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The Complete Guide to Every iOS 27 Feature

How to send files from the Files app on iPad

by Dave Johnson

You can send a copy of any file to others. If you have a document you want to send that isn’t digitized, you can scan it with the Files app first.

To send a smaller version, you can compress a file before you share it. You can also reply to a document you received. And if your files are stored in iCloud Drive, you can invite others to collaborate on files with you.

Here’s how to send files from the Files app on iPad.

Send a file

  1. Open the Files app on your iPad.
  2. Touch and hold the file you want to send and tap Share.

    Tip: To send a smaller version of the file, tap Compress before you tap Share, touch and hold the compressed version of the file (identified as a ZIP file), then tap Share.

  3. Choose an option for sending (for example, AirDrop, Messages, or Mail) and tap Send.

For files or folders stored in iCloud Drive, you can also invite others to collaborate on files with you, so they can view or edit the contents.

Quick tip: Dragging is another way to send files from the Files app. With a Mail or Messages window open next to the Files window, select one or more items in the Files app and drag your selection into a message. See our article, Change the layout of windows.

Reply to a received document

After saving an attachment from the Mail app, you can reply to the email quickly and return the attachment if you want.

  1. Open the Files app on your iPad.
  2. Touch and hold the file you want to reply to and then tap Reply to.

Scan a document

  1. Open the Files app on your iPad.
  2. Open the location or folder where the document you want to scan is located.
  3. Tap the More button and tap Scan Documents.

See also

Tag: Files
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How to subscribe to Apple Arcade in the Apple Games app on iPad

by Chris Smith

In the Apple Games app, you can subscribe to Apple Arcade to enjoy unlimited access to a curated collection of games on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV 4K. You can subscribe to Apple Arcade or to Apple One, which includes Apple Arcade and other services.

With Family Sharing, you can share Apple Arcade with up to five other family members, and they don’t need to do anything. Once your subscription begins, it’s there for them the first time they open the Apple Games app.

Note: Apple Arcade and Apple One aren’t available in all countries or regions. The availability of Apple Arcade games across devices varies based on hardware and software compatibility. Not all Apple Arcade games are available on Mac and Apple TV 4K. Some content may not be available in all areas.

Subscribe to Apple Arcade

  1. Start the Apple Games app on your iPad.
  2. Tap Arcade and tap the subscription button.
  3. Follow the onscreen instructions.

Share Apple Arcade with family members

When you subscribe to Apple Arcade or Apple One, up to five other family members can get Apple Arcade too if you use Family Sharing. Your family group members don’t need to do anything. Apple Arcade becomes available when they first open the Apple Games app after your subscription begins.

If you join a family group that subscribes to Apple Arcade or Apple One while you already subscribe, your own subscription won’t renew on your next billing date, and you’ll use the group’s subscription. If the group doesn’t subscribe, it uses yours.

Note: You can stop sharing Apple Arcade with a family group by canceling the subscription or choosing to leave the family group. If you’re the family group organizer, you can also stop using Family Sharing.

Play Apple Arcade games on your Apple devices

If you subscribe to Apple Arcade, your game progress follows you to every compatible device signed in to the same Apple Account, where you can play and pick it up.

Change or cancel your Apple Arcade subscription

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPad.
  2. Tap your name and then tap Subscriptions.
  3. Tap Apple Arcade or Apple One and then follow the onscreen instructions.

Canceling your subscription means you can’t play any Apple Arcade games, including ones you downloaded to your device.

Resubscribe if you want to play Apple Arcade games again and get back access to your gameplay data. Wait too long, and some of your gameplay data might not be supported after you resubscribe.

See also

Tag: Apple Games
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How to adjust the accessibility settings for AirPods on iPad

by Stacey Butler

With AirPods 3 or later, AirPods Pro, or AirPods Max, you can adjust the accessibility settings to suit your mobility or hearing needs. You can change the press speed and how long you press and hold, and with AirPods Pro, even use noise cancellation with one AirPod.

  1. Open Settings, tap Accessibility, and then tap AirPods.
  2. If you have multiple AirPods, select one.
  3. Set any of the following options:
    • Press Speed: Adjust how quickly you must press two or three times before an action occurs.
    • Press and Hold Duration: Adjust the duration required to press and hold on your AirPods.
    • Noise Cancellation with One AirPod: With AirPods Pro, turn on noise cancellation even when you’re using only one of your AirPods.
    • Spatial Audio Head Tracking: When you turn on Follow iPad, Spatial Audio sounds like it’s coming from your iPad instead of following the movement of your head (for supported audio and video content).
    • Tone Volume: Adjust the volume of the sound effects that are played by your AirPods, such as low battery alerts.

With AirPods Pro 2, you can take a hearing test using your iPad. And for perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, the Hearing Aid feature can provide hearing assistance.

See also

Tag: AirPods
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How to connect app subscriptions to Podcasts on iPad

by Chris Smith

In the Podcasts app, you can listen to content from Apple Music, Apple News+, and eligible third-party subscription apps. If you subscribed through the App Store, the connection happens on its own, as long as the app offers content in Podcasts. Once it’s connected, you can play its subscriber-only shows.

