10 Fun Tricks You Never Knew Your iPad Could Perform

If you’ve been using your iPad only for Netflix, email, and the occasional game of Candy Crush,
you’re basically driving a Ferrari in first gear. Modern iPads, especially with the latest iPadOS
updates, can pull off some wild tricks that Apple quietly hides behind innocent-looking buttons
and mysterious gestures. Today, we’re unlocking 10 fun iPad tricks you probably never knew existed,
plus real-life examples of how to use them like a pro.

Whether you’re a student, a busy professional, a creator, or just someone who really loves shiny
gadgets, these hidden iPad features can turn your tablet into a serious productivity machineand a
surprisingly fun one, too.

1. Summon Quick Note From Anywhere (Your Floating Brain)

Ever see a great quote, a recipe, or a genius idea on your iPad and think, “I’ll remember that”
and then absolutely don’t? Quick Note is Apple’s subtle way of giving you a second brain that
lives on your iPad.

What Quick Note Does

Quick Note lets you pop up a small note on top of whatever you’re doingbrowsing the web,
reading email, scrolling social mediaso you can jot something down without leaving the app.
If you use Apple Pencil, it feels especially magical: just swipe up from the bottom-right
corner and boom, a note appears.

How to Use Quick Note

• With Apple Pencil, swipe up diagonally from the bottom-right corner of the screen.
• Without a Pencil, you can add Quick Note to Control Center and tap the icon.
• Type or handwrite your note; add links, images, or checklists as needed.
• Later, open the Notes app and find your Quick Notes in their own section.

One underrated perk: when you save a Safari page to a Quick Note, your iPad remembers it. The next
time you visit that site, you’ll see a little thumbnail inviting you back to your noteperfect for
research, shopping lists, or planning your next vacation.

2. Run Multiple Apps at Once With Slide Over and Split View

The iPad may look like a simple single-window device, but under the surface it’s a tiny multitasking
beast. Slide Over and Split View let you run apps side by side or in floating panels, turning your
tablet into a mini desktop.

Split View: True Side-by-Side Multitasking

With Split View, you can have Mail on one side and Safari on the other, or Notes and a PDF, or even
two windows of the same app. It’s ideal for writing while referencing something else.

• Open your main app (for example, Safari).
• Swipe up slightly from the bottom to show the Dock.
• Drag a second app icon (like Notes) to the left or right edge until it snaps
  into place.
• Drag the divider between them to adjust sizes.

Slide Over: The Floating App Panel

Slide Over is like a little sidekick window you can swipe in when you need it. Think of checking
Messages, a to-do list, or a calculator without messing up your main layout.

• Open an app in full screen.
• Pull up the Dock and drag another app into the middle of the screen; it appears in a floating narrow window.
• Swipe it to the side to hide, then swipe in from that edge to bring it back.

Once you get used to this, going back to single-app life feels oddly painful. Your future self who
writes emails while checking flight prices will thank you.

3. Organize Your Digital Desk With Stage Manager

Stage Manager is Apple’s answer to “What if the iPad felt a little more like a Mac?” It lets you
keep multiple windows and apps grouped on screen while parking other apps neatly on the side.

Why Stage Manager Is Fun (and Useful)

Instead of constantly opening and closing apps, you can create little “workspaces.” For instance:

• A Work setup with Mail, Calendar, and Slack.
• A Study workspace with Safari, Notes, and a PDF reader.
• A Creative layout with Procreate and Photos.

How to Turn On Stage Manager

• Open Settings > Multitasking & Gestures.
• Tap Stage Manager and toggle it on.
• On supported models, you’ll see your current app centered with other apps arranged on the left.

If you connect your iPad to an external display (on supported models), Stage Manager gets even more
funyou can move windows between screens and basically pretend your iPad is a very slim laptop.

4. Turn Your Handwriting Into Searchable Text With Scribble

If you love handwriting but hate retyping, Scribble is the bridge between your messy notes and clean,
searchable text. With Apple Pencil, you can write directly into text fieldsSafari address bars,
search boxes, note titlesand iPadOS converts your handwriting to typed text.

Where Scribble Shines

• Taking notes: Jot things down fast, then search them later like regular text.
• Filling forms: Instead of tapping tiny boxes, just handwrite into them.
• Renaming files: Scribble in the name field instead of tapping the keyboard.

