Apple’s 2020 iPad Pro lineup has gone on sale today in major markets across the world. This time around, Apple has focused more on refining its iPad Pro lineup rather than doing something dramatically different. If you have ordered the 2020 iPad Pro or plan on getting one soon, check out some of the best tips and tricks for it to get the most out of it.
Apple is offering more value with its iPad Pro lineup this time rather than focusing on outright performance and other changes. It has upgraded the base storage to 128GB while keeping the price tag intact. The new tablets also come with a more powerful A12Z Bionic chip and still offer up to 10 hours of battery life. You are definitely not going to regret spending your hard-earned money on the new 2020 iPad Pro.
The below tips and tricks will help you use your new iPad Pro — be it the 11-inch or the 12.9-inch model — to the fullest and discover some hidden and useful features of them.
iPad Pro (2020) Tips and Tricks
Tap the Space bar to Unlock
If you are using your iPad Pro with a Smart Keyboard Folio or plan on getting the new Magic Keyboard with trackpad, here’s a handy tip for you. Simply double-tap the space bar to start the process of unlocking your iPad. If you are already looking at its display, the device will automatically unlock itself. If not, just look at the display and you are done. The good thing is that Face ID on the iPad Pro lineup works in both portrait and landscape orientation.
Get a Fast Charger
The 2020 iPad Pro ships with an 18W USB-C fast charger in the box. This is the same fast charger that Apple started shipping with the iPhone 11 Pro last year as well. However, unlike the iPhones, the 2020 iPad Pro is not limited to a maximum charging speed of 18W. Instead, it supports up to 30W charging speeds.
So, if you want to charge your iPad Pro quickly, you should invest in a good 30-45W USB-C charger. There are actually plenty of them available in the market for a relatively low price. Using a 30W charger, you can fast charge your iPad Pro from 0-100% in about 2 hours and 30 minutes while with the 18W charger, it would take around 3 hours.
Use Your iPad to Charge Your iPhone
On the go and quickly want to charge your iPhone but don’t have access to a portable power bank or a charger? You can always use your iPad Pro then. Simply use the Lighting-to-USB-C cable to connect both devices and you are done!
If you have a USB-C to Lightning cable, you can use it to charge your iPhone with the iPad. In fact, it can even charge your Nintendo Switch!
Connect External Drives
You can now directly connect external storage drives or SD card to your iPad Pro and access them using the native Files app. If you are a content creator who is always on the go, this feature is going to come in extremely handy for you.
Zip/Unzip Files
You no longer need to use a third-party ZIP file manager to zip/unzip files on your iPad Pro. You can do this directly from within the Files app. You can tap and hold on any file and you will get the option to ‘Compress’ or ‘Uncompress’ it.
Connect External Display to iPad Pro
That USB-C port on your 2020 iPad Pro can be used for a lot more things than just charging it or for connecting accessories. You can also connect your iPad Pro to external monitors. Just get the right cable and adapter and hook your 2020 iPad Pro to the display. You can either mirror your iPad Pro’s display or use it as a secondary display in selected apps. The GPU inside the 2020 iPad Pro is powerful enough to support up to 5K displays.
Supercharged Measure App
Thanks to the new LiDAR Scanner on the 2020 iPad Pro, the Measure app in iOS 13 has got a major performance boost. It can now more accurately measure distances and track objects. If you have used the Measure app before but found it to be unreliable, definitely give it a try again on your 2020 iPad Pro.
Multitask Like a Pro On Your iPad Pro3
Swipe Up to Middle of the Screen for App Switcher
To get to the App Switcher, you swipe up from the bottom, till the middle of the screen. Make sure it’s a swipe and not a flick or you’ll end up closing the app or bringing up the Dock.
Short Swipe up for the Dock
To reveal the Dock, you now swipe up just a bit, like two inches and pause for a sec. This will bring up the Dock. I’ll admit, this is not an easy gesture to get used to. And it’s possible that you might never get used to it. To ease the pain, you can use a keyboard shortcut to bring up the Dock: Cmd + Option + D.
Top-Right Edge Swipe for Control Center
To access the Control Center, swipe down from the top-right section of the status bar. Where you see the time and status indicators for Wi-Fi, BlueTooth and more.
Use Apps in Split Mode
One of the best ways to use the iPad is to use apps in split-screen mode. When an app is open, just swipe up to bring the Dock, tap and hold on an app, drag the app icon and drop it to the left or the right edge to dock it there. There are a lot more things you can do in Split View.
Bring In a Third Floating App
Even when you’re in Split View, you can still bring in a third floating app in Slide Over view. Drag in an app from the Dock and drop it on top of the two active apps. The floating app will stay on top and you can move it to the left or the right. You can dismiss it as well by swiping horizontally off the screen (and bring it back later).
Drag and Drop Between Apps
When you’ve got two apps open in Split View, try using Drag and Drop. It’s supported by all Apple apps and a variety of major productivity apps. Drag and Drop will let you select text, images, videos, links and more from one app and drop it in another. If you’re doing some research, you can quickly drag in paragraphs of text and images to a Notes document.
One of the most frustrating things in iOS is using copy and paste. Drag and Drop feature takes care of this annoyance.
Swipe Horizontally on Home Bar For Recent Apps
Swipe right horizontally on the big Home bar at the bottom of the screen to quickly access the most recent app. Swipe left and you’re back to the original app. You can use this gesture to quickly go back to the third or fourth most recently used apps.
But remember that if you interact with the app, the sequence resets. So you won’t be able to swipe left to go back to the original app. You’ll have to swipe right.
Keyboard Shortcuts for an App
If you use an external keyboard with your iPad Pro, you can quickly view all the keyboard shortcuts supported by an app by simply holding down the Cmd key.
Connect External Mice and Trackpad
With the iPadOS 13.4 update, Apple has added native cursor and trackpad support to all iPads. The enhanced cursor support makes it extremely easy to select and edit text. It also makes other tasks easier that require more precision than what your fingers can offer. The good thing is that mouse and trackpad support on the iPad Pro is not just limited to Apple’s Magic Keyboard with trackpad. Instead, you can use any wireless mouse or trackpad with your iPad Pro as well.
Apple Pencil and iPad Pro Tips and Tricks
Tap Apple Pencil on Screen to Quickly Take Notes
Quickly tap on the iPad screen to automatically wake up the screen and open a blank note in the Notes app. This way, you can quickly start scribbling without the need to navigate the Notes UI.
Customize Apple Pencil Buttons in Apps
The Apple Pencil has a gesture pad on the side. And it has two actions – a single tap and a double-tap. In the Notes app, you can use tap to switch to the erase tool. The best thing is that app developers will be able to customize this feature. So if you’re in a creative app, look for the option in the app’s settings.
What are some of your favorite tips and tricks for the 2020 iPad Pro? Drop a comment and let us know!