Note: Not all apps offer content that’s available in Podcasts.

Eligible app subscriptions connect to Podcasts automatically when the app offers content in Podcasts and you subscribed through the App Store.

If you subscribed using another method, do the following:

  1. Open the Podcasts app on your iPad.
  2. Search or browse for a channel with an eligible subscription.
  3. On the Channel page, tap the Already a Subscriber link and then follow the instructions to connect your app subscription.

After an app subscription is connected, its channel shows up in your library, and all its subscriber-only shows and episodes play in Podcasts.

See also

Tag: Podcasts
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How to change your Mail settings on iPhone

by Stacey Butler

You can adjust your preferences for the Mail app in Settings. Customize your email signature, mark addresses outside specific domains, and more.

You can add and remove email accounts, set a fetch schedule, and choose whether Siri makes suggestions based on the way you use Mail. You can also allow content from Mail to appear in Search, and group emails in a conversation together with Organize by Thread.

Here’s how to change your Mail settings on iPhone.

Customize your Mail settings

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps and then tap Mail.

    Adjust any of the following settings: Mail Accounts: Add or remove email accounts.

    Fetch New Data: Set a fetch schedule for your email accounts.

    Siri: Allow Siri to make suggestions across apps based on the way you use Mail.

    Search: Allow content from Mail to appear in Search.

    Notifications: Allow notifications, choose the alert style and Lock Screen appearance, and customize notifications by account.

    Default Mail App: Choose the email app for new emails you draft outside of a specific app, such as emails you create using Siri.

    Message List: Change settings for your message list, such as showing To/Cc labels, choosing the length of email previews, and assigning swipe actions.

    Messages: Turn on Privacy Protection, Ask Before Deleting, and Follow Up Suggestions.

    Threading: Turn on Organize by Thread to group emails in a conversation together in your message list.

    Adjust other settings for how threads appear and muting threads.

    Composing: Customize settings for writing emails such as including attachments with replies, showing link previews, and more.

    Undo Send Delay: Set a time period of up to 30 seconds to allow yourself to unsend a message.

Customize your email signature

Customize your email signature, and it appears automatically at the bottom of every message you send.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps and then tap Mail.
  3. Tap Signature (below Composing).
  4. Tap the text field and then edit your signature.

    You can only use text in your Mail signatures.

    Tip: If you have more than one email account, tap Per Account to set a different signature for each account.

Mark addresses outside certain domains

To alert you when you’re addressing an email message to a recipient outside your organization’s domain, the recipient’s name can appear in red.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps and then tap Mail.
  3. Tap Mark Addresses (below Composing).
  4. Enter the domains that are in your organization—ones that you don’t want marked in red.

    You can enter multiple domains separated by commas (for example, “apple.com, example.org”).

    The names of recipients in domains outside your organization appear in red, whether you send them an email or receive one from them.

Tag: Mail
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What Switch Control is and how it works on iPad

by Tyler Stephen

Switch Control is an assistive technology for anyone with limited mobility. It enables you to interact with iPad by activating a switch, such as pressing an external adaptive button, performing a head movement, or making a voiced or voiceless sound. You can even use the iPad screen itself as a switch, with no extra hardware.

Using one or more switches, you can move a cursor around the screen and use the Scanner menu to choose an action, like tap, zoom in, or zoom out. A switch can be an external hardware device, or even a feature on your iPad, like Back Tap or simple sounds.

What is a switch?

A switch can be an external hardware device or a feature on your iPad.

Some switches on iPad need no additional hardware at all, including these:

  • Screen: Use a tap or long press anywhere on the iPad screen. You can set up tap and long press as two different switches with separate actions.
  • Camera: While in view of the front-facing iPad camera, move your head to the left or right, or pinch your left or right index finger and thumb. You can set up each gesture as a different switch with a separate action.
  • Back Tap: Double-tap or triple-tap the back of iPad. You can set up double tap and triple tap as two different switches with separate actions.
  • Sound: Make simple voiced sounds (such as “Oo”) or voiceless sounds (such as a pop). You can set up each sound as a different switch with a separate action.
  • AirPods: Nod or shake your head while wearing supported AirPods that are paired with your iPad. You can set up nod and shake as two different switches with separate actions.
  • Gaming: Turn any switch into a virtual game controller to play your favorite games on iPad.

External switches, which connect to iPad through Bluetooth® or the Lightning or USB-C connector, include:

  • Adaptive accessory
  • Joystick
  • Game controller
  • MFi switch or switch interface

How does Switch Control work?

In Switch Control, each switch handles a specific action. Move To Next Item, for example, sends the cursor to the next item on the screen, and a switch’s action happens when you activate it, like by making a sound, moving your head, or pressing the adaptive button.

Use one switch, or several switches for different actions, whichever fits how you like to work. With your Move to Next Item switch, you can move the cursor from one item to the next, then activate your Select Item switch when the cursor highlights the item you want.