How to Use Scribble

• Make sure Apple Pencil is paired with your iPad.
• Go to Settings > Apple Pencil and ensure Scribble is enabled.
• Tap into any text field with the Pencil, then start writing.

The coolest part: you can scratch out words to delete them, or draw a vertical line between letters
to split a word. It feels less like “using a computer” and more like writing on smart paper.

5. Scan and Sign Documents Right Inside Notes

You don’t need a scanneror Microsoft Word gymnasticsto deal with paperwork anymore. Your iPad can
scan documents, clean them up, and even let you sign them with your finger or Apple Pencil.

How to Scan Documents

• Open the Notes app and create a new note.
• Tap the camera or attachment icon and choose
  Scan Documents.
• Hold your iPad over the document; it will auto-detect edges and snap a clean scan.
• Adjust corners if needed, then save.

How to Add a Signature

• Open the scanned document in Notes.
• Tap the Markup tool.
• Tap + and choose Signature, then draw or use a saved one.
• Resize and drag the signature into place, then tap Done.

This trick alone can save you a trip to a printer, a scanner, and your neighbor who still owns both.

6. Use Your iPad as a Second Display for Your Mac (Sidecar)

Sidecar turns your iPad into a wireless (or wired) second display for your Mac. It’s especially
magical for creative folks: draw with Apple Pencil on iPad while your tools and canvas live across
both screens.

Ways to Use Sidecar

• Photo or video editing: Keep tools and timelines on one screen and a full preview on the other.
• Drawing: Use iPad as a graphics tablet for apps like Photoshop or Illustrator on your Mac.
• Extra screen real estate: Drag reference material, chat windows, or email to the iPad.

How to Enable Sidecar

• Sign in to the same Apple ID on your Mac and iPad.
• On your Mac, click the Control Center icon and choose Display.
• Select your iPad from the list to use it as an extended or mirrored display.

It feels like you bought a new monitorexcept this one also plays games, streams movies, and goes
in your backpack.

7. Master Trackpad Gestures and Keyboard Shortcuts

Pair your iPad with a keyboard and trackpad (or Apple’s Magic Keyboard), and it suddenly behaves a
lot more like a laptopwith some uniquely iPadOS twists.

Useful Trackpad Gestures

• Go Home: Swipe up with three fingers.
• App Switcher: Swipe up with three fingers and pause.
• Switch apps: Swipe left or right with three fingers.
• Scroll: Use two fingers up, down, left, or right.
• Zoom: Pinch two fingers to zoom in or out.

Keyboard Shortcuts You’ll Actually Use

• Command + Space: Open Spotlight search.
• Command + Tab: Switch between recent apps.
• Command + H: Go to Home screen.
• Command + N, B, I in many apps: New item, bold, italic, etc.
• Hold the Command key in any app to see a cheat sheet of available shortcuts.

Learn just a handful of these and suddenly your “tablet” starts feeling like a tiny, touchable Mac.

8. Watch Videos in Picture in Picture While Doing Something Else

If you like to watch a show while answering emailsor follow a YouTube tutorial while actually doing
the thingyou’ll love Picture in Picture (PiP). It lets videos float in a little movable window while
you use other apps.

How to Enable Picture in Picture

• Play a video in a supported app (like Safari, Apple TV, or many streaming apps).
• Tap the Picture in Picture icon (a small rectangle with an arrow).
• The video shrinks into a floating window you can drag to any corner.
• Pinch to resize it; swipe it off an edge to hide audio only.

It’s ideal for watching lecture replays while taking notes, or for keeping the game on during a
“quick” work check-in. (No judgment.)

9. Drag and Drop Like a Touchscreen Power User

Drag and drop on iPad is one of those features that feels like cheating once you discover it. You
can grab photos, text, links, and files from one app and drop them into anotherno copy/paste menu
required.

Things You Can Drag and Drop

• Text: Highlight and hold, then drag into Notes, Mail, or Messages.
• Photos: Drag from Photos straight into an email or message thread.
• Links: Drag a URL from Safari into a to-do list app or note.
• Files: Move files between folders in the Files app or into cloud storage apps.

Pro Tip

Combine this with Slide Over or Split View and you basically get a touch version of drag and drop
between windows, just like on a desktoponly more satisfying, because you’re literally grabbing the
content.

10. Make Phone Calls and Send Texts From Your iPad

Your iPad can double as a giant speakerphone and messaging hub. Thanks to Apple’s Continuity
features, you can route calls and SMS texts from your iPhone straight to your iPad.

