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I have owned more than five iPads, and yet I’m still learning small but useful features and gestures that are easy to miss on such a capable device. The iPad may be fantastic at its main tasks, but Apple is always adding new ways to use it that make it feel technologically advanced. They come in updates and new releases, so if you’re looking for a new way to use your own, you may be in luck.

These aren’t complex or secretive functions that only tech gurus understand; you can start today if you want to. Keep in mind that some of the features mentioned will require newer iPads or even newer Macs to do. However, we made sure to include features that older devices can do too, so just make sure to double-check that your iPad has the feature before trying it yourself.

The screen recording feature is built right into your iPad. It lets you create a video of your screen, capturing everything you tap, swipe, and do on your tablet. This is very helpful for recording your actions for someone or for videos on YouTube. It also records your voice if you enable the option, and I’ve seen people use it to record gameplay in Toca Boca or Roblox. However, you can also use it for work to show what you are doing or looking at.

Before you can start recording your screen, make sure the feature is added to your Control Center. That moves it into the list of controls included in your swipe-down menu, where you can tap the gray Record button to start recording. To record your voice, make sure to press the Microphone option before you start recording.

Keep an eye on video length because recordings save to your device storage. The longer the video, the more space it takes up, so make sure to edit it and do what you plan on using it for. Otherwise, you might use up your storage faster than intended.

You can use the spacebar to turn your onscreen keyboard into a virtual trackpad. This gives you a much more precise way to select text in documents and messenger systems. You basically control where your cursor is, just like a regular trackpad.

To use this, tap and hold the spacebar on your keyboard and you’ll see the keys fade and disappear. By dragging your finger around the keyboard, the cursor will move smoothly and precisely through your text. This only works on editable text, because that’s the only time your keyboard appears.

Trackpad mode also gives you more control over text selection. You can tap a word with a second finger and drag it to highlight any words on your document. After selecting text, you can copy, cut, or do anything you would normally do when highlighting text.

Text Replacement is a powerful tool that has been around for a while. It’s designed to make typing much faster because it lets you create shortcuts that are replaced with full words or sentences. Alternatively, you can pick regular words and have them change automatically.

To configure this, go to Settings > General > Keyboard to find Text Replacement. In this menu, write the long output text in the Phrase field and put the shorter trigger word in the Shortcut field. It’s like managing autocorrect on your device with your own rules.

This helps correct common misspellings and speeds up typing. I usually use it for words I struggle to spell, like occasion or accommodate. This syncs across your Apple devices as long as iCloud Drive is enabled. So, you can set it up on your iPad, and it will work on your iPhone and Mac.

The Key Flicks feature lets you quickly access numbers and symbols without moving through keyboard menus. You can tell which flicks will change to certain characters based on the small reminders on your keys. However, keep in mind that these are not customizable and only work with the symbols and numbers you are given.

You’ll notice that the keys on your keyboard are bolded, but the number or symbol shown above in light gray indicates the alternate character. Press and flick instead of tapping the key. You must flick downward for this to work; the motion should be decisive enough to input the alternate character.

This can be done for any key on the regular keyboard. If you want more variety, open the special character keyboards for more options. If you want to turn the feature off, go to your keyboard settings and toggle it off.

You can quickly open a new note right from your iPad’s Lock Screen. If you own an Apple Pencil, a cool gadget you can use with your iPad, you can use it to bypass logging in and opening the notes app. However, you still need to have your iPad turned on for this.

You just need to tap the Apple Pencil that’s connected to your iPad on the display. When the iPad recognizes this tap, it will wake up and open a special note screen. When finished, this note will be saved automatically in your notes app. You also still have to unlock your iPad to do anything else with it as this is not a way to bypass the lock.

You don’t need to set any of this up, but you can modify it slightly from the Notes menu in your settings. You can set this feature to always make new notes or resume your last note. If you’re worried about privacy, you should set it to the former.

The Universal Control feature lets you use your iPad like an extension of your Mac. Essentially, you can use one keyboard, mouse, or trackpad from your Mac and seamlessly control up to two other Macs or iPads nearby. While this will change the way you use your iPad, you still need to meet these requirements:

• A Mac running macOS 12.3 or later and an iPad running iPadOS 15.4 or later.
• A MacBook (2016 or later), MacBook Pro (2016 or later), MacBook Air (2018 or later), or an iMac (2017 or later).
• iPad (6th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), or an iPad mini (5th generation and later).
• Both your iPad and Mac are awake and unlocked.

Head to your Mac and go to System Settings > Displays > Advanced, then enable the option to “Allow your pointer and keyboard to move between any nearby Mac or iPad.” On your iPad, go to Settings > General > AirPlay & Handoff and turn on Cursor and Keyboard. To use it, move your cursor to the edge of the Mac screen and it will transition to the iPad or other device.

