that I want to talk about is folders in the dock. With iPad OS 26, we get an amazing feature where we can pull up specific files and documents in whichever app that we're on right from the dock. And you might be wondering, how do you do that? Well, you go into your files app, find the folder that you want to add to your doc, tap and hold on the folder or right click on it with your trackpad, and you'll see the add to option. Then select the dock and voila, that folder is now on your dock. And you can even simply just drag the folder to your dock as well in order to do this. Trust me, this saves a lot of time to be able to access all your files and documents and just dragging them from your doc rather than digging through your files app every single time.
The second feature is regarding multitasking options. You see, with the iPad, it was initially meant to be a device where you use full screen applications. Then slowly Apple introduced multitasking features like split view, slide over and even stage manager, which was the first glimpse of windowed apps. Then with iPad OS 26, Apple took that next level with windowed apps where you can resize and arrange multiple apps any way that you like. However, you can actually change modes based on your preference because let's be honest, not everybody wants to use windowed apps all the time. So to do this, go into settings, then multitasking and gestures, and up top you can choose which layout you prefer. Full-size apps, windowed apps, or stage manager, where you can group apps together. You can also do this through control center as well by tapping the app switcher icon which can then turn on either windowed apps or full-sized applications. And if you hold on to it, you can even select between windowed apps and stage manager.
Now, let's talk about hidden iPad multitasking gestures. You see, one of the biggest advantages that the iPad has over the Mac is with its touchscreen display. And because of that, Apple has built in some insanely intuitive gestures that most people barely even use. So, first let's talk about the basic gestures that I'm sure you already know about. You swipe up once to get into your home screen. And when you swipe up and hold, you access your app switcher. And like I said, you probably already know these. But here's the underrated part. That little white bar at the bottom of your screen, it basically turns into a trackpad. You can swipe left or right on it to instantly jump between your most recent apps. So, there's no need to go to the home screen or open up the app switcher every single time when you just want to jump from app to app. Now, with that simple gesture, you can do that. But you see, Apple didn't just stop right there. They actually gave us another option as well to switch between apps. You can also swipe left or right with four fingers anywhere on the screen to switch apps. And if that doesn't work for you, then it may be that it's just not activated. So, in order to activate it, go into settings, then multitasking and gestures, and make sure that four or five finger app switching is turned on. Once you build this into your muscle memory, trust me, your iPad starts feeling ridiculously fast.
Next up, let's talk about the built-in conversion tool. And I think that this is hands down one of the most underrated iPad OS features. You see, whenever we want to convert currency or check weight or do a quick calculation or look something up, what we always end up doing is we go into Safari and start searching it up or we download a specific app, right? But guess what? You don't really have to do that. when you're on the home screen of your iPad, just swipe down to open search. And literally, you can type in whatever it is that you're trying to find an answer to. For example, you can type in 100 US to Canadian and it'll give you that. 15 lbs to kilograms, it'll give you that. 25* 4, the answer shows up instantly. So, you don't have to go to a specific application or open up tabs in Safari. And no distractions. Just go on your home screen. It's a powerful tool to use the search bar. I think you're really going to love it.
Now, let's talk about iPad keyboard power tips because trust me when I say this, Apple hit a lot of power here. The first thing I want to talk about is the split keyboard and floating keyboard. You see, on smaller iPads, especially the iPad Mini, this is amazing. When you long press the keyboard icon, you can choose between split or floating. So, when you choose split, the keyboard literally splits to give you a thumb style typing experience. And when you choose floating, it gives you a mini iPhone size keyboard that you can move anywhere. Now, on larger iPads, you don't get split mode, but floating keyboard still comes in handy more than you'd expect, as you can have a smaller sized keyboard anywhere on the display versus it taking up your entire screen and hiding a lot of your content. And another cool thing about the keyboard is that it turns into a trackpad. So, on your keyboard, when you hold down on the space bar, the entire keyboard becomes a trackpad. So, you can move the cursor precisely and edit text without tapping. And trust me, once you start doing this, you'll never manually drag the cursor again.
All right, quick pause. Before we go into more iPad tips, let me now go over today's sponsor, Paperlike. Their allnew Paperlike 3c screen protector uses their latest evolution of Nano DOS technology, delivering their signature paper feel experience that also drastically removes glare and reflections. The texture feels great, giving you smooth and consistent resistance when you write or draw. And installation is seamless as Paperlike 3 introduces the butterfly application system. A redesigned method that makes applying your Paperlike easier, cleaner, and more reliable. It eliminates dust cause bubbles, misalignment, and unclear instructions. Also, what I really like about it is that you can just scan the QR code for an interactive on-screen guide that walks you through step-by-step instructions for a seamless installation. So, if you're serious about note-taking or drawing on your iPad and want the best writing or drawing experience out there, then this Paperlike 3 screen protector has you covered, and I have a link to it in the description below. Be sure to check them out.