See also

Tag: accessibility
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How to complete items in Reminders on iPad

by Stacey Butler

In a Reminders list, you can check off items to hide them, or you can permanently delete items. With the Reminders widget, you can complete items from the iPad Home Screen or Lock Screen.

Completed items are hidden on your list, but you can unhide them or clear them to delete them. The widget lets you complete items without opening the Reminders app.

Here’s how to complete items in Reminders on iPad.

Mark items as completed

  1. Go to the Reminders app on your iPad.
  2. While viewing a list, tap the empty circle next to an item to mark the item as completed.

    Completed items are hidden on your list.

To unhide completed items, tap the More button, then tap Show Completed. To delete the completed items, tap Clear.

Use the Reminders widget

With the Reminders widget, you can complete items from the Home Screen or Lock Screen without opening the Reminders app.

  1. On the iPad Home Screen or Lock Screen, add the Reminders widget.
  2. To change the list shown in the widget, touch and hold the widget and tap Edit Widget. Then choose a list.
  3. To complete an item, tap the item in the widget.

See also

Tag: Reminders
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How to add an app on iPad

by Moses Johnson

To add an app to your iPad, you can download it from the App Store. When you download an app, you can choose to add it to both your Home Screen and App Library, or to App Library only.

Apps in App Library can be moved to the Home Screen anytime, and you can choose where new apps get downloaded by default.

Here’s how to add an app on iPad.

Choose where apps get downloaded

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
  2. Tap Home Screen & App Library. Choose Add to Home Screen or App Library only.

Move an app from App Library to the Home Screen

If you download an app to App Library, you can easily move it to the Home Screen.

  1. Swipe left past all your Home Screen pages to get to App Library.
  2. Touch and hold the background until the apps begin to jiggle.
  3. Touch and hold the app you want to move and drag it to the left.

See also

Tags: App Store, Home Screen
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How to unsend email with Undo Send in Mail on iPad

by Kevin Hollington

You can change your mind and unsend an email message in the Mail app with Undo Send. You can also set a delay for all emails to give yourself a little more time to unsend them.

Normally, there are 10 seconds to change your mind after you’ve sent an email, and a delay gives you more time than that, for whatever length you choose. You can also check your email, send email, and save a draft in Mail on iPad.

Undo a sent email

After you send an email message, you have 10 seconds to change your mind.

Tap Undo Send at the bottom of the email list to pull back the message.

The Mail Inbox, with the list of messages on the left, and an open message on the right. The Undo Send button (for pulling back a recently sent message) is at the bottom of the message list.

Delay sending emails

Setting a delay gives you extra time to change your mind and unsend emails.

Go to Settings > Apps > Mail, tap Undo Send Delay, then choose a length of time to delay outgoing email messages.

See also

Tag: Mail
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How to reset iPhone settings to their defaults

by Abigail Shilets

You can return your iPhone settings to their defaults without erasing your content.

With Reset All Settings, all settings, including network settings and the keyboard dictionary, are removed or reset to their defaults, and no data or media are deleted. Reset Network Settings removes all network settings and resets the device name of your iPhone to “iPhone.” Erase All Content and Settings isn’t the same thing, though, since all your content is removed.

If you want to save your settings, back up iPhone before resetting it. For example, if you’re trying to solve a problem but resetting iPhone doesn’t help, you might want to restore your previous settings from a backup.

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap General, tap Transfer or Reset iPhone, and then tap Reset.

    WARNING: If you choose the Erase All Content and Settings option, all your content is removed.

  3. Choose an option:

    • Reset All Settings: All settings—including network settings, the keyboard dictionary, location settings, privacy settings, and Apple Pay cards—are removed or reset to their defaults. No data or media are deleted.
    • Reset Network Settings: All network settings are removed. In addition, the device name assigned in Settings > General > About is reset to iPhone, and manually trusted certificates (such as for websites) are changed to untrusted.

      Cellular data roaming may also be turned off.

      When you reset network settings, previously used networks and VPN settings that weren’t installed by a configuration profile or mobile device management (MDM) are removed. Wi-Fi is turned off and then back on, disconnecting you from any network you’re on. The Wi-Fi and Ask to Join Networks settings remain turned on.

      To remove VPN settings installed by a configuration profile, go to Settings > General > VPN & Device Management, select the configuration profile, then tap Remove Profile. This also removes other settings and accounts provided by the profile.

      To remove network settings installed by MDM, go to Settings > General > VPN & Device Management, select the management, then tap Remove Management. This also removes other settings and certificates provided by MDM.

    • Delete All eSIMs: All eSIMs stored on your iPhone are deleted. You will need to set up a new eSIM or physical SIM card to connect to a cellular network.
    • Reset Keyboard Dictionary: You add words to the keyboard dictionary by rejecting words iPhone suggests as you type. Resetting the keyboard dictionary erases only the words you’ve added.
    • Reset Handwriting Style: Resets custom handwriting preferences to their defaults.
    • Reset Home Screen Layout: Returns the built-in apps to their original layout on the Home Screen.
    • Reset Location & Privacy: Resets the location services and privacy settings to their defaults.
Tag: Phone
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