I have been using my iPad Pro much more frequently lately. I have even set up my Kinesis Bluetooth keyboard to be able to access either my Mac or iPad with a simple keystroke. Frankly, I sometimes forget and start using my finger on my MacBook Pro screen and get frustrated and have a laugh when it doesn’t react.
At the office I primarily use my Mac, but if I go into a meeting I will usually grab the iPad to bring along. At home, though, I am primarily using my iPad(s). I have an iPad Pro that I use for mostly web surfing, email and things like controlling my Spark drone. I also have an iPad mini that generally stays by my bedside for reading.
Here’s a random collection of seven iPad tips that might help you get the most out of your iPad!
1) Scan, Sign and Send
This is primarily for the iPad Pro or new iPad 9.7-inch users that have Apple Pencils. One of the most frustrating things is when someone sends you a document to sign and you want to quickly sign and return. In the old days (last week?), you would fire up your Mac, print out that document, sign it and then fight with your scanner to get it back to digital form and email it back.
With your iPad and your Apple Pencil it is easier. Here’s the steps:
- Launch Notes app on your iPad
- Hit the + sign on the bottom
- Choose scan a document
- Line up the document and take a picture
- Use the Apple Pencil to sign it
- Use the Share button to send it
Of course, if you are a Preview pro, you already have your autograph digitized and can just e-sign your doc but this is a great way to sign that doc that is laying on your desk.
2) Copy and Paste using Universal Clipboard
Moving documents or pictures between your iPad and your iPhone has never been easier. In the past, you might have emailed them to yourself but with Universal Clipboard you can let your fingers do the copying!
Let’s say you have a picture on your iPhone that you want on your iPad. Follow these steps:
- Make sure you are signed into the same iCloud account and wi-fi Network and that Bluetooth is on both devices
- Do a long tap (just hold your finger down) on the picture and slide up slightly until you see the “copy” button to press
- On your destination iPad choose where you want that picture and do a long tap in a blank space and you will see the “Paste” button to copy the picture
3) Faster Editing
You are typing a text to a friend on your iPad and you notice that you made some presidential-like spelling errors. How do you get the cursor back to where you want to correct? You can try to use your finger and press and try to position it correctly or:
- To quickly move the insertion point, drag two fingers on the keyboard to where you want to edit text.
4) Use Apple Pay Cash to Send Money
Khadija and I use this all the time, well mostly in one direction, but you can now send cash easily right from the Messages app. If Khadija were to message me saying “Gramps, I really need $20 for this text book” I can simply press on the $20 text and up pops my Apple pay window that gives me the choice of “Request” or “Pay” and gives me the ability to adjust the amount.
You can also click of the Messages app button in the bottom left of the message and then on Apple Pay and do it from there.
While the funds will instantly be in the other person’s Apple Pay Cash account, getting that cash into a crisp new Andrew Jackson is a bit trickier but usually, the recipient can just pass the Apple Cash along.
5) Ask Siri to Translate!
This works great on your iPhone, too. Let’s say you are in Peru and need a couple tickets for the train but do not speak Spanish. You could just use sign language. Grace and I have done that many times in our travels, but if you have your iPhone or iPad you can use Siri to translate for you. Just ask her.
Siri can translate English into Mandarin, French, German, Italian, or Spanish. Siri speaks the phrase aloud to help with the pronunciation, too.
6) Quickly scan QR codes
I will be honest, I seldom bother with QR codes but sometimes you want to see what’s hidden behind that code.
With the camera in either Photo or Square mode, point the camera at a Quick Response Code. Tap the notification to perform the action. On some notifications, you can swipe down for more actions.
7) Get Rid of Website Distractions
Reader in Safari makes articles easier to read. When you see the Reader button in the search field, tap it to see just the text and photos — without ads.