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Getting Around Your iPad

Moving around your iPad efficiently is essential for Parish Council work! Learn these simple navigation tricks to zip through apps, screens, and menus with ease.

Quick Tip!

If you're coming from an older iPad with a Home button, your A16 iPad uses gestures instead. The Home button references in this guide are for context only - your iPad uses the modern gesture controls we'll explain below.

Basic Navigation Gestures

Go Home

Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen and release your finger

Open Control Centre

Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen (where your battery icon is)

See Notifications

Swipe down from the top-left corner of the screen

App Switcher

Swipe up from the bottom edge and hold your finger in the middle of the screen

Swipe up from the bottom edge to return to the Home Screen

Multitasking & Switching Between Apps

Swipe between apps - Use four fingers to swipe left or right across the screen to move between apps you've recently used - no need to go back to the Home Screen!
Quick app switching - Swipe along the bottom edge of the screen to quickly switch between your recent apps
Pinch to Home - Pinch with four or five fingers together to close an app and go back to the Home Screen
Dock access - From within any app, gently swipe up a small distance from the bottom to reveal the Dock for quick app switching

Council Meeting Tip

During meetings, use the four-finger swipe to quickly switch between your notes app, agenda document, and reference materials without disrupting your workflow!

Split Screen & Slide Over

Split View

Open an app, swipe up for the Dock, drag another app to the left or right edge and hold until the screen splits

Slide Over

Drag an app from the Dock and drop it on the screen (without holding at the edge) to create a floating window

Adjust Split Screen

Drag the divider between apps to adjust the size of each app's window

Replace Apps

Drag an app from the Dock onto one side of a Split View to replace that app

Using the App Switcher Effectively

See your recent apps - The App Switcher shows you all the apps you've recently used as small windows
Close apps - If an app isn't working properly, swipe up on its preview to close it (you don't normally need to do this)
Reopen recent app pairs - If you've been using two apps side by side, they'll appear together in the App Switcher
Switch apps quickly - Simply tap on any app preview to open that app

Swipe up and hold to access the App Switcher

Text Editing & Selection

Text Cursor

Tap and hold on text, then drag to position the cursor exactly where you want it

Keyboard Trackpad

Press and hold on the space bar to turn the keyboard into a trackpad for precise cursor movement

Select Text

Double-tap to select a word, triple-tap to select a paragraph

Quick Copy/Paste

Pinch with three fingers to copy, spread with three fingers to paste

Parish Council Document Tip

When editing council minutes or reports, use the keyboard trackpad feature to navigate through long documents without having to lift your fingers from the keyboard!

Advanced Navigation Features

Picture in Picture - When watching video, pinch inward to shrink it to a movable, resizable window so you can work on other tasks
Tap corners - Configure tapping the back of compatible iPads to trigger specific actions (Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap)
Shake to Undo - Physically shake your iPad slightly to undo your last action (can be disabled in Settings)

Customising Your Navigation

Home Screen Layout

Touch and hold an empty area of your Home Screen to enter jiggle mode for rearranging apps

App Library

Swipe to the rightmost screen to access the App Library with all your apps automatically categorised

Widgets

Touch and hold the Home Screen, tap + to add widgets for quick information access

Dock Customisation

Drag apps in or out of the Dock to customise your most-accessed apps

Moving and Organising App Icons

Organisation Tip!

Organise your council apps into folders by topic (e.g., "Meeting Tools," "Document Apps," "Communication"). This makes finding the right app much faster during busy council sessions!

Enter Edit Mode - Touch and hold any app icon until all icons start wiggling
Move an App - While in wiggle mode, drag any app to a new position; icons will automatically rearrange to make space
Move to Another Screen - Drag an app to the edge of the screen and hold until it switches to the next Home Screen page
Create a Folder - Drag one app on top of another app and hold until a folder appears; tap to rename it
Add to Folder - Drag additional apps into an existing folder to organise related apps together
Remove from Folder - Open a folder, then drag an app out of it while in wiggle mode
Rearrange Home Screens - In wiggle mode, tap the dots above the Dock to see all your Home Screens; drag screens to reorder them
Exit Edit Mode - Tap "Done" in the top-right corner of the screen or swipe up from the bottom

Touch and hold an app until it wiggles, then drag to rearrange

Multi-selecting and Moving Multiple Apps

You can move multiple apps at once to quickly reorganise your Home Screen:

Enter wiggle mode by long-pressing on any app
Begin dragging one app to start moving it
While still holding the first app, tap additional apps with another finger to add them to your selection
Drag the stack of apps to their new location or into a folder
Release to place all the selected apps

Council Productivity Tip

Place your most frequently used council apps on the first Home Screen or in the Dock for immediate access. Consider putting agenda apps, document scanners, and note-taking tools in the most accessible locations.

Accessibility Navigation

AssistiveTouch - Enable in Settings > Accessibility > Touch to add a virtual button that provides alternative navigation options
Voice Control - Navigate your iPad entirely with voice commands (Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control)
Guided Access - Limit iPad to a single app during council presentations (triple-click the Side button)
Reduce Motion - Minimise animations if they cause discomfort (Settings > Accessibility > Motion)

Council Accessibility Tip

Enable AssistiveTouch when passing the iPad between councillors during meetings—it makes navigation more intuitive for those less familiar with gestures!

Mastering these simple gestures will help you move efficiently through your iPad during Parish Council activities, saving time and making your work much easier. Don't worry if it takes a bit of practice - your iPad is designed to be intuitive and you'll soon be navigating like a pro!

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