The three-finger copy/paste gesture gives you a new way to cut, copy, and paste. I use this because it’s easier with three fingers and reduces accidental text movement that can happen with a single press and hold. You can also use it to open the adjustment pins and move them instead.

To copy something you have selected, just do a three-finger pinch inward on the display. To cut, you only need to do the same inward three-finger pinch twice, really fast. To paste, just do the three-finger pinch outward instead. You can quickly undo your changes by swiping left, and redo whatever you did by swiping right.

This acts as the buttons would, though, so you can only use it if you already have the option to. Anything you cut or copy will be moved to the clipboard as usual. That means if you are signed into the same Apple ID with Handoff on, you can paste to other devices.

You can scan documents right in the Notes app on your iPad without third-party applications. Using the scanner built into your iPad camera, you can turn paper files into digital PDFs. Any scanned document can be edited, annotated, or signed in the app, making it a quick and reliable way to digitize receipts, assignments, or handwritten notes for easy access later. 

Hold your iPad camera over the document and a yellow box will appear around the edges of the paper. If the camera is in Auto mode, it will capture the scan automatically. You can add more pages into a single file by taking additional images.

Once finished, tap Keep Scan after any adjustments you need to make. You don’t need Adobe or any subscription to edit PDFs. You can make basic changes within the Notes app like cropping pages, adjusting color filter, etc.

The iPad lets you stop audio after a set time. This is handy for falling asleep to music or for playing audio for kids without running it all night. Keep in mind that this will stop any video or song that is playing.

To set this up, open the Clock app and go to Timer. Set the countdown length, tap When Timer Ends, and choose Stop Playing at the bottom. When the timer ends, audio from any app will stop.

The device will eventually lock itself or go to sleep, so there is no need to lock it manually. This is a huge saver for battery life. I usually do this for my kids so they don’t stay awake. It’s a small but thoughtful feature that can make nighttime use much more convenient. Don’t worry, your alarms and reminders will still go off as normal.

The Sidecar feature lets you use your iPad as a second display for your Mac. You can mirror your Mac’s screen or extend your workspace to gain extra screen real estate. However, you need a Mac running macOS Catalina or later and an iPad running iPadOS 13 or later to use this. Also, make sure your Mac and iPad are unlocked.

Make sure both devices use the same Apple ID and have two-factor authentication enabled. If you want to connect wirelessly, make sure you have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Handoff on. You don’t need a separate Sidecar app to get started, but you do need to use the green full-screen button on the Mac and choose “Move to iPad” to send windows to the iPad.

If you don’t have an extra monitor, Sidecar is a good alternative. You can also connect the iPad directly to the Mac with a cable, which will charge the iPad but will draw power from the MacBook, so keep an eye on the battery.

Your iPad has a built-in way to grab text from images. The device can detect and interact with text inside photos, screenshots, videos, or live camera input. You can do this in real time by pointing your camera at a sign or document.

Make sure Live Text is enabled. You can tap a specific word in a photo or in the camera view to select text. This works for both typed and, depending on legibility, some handwritten text. After selecting words, tap Copy to move the text to your clipboard.

This does more than grab text — addresses can open in Maps, phone numbers can be tapped to call or message, and email addresses can open Mail. It can save time compared with writing information down and can be a great tool for students, travelers, or anyone managing printed content on the go.

Guided Access locks your iPad to just one application, which is useful for kids, public kiosks, or when you hand your device to someone and don’t want them to leave the app. While in Guided Access, the current app can’t be closed and the user can’t jump to different apps or access settings.

Set up Guided Access in Settings > Accessibility, then toggle the feature on and set up a unique passcode or biometric authentication like Face or Touch ID. To start Guided Access, open the app you want to use and triple-press the Home, Side, or Top button (depending on your model). Repeat the triple press to exit and you’ll be prompted to enter your passcode or biometrics.

Do not worry about anyone breaking in; they will need your passcode or Face/Touch ID to exit. You can also set a time limit so the session ends automatically. It’s a handy feature — Android has a similar mode.

You can multitask easily by opening multiple windows of the same app. You can have multiple instances of the same application on the screen at once. This cuts out the need to constantly look back and forth inside apps.

If you want to create a new window of an app that’s already running, swipe up to show the Dock and hold the app’s icon. You can press New Window to open another instance of this app. If you want to view both in Split View, tap the three lines on top of your app and press Split View. Then you can choose an app, and it will fill up the other side of your screen.

I usually use this for quick comparisons, to look at two pieces of information, or to have my Messages app open while I do other things. You can use this to watch YouTube videos or manage playlists on Spotify. However, I’ve found it’s harder to navigate and see with the limited space, so this feature works best for browsing websites or handling simpler apps.