Learn how to split the iPad’s keyboard in two, swipe from one app to another, change what the “side switch” does, turn the iPad into a digital photo frame, and more.

1. Add more apps to the home-screen app tray

When you first got your iPad, it probably came with four apps sitting in a tray at the bottom of the home screen: the Safari web browser, Mail, Photos, and Music.

But not only can you swap in new apps to replace any or all of your existing “favorite” apps, you can also add more apps—up to six—to the tray itself. Read more…

Four-finger swipe to side iPad gesture

Swipe left or right with four or five fingers to quickly switch between apps.

2. Swipe to switch from one app to another

Want to cycle through all your open apps with a simple swipe, no multitasking bar required? Try this: a four- or five-finger swipe. Read more…

3. Turn your iPad into a digital picture frame

With a single tap, you can launch a slideshow on your iPad that pulls pictures from any photo album you choose. Read more…

4. Discover the iPad’s hidden control panel

Ever want to lock your iPad’s display in portrait or landscape mode, or make the screen a little brighter without digging in the Settings menu? You can do both—and more—from the iPad home screen or anywhere else, if you know what to tap and when to swipe. Read more…

iPad split keyboard

Splitting the iPad’s keyboard in two is a simple matter of pulling it apart with your fingertips.

5. Split the keyboard in two

Prefer pecking on the iPad’s virtual keypad with your thumbs rather than your fingers? If so, here’s a trick you need to try. Read more…

6. Make the keyboard float in the middle of the screen

By default, the iPad’s on-screen keyboard is anchored to the bottom of the display—as it should be, right? But here’s the thing: you can, if you wish, undock the iPad’s keypad, allowing it to essentially “float” smack-dab in the middle of the screen. Read more…

7. Change what the iPad’s “side switch” does

By default, flipping the switch on the side of your iPad will mute the iPad’s built-in speaker. That’s not all the “side switch” can do, though. Read more…

3 must-know Safari for iPad tips

Want to rearrange the browser tabs in Safari for iPad. Just tap, hold and swipe.

8. Rearrange your Safari browser tabs

Want to change the order of your Safari tabs? On the desktop, you do so by clicking a tab and dragging it wherever you want to go. So, can you guess how it works on the iPad? Read more…

9. Watch free network TV shows

You don’t need a cable subscription—or any subscription, for that matter—to watch the latest episodes of shows like “30 Rock,” “Gossip Girl,” “Nova,” “Modern Family,” and even “House Hunters” on your iPad. Read more…

10. Get YouTube back on your iPad

With the latest version of its mobile iOS software, Apple tossed the old, familiar YouTube app into the rubbish bin. Now what? Read more…

Looking for more iPad tips? Click here!