iPad

From the latest news to the most comprehensive tutorials, learn how to get the most out of your iPad with our step-by-step guides and expert tips.

OneNote for iPad gains handwriting, stylus support with palm rejection and OCR for images

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

After updating the Mac edition of OneNote with enhanced optical character recognition (OCR) features and other goodies yesterday, Microsoft on Thursday announced that users of OneNote for iPad can now extract text within all images that are added to notebooks saved on OneDrive.

In addition, the iPad application now has handwriting support, a top requested feature which permits users to highlight documents, scribble notes or just draw sketches with their finger. With this update, handwriting is now available in OneNote across all platforms.

You can now open shared links in Dropbox for iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 18, 2015

Popular cloud-storage service Dropbox today announced it's refreshed its mobile app for iOS and Android with the much-appreciated ability to open shared links on the iPhone, iPad or Android tablets and smartphones.

In the past, sending someone a link to a shared Dropbox document meant firing up the web interface, but not anymore. Starting today, tapping on a shared link from your iOS device opens the file in the Dropbox app.

Not only does this give you rich previews for shared documents and photos, but also the ability to instantly save shared content to your Dropbox account.

UK banks RBS and NatWest now allow account access via Touch ID fingerprint identification

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 18, 2015

As reported Wednesday by BBC News, two banks in the United Kingdom will soon allow their customers access their bank accounts using Touch ID-based fingerprint identification technology, a UK first.

“RBS and NatWest customers must activate the feature with their security information, but would only need to use Apple's Touch ID thereafter,” reports the BBC.

To protect their customers' sensitive financial information and mitigate risk, the banks have put a number of restrictions in place to augment Apple's existing Touch ID safeguards.

Google Play Music updated with Material Design, iPad support and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Google today pushed out an update for its Play Music iOS client, bringing the app to the odd version number of 2.0.3828. The update is rather significant in that it brings about proper support for the iPad, as well as new Material Design UI for the iPhone.

In the changelog Google says that it has heard users "loud and clear, and now Google Play Music has an official iPad app." It looks very similar to the redesigned iPhone app, sporting Google's new Material Design aesthetic, but with larger UI elements.

Google quietly removes Sparrow email client from App Store and Mac App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

It's the end of the road for the beloved Sparrow email client as Google quietly pulled the free iPhone and Mac download from the App Store and Mac App Store, TechCrunch reported Tuesday.

The Internet giant snapped up the French startup, its apps and technology back in July of 2012, much to the dismay of the Apple community, for a reported $25 million.

Existing users who have downloaded Sparrow to their Mac through the Mac App Store, and have a copy of Sparrow for iOS in desktop iTunes, can continue using the app and should be able to install it on their other devices.

The app's been fully removed from iTunes servers and is no longer available for re-download through the Purchased tab of the App Store and Mac App Store. The Mac edition is still available directly from Sparrow’s own web site.

February 25 Modern Family episode shot on iPhone and iPad, takes place on a MacBook screen

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 17, 2015

Re/code is reporting that an upcoming episode of ABC's popular television sitcom Modern Family was shot entirely on iPhone and iPad cameras and will play out entirely on a MacBook screen, showing exchanges between characters who use FaceTime to communicate among themselves.

The forthcoming episode, titled “Connection Lost,” was shot entirely on an iPhone 6 and iPad Air 2 and is scheduled to air at 9pm next Wednesday, February 25, on ABC.

Word, Excel and PowerPoint for iOS gain iCloud storage integration

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 17, 2015

Windows maker Microsoft today announced it's bringing out new cloud storage integration to Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps for the iPhone and iPad, including the iCloud file picker on iOS and Office Online integration for viewing and editing.

The much appreciated support for Apple's cloud-based storage permits customers to store their documents, presentations and spreadsheets to iCloud and access them on their other iOS and Mac devices.

Another purported iPad Pro case leaks

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Yesterday, French blog NowhereElse.fr pointed us to a few curious images of a purported protective case for an ‘iPad Pro,’ originated from a Chinese accessory vendor which makes iPad Air cases.

The sleek black case clearly shows cutouts for a rear-facing camera, Lightning connector, volume rocker, microphone, mute switch and power button.

However, the cutouts for stereo speakers believed to be located at the top and bottom of the device are nowhere to be seen. Big media has asserted that the oversized iPad will rock a screen measuring either 12.2 or 12.9 inches and one analyst believes the device may include an optional stylus for the creative types.

VLC media player is back in the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2015

VLC, the popular cross-platform media player which lets you watch AVI videos on your iPhone and iPad without conversion (as well as other non-iOS-friendly media types), is back in the App Store following a long-standing licensing dispute.

In addition to resolving licensing issues, this edition of VLC brings a few noteworthy enhancements to the table which I'll lay out for you after the jump.

UPDATE: following a soft-launch in New Zealand, the app on February 27, 2015, finally went live in the US App Store.

Apple asks devs to blur out guns and nudity on App Store screenshots and promotional footage

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 13, 2015

Apple is determined to make the App Store a safe playground for children and has begun enforcing its own long-standing which requires that app icons, screenshots and video previews adhere to the 4+ age rating, PocketGamer reports.

Developers who do not censor the App Store marketing material will see their apps rejected from the store. A few devs corroborated Apple's intent to make the App Store family-friendly and inoffensive.

Some of the developers who voiced their concern include Tempo developer Splash Damage, creators of Gang Nations and Bullet Rush and many others.

Fleksy’s Valentine’s Day update brings Hotkey extensions, animated themes and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 1, 2017

Yesterday, Fleksy announced a major Valentine's Day themed update to its record-smashing software keyboard for the iPhone and iPad.

Fleksy Keboard 5.2, a free update for existing users, brings out a myriad of new features, including animated themes through an Energy Theme Pack, a slew of customizable Extensions, Valentine hearts animations upon each key press, custom phrases or email addresses and much more.

Apple enables two-step verification for FaceTime and iMessages

Cody Lee ∙ February 12, 2015

Apple has enabled two-step verification for its FaceTime and iMessage services, The Guardian reported on Thursday. The move will force users who have the authentication system enabled to input an app-specific password when logging into either of the two services.

For those unfamiliar with the term, two-step verification is an opt-in system that adds an additional layer of security to Apple ID accounts. It requires users to input authentication codes when logging into iCloud on new devices, the web, and now iMessage and FaceTime.