The Coolest Things About Your iPad That You Don’t Know

Now that you have a new iPad Pro 12.9, it is time to make the most of it. The iPad Pro goes above and beyond other devices – not only because of its hefty price tag. Find out its least known features and use them to your advantage.

1.       Use Picture in Picture

This feature is simple but amazingly useful. It allows you to play a movie in a small window on the side of the iPad’s screen while you're doing something else. So tap the small Picture in Picture icon if you are on a FaceTime call or watching a YouTube video. You can adjust the size of the screen with the two-finger move. Either pinch or stretch it to make it the size you want. You can also move the screen to anywhere on the screen while you continue reading your emails or writing a report.

2.       Run Two Apps Simultaneously

For the first time, you can run two apps on your iPad Pro 12.9. So whether you want to browse social media while drawing or read a document on the web, now you can do so. There are two ways of using this feature: split screen or slide over.

Start by opening the first app. Tap the three dots at the top of the app to choose between Split View or the Slide Over function. Then swipe up from the bottom of the iPad’s screen to select the second app. Tap, hold and drag the app. If you choose Split View, the two apps will take up an equal amount of screen space. With Slide Over, you can choose to have one app take up more than half of the screen – you just need to adjust the ratio with the slider.

3.       Virtual Touchpad

It’s hard to go back once you get used to a laptop’s virtual touchpad. However, most iPad users don't know they can easily activate this function when the onscreen keyboard pops up. Press and hold two fingers on the screen until the virtual keyboard turns blank. You can select, highlight, copy and paste.

4.       Use the iPad Pro as a Second Screen

Having a second screen can help you work more efficiently. Or play more intensely. The iPad Pro 12.9 connects easily to your Macbook, transforming into a second screen you can use. Open your reference documents, browse online or chat while playing your favorite video game. Make sure both your iPad Pro and Macbook have iOS 13 or later. Also, both devices need to be signed in on the same Apple ID. You can connect the iPad to the Macbook with the iPad’s USB charging cable or wirelessly.

5.       Connect the iPad to your HDTV

What's better than watching your favorite movie on a full-size TV screen? You can transform any television screen into a movie theatre. There are two options: if you have AppleTV, you can connect to the box with AirPlay. Go to the iPad's control center, select Screen Mirroring, and tap Apple TV. If you don’t have AppleTV, you can buy Apple’s Digital AV adapter that allows you to plug your iPad into the TV's HDMI port. Select the screen mirroring option, and you’re good to go.

6.       Copy and Paste from your iPhone

Gone are the days when you send an email to yourself to access information from your iPhone on your iPad. You can copy it from your iPhone and paste it onto your iPad Pro. Check that both devices have at least iOS 13 and more. Also, you need to have the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Handoff functions turned on. Switch on Handoff by going to Settings, General, and Handoff. Copying information is simple – choose the item and copy it. Then open a text field on your iPad and press and hold until the paste option comes up.

7.       Work on Multiple Emails

The Mail app on the iPad Pro allows you to work on multiple emails without closing them. So if you need to answer an urgent email that popped into your inbox, press the three dots next to the subject on your draft email. The email will move to the bottom of the screen, and you can reply or start another email. When you're ready to go back, tap on the email at the bottom of the screen. This function allows you to prepare a set of emails you can revert to when ready.

8.       Scan Documents

Scanning documents on your iPad is highly convenient and time efficient. The function is in the Notes app. Open a new note in the app and tap the + icon. Choose Scan Documents and position the iPad over the papers. The app will automatically take a photo of the document that you can save as a PDF or an image. The scan's quality is much better when the document is on a flat surface without anything touching it. Press the share icon and send the scan anywhere you need to.