Now, let's talk about how you can turn any website into an application. If there are websites that you visit all the time, and an app version of it doesn't exist on the App Store, then it gets pretty annoying opening Safari every single time. But guess what? You can actually turn any website into an app on your iPad. Let me show you how. First up, open Safari. Go to the website you want. Tap the share button. Scroll down and tap add to home screen. Then you get a new window where you can rename it if you want. And once you do that, just hit the check mark and that's it. Now that site basically lives on your home screen like a real application. So instead of always going into Safari and typing in the URL every single time, I just tap this icon and I'm instantly there. And I personally think this comes really handy when you're trying to always view dashboards or even you know certain websites like Google Docs. Even though there is a actual app version of it, I prefer the desktop version of Google Docs. So I've turned that into an actual app on my home screen. It's a small thing, but it does save a lot of friction over time.
Now let's go back to the keyboard again because there's hidden symbols and numbers. On my large 13-inch iPad Pro, I get a nice dedicated number row on the display keyboard. But on smaller iPads, you might notice that you don't get that dedicated number row with visible symbols. But look closely. Every key has a gray symbol above it. So instead of switching keyboards, just tap the letter to type it or swipe down to access the symbol or number. For an example, if you tap the W, you get the letter W. But when you swipe down on the W, you get the number two. This is way faster once it becomes muscle memory and makes typing on the glass display of the iPad way more efficient.
Now, let's talk about how you can declutter your home screen. If every app you download automatically lands on your home screen, it gets really messy real fast. Here's how you can fix that. Open up settings. Search for newly downloaded apps. Select app library only. Now, when you download an app, it doesn't clutter your home screen. It goes straight into the app library and it's nicely organized based on the category that the app falls under. So now you stay in control of what actually deserves your home screen space. And bonus tip, you can even turn on show app library in the do. So this gives you one tap access to all your applications and also shows you recently downloaded apps right at the top. And if you don't want in the dock, no problem. You don't have to do it this way.
Now let's talk about how you can open up two windows of the same application. There was a time when this used to drive me insane. On a Mac, it was very easy to do. But on an iPad, it wasn't that obvious. But yes, you can actually open two windows of the same app. Here's how. Long press the app icon and tap open new window. It is that simple. So, for example, here I have two Safari windows or two notes windows. This is incredible for researching and writing at the same time, comparing notes, or referencing old content while creating new content.
Now, let's talk about Apple Pencil power moves. And for all you Apple Pencil users, this is going to be very useful. So listen up. If your iPad screen is off, just tap and hold with the pencil and a new quick note opens up instantly. So you can start taking notes right away without even unlocking your iPad. This is perfect for meetings, class, and random ideas that you have that you want to jot down right away. And since we're talking about the Apple Pencil and notes, you can even draw perfect shapes. For example, here I am drawing a shape. All I have to do is hold the pencil down and my iPad snaps it into a perfect shape. And this works with circles, squares, triangles, and arrows. It technically even works with your finger, but I personally think it's a lot more intuitive with the Apple Pencil.
Now, let's talk about personalizing your iPad's lock screen and home screen. Let's talk about the lock screen. For example, you can change the font, the thickness of the font, and the size, change the wallpaper, and add widgets as well. So, for example, if you're looking at my iPad screen right now, you can see that I have a large clock with weather, calendar, the to-do list, and a reading widget. And it's so nice to be able to glance at all this useful information before I even unlock the iPad. So, to customize this, wake up your iPad, press and hold the log screen, and tap customize.
Now, let's talk about home screen customization. You can place apps anywhere in the grid, place widgets freely, and resize icons. You can also customize by icon size, whether you want it small or large, light mode or dark mode icons, or even tinted icons to match your wallpaper. And with iPad OS 26, you can even make them clear.
All right, now we're going to talk about how you can use your iPad as a secondary display for your Mac. And I'm surprised by how many people don't know about this. So, basically, when you have this turned on, your Mac's trackpad works on the iPad, your keyboard works, and your Apple Pencil still works. So you can write notes, drag windows, and extend your workspace instantly. It is straight up one of the easiest ways to boost productivity with owning both the Mac and iPad and having them work together.
Next up, let's talk about sharing Safari tabs across your devices. If you use multiple Apple devices, this is huge. You can have Safari tabs from your iPhone automatically appear on your iPad and vice versa. To enable this, go into settings, tap your name, then go into iCloud, and make sure that Safari is turned on. So, next time you're in Safari, you just click the tabs icon, and you can view your iCloud tabs from other devices. It's seamless, and once you use it, you expect it everywhere.
And lastly, let's talk about Control Center and how you can make it work better for you. To be very honest, I think Control Center is extremely powerful only if you customize it properly. As you probably already know, you just swipe down from the top right corner to see all your controls. And it's kind of sad how most people don't even touch what's in here. And that's a massive mistake you're making. You can long press inside control center and then tap out of control. You can add things like screen recording, voice memos, shortcuts, focus modes, and even third-p partyy app controls. Trust me, within just a few minutes of customizing your control center, it can become a lot more powerful.
All right, so these were my favorite tips and tricks for iPad OS that I genuinely believe can improve your productivity. And as always, I want to know your thoughts. What tips do you have for me and all of the viewers out there that you think are very beneficial? Whatever they are, leave them down in the comments section below. Trust me, I read all the comments. And if you have any thoughts or questions, leave them down in the comments section below as well. If you enjoyed this video, give it a like. Subscribe to my channel if you haven't already done so. And I'll catch you in the next one.