How to Set It Up

• On your iPhone, go to Settings > Phone > Calls on Other Devices and enable it.
• Select your iPad from the list of allowed devices.
• Make sure both devices are signed into the same Apple ID and on the same Wi-Fi network.

Once it’s on, you can answer calls or send and receive SMS texts on your iPad, even if your iPhone
is charging in another room. It’s strangely luxurious to reply to texts with a full-size keyboard.

Bonus Trick: Set Up a New iPad in Minutes With Quick Start

If you ever upgrade your iPad, Quick Start is your best friend. Bring your old and new devices close
together, follow the on-screen prompts, and your settings, apps, and data can transfer over
automatically. It’s like cloning your old iPadno cables, no manual chaos.

You won’t use this feature every day, but when you do, it feels like the tech gods are finally on
your side.

Real-Life Experiences With These iPad Tricks

Knowing what your iPad can do is one thing; actually using those tricks in daily life is where the
magic happens. Here’s what it looks like when these features move from “cool options in Settings”
to “I can’t live without this anymore.”

Imagine you’re a college student. You walk into class with just an iPad, a keyboard case, and an
Apple Pencil. During a lecture, you run Split View with a PDF of the slides on one
side and Notes on the other. As the professor speeds through a complex diagram, you
quickly scan a handout using the Notes scanner, then mark it up directly with your
Pencil. When a spontaneous assignment appears on the course website, you scribble a reminder into a
Quick Note, linked to that page. That night, when you revisit the site, your Quick
Note pops up to remind you of the task you would definitely have forgotten otherwise.

Or picture a freelance designer working from home. The iPad sits next to a MacBook, connected via
Sidecar. On the Mac screen, the designer manages layers, tools, and color palettes.
On the iPad, the artwork sits front and center, ready for direct Apple Pencil input. A quick three-finger
swipe on the iPad trackpad switches to Notes in a Slide Over window, where client
feedback is stored. When an updated mood board arrives via email, a couple of photos are dragged and
dropped straight into a concept document. No cables. No constant file exporting. Just a smooth, almost
analog creative flow.

Even for everyday life, these tricks add up. A parent planning a family vacation might use
Stage Manager to create a little “travel control center”: one window with Safari for
flights, another with a hotel booking site, Notes in a corner for budgeting, and Messages nearby for
texting links to a partner. When they finally decide on a resort, they scan the confirmation letter
into Notes, sign any forms right on the screen, and store everything in a shared folder the whole
family can access.

Then there’s the remote worker who basically lives on video calls. With Picture in Picture,
a tiny meeting window floats above Mail and a project tracking app. When a teammate sends new
requirements via chat, the worker opens Slide Over to check them without closing anything. A Quick
Note captures action items mid-conversation. Later, those notes are searchable like regular text,
thanks to Scribble converting handwriting in the background.

People who are always “on call” for friends and family love the calls and texts on iPad
trick. The iPhone can stay in another room charging while the iPad handles everything: responding to
messages, receiving verification codes, even answering unexpected calls that pop up mid-work. Paired
with a keyboard and trackpad, typing long replies feels more like working on a laptop than a mobile
device.

Over time, these experiences change how you think about the iPad. It stops being “just a big iPhone”
and becomes a flexible middle ground between phone and laptopa device that can binge-stream and
sketch, annotate and analyze, chat and collaborate. The more of these hidden tricks you fold into
your routine, the more your iPad feels like it was custom-built for your life.

The bottom line: you don’t need to be a tech nerd to unlock powerful iPad features. Start by picking
one or two tricks from this listmaybe Quick Note and drag and dropand use them for a week. Once
they click, add another. Before long, you’ll be using your iPad in ways that make other people ask,
“Wait, how did you do that?”

Conclusion: Your iPad Is Way Smarter Than You Think

From Quick Note and Scribble to Stage Manager, Sidecar, and Picture in Picture, your iPad is
absolutely packed with hidden features that can save time, reduce friction, and make your digital
life more fun. Most of them don’t require any extra apps or subscriptionsjust a little curiosity and
a few minutes of practice.

If you’ve been using your iPad like a simple media tablet, consider this your invitation to level up.
Try these 10 fun iPad tricks, experiment with different combinations, and customize them to your own
workflow. You might discover that the device you already own is the most versatile tool in your tech
lineup.