GeeksModo

How to choose a default travel mode and Maps units on iPad

Friday October 16, 2026 5:18 am EAT by Moses Johnson

You can review and change your settings for the Maps app, including travel mode and units. Maps defaults to your preferred travel mode when providing directions, whether that’s driving, walking, transit, or cycling, and you can change the units used for the scale on a 2D map.

Choose a default travel mode and preferences

Your preferred travel mode is what Maps defaults to when providing directions. Pick from driving, walking, transit, or cycling.

Start the Maps app on your iPad.
Tap your picture or initials next to the search field, tap Preferences, and then tap options.

(If neither your picture nor initials appear next to the search field, tap Cancel next to the field, or tap the search field, then tap Cancel.)
To find more options, tap Maps Settings at the bottom of the screen.

Some modes of travel come with other route options, like avoiding hills or heavy traffic when walking or cycling, picking an arrival time when driving, or choosing which transit method you prefer.

Change the units used in Maps

As you zoom out on a 2D map, a scale appears in the upper left, and you can change the units it uses.

Start the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap General and tap Language & Region.
Tap Measurement System and select an option.

See also

Tag: Maps

Show Full Article

How to annotate email attachments on iPad

Friday October 16, 2026 5:16 am EAT by Abigail Shilets

In the Mail app, you can annotate email attachments to give feedback on a draft, decorate a photo, and more. You can draw and write on a photo, video, or PDF attachment, then save or send it back.

Markup’s drawing tools let you draw with just your finger. When you’re finished, you can reply to the sender, start a new message, or discard your edited attachment, and you can save the annotated attachment to your files.

Open the Mail app on your iPad.
In the message, tap the attachment. Tap the Markup button.
Using the drawing tools, draw with your finger.
When you’re finished, tap the More button. Then choose to reply to the attachment sender, start a new message, save the annotated attachment to your files, or discard your edited attachment.

See also

Tags: Mail, Markup

Show Full Article

How to adjust how iPad responds to your touch

Friday October 16, 2026 5:14 am EAT by Dave Johnson

If you have difficulties with hand tremors, dexterity, or fine motor control, you can adjust how the iPad touchscreen responds to tap, swipe, and touch-and-hold gestures. You can have iPad recognize faster or slower touches and ignore multiple touches.

You can also prevent iPad from waking when you touch the screen, or turn off Shake to Undo if you unintentionally shake iPad. After you set up Touch Accommodations, you see a personalized list of options, like Hold Duration and Tap Assistance.

Set up and adjust Touch Accommodations

Start the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Accessibility and tap Touch. Then tap Touch Accommodations.
Tap Set up Touch Accommodations. Then follow the onscreen instructions.

After you complete setup, you’ll see a personalized list of Touch Accommodations—like Hold Duration or Tap Assistance—that you can turn on.
You can adjust any of your Touch Accommodations after setup. Tap Settings, then adjust any of the following:
- Respond to longer or shorter touches: Turn on Hold Duration. Then tap the Decrement button or the Increment button to adjust the duration.
  
  Note: When you turn on Hold Duration, taps and swipes within the duration are ignored. You can turn on Swipe Gestures to make swiping easier when Hold Duration is on.
- Make swiping easier while Hold Duration is on: Turn on Hold Duration, then tap Swipe Gestures. Turn on Swipe Gestures, then choose the required movement before a swipe gesture begins.
- Treat multiple touches as a single touch: Turn on Ignore Repeat. Then tap the Decrement button or the Increment button to adjust the amount of time allowed between multiple touches.
- Respond to the first or last place you touch: Under Tap Assistance, choose Use Initial Touch Location or Use Final Touch Location.
  
  If you choose Use Initial Touch Location, iPad uses the location of your first tap—when you tap an app on the Home Screen, for example.
  
  If you choose Use Final Touch Location, iPad registers the tap where you lift your finger. iPad responds to a tap when you lift your finger within a certain period of time. Tap the Decrement button or the Increment button under Tap Assistance Gesture Delay to adjust the timing. Your iPad can respond to other gestures, such as a drag gesture, if you wait longer than the gesture delay.
  
  Note: When you turn on Tap Assistance, taps and swipes within the duration are ignored. You can turn on Swipe Gestures to make swiping easier when Hold Duration is on.
- Make swiping easier while Tap Assistance is on: Choose either Use Initial Touch Location or Use Final Touch Location. Then tap Swipe Gestures. Turn on Swipe Gestures. Then choose the required movement needed before a swipe gesture begins.

You can recalibrate or reset Touch Accommodations at any time.

Adjust settings for touch-and-hold gestures

You can use the touch-and-hold gesture to see additional options or actions you can perform, or to get a preview of content. If you have trouble performing this gesture, do the following:

Start the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Accessibility and tap Touch. Then tap Haptic Touch.
Choose the touch duration—Fast or Slow.
Test your new settings on the image at the bottom of the screen.

Recalibrate or reset Touch Accommodations

Start the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Accessibility and tap Touch. Then tap Touch Accommodations.
Do either of the following:
- Recalibrate your Touch Accommodations: Tap Recalibrate Touch Accommodations.
- Reset your Touch Accommodations: Tap Reset Touch Accommodations.

Turn off Tap to Wake

On a supported iPad model, you can prevent touches on the screen from waking iPad.

Start the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Accessibility, tap Touch, and then turn off Tap to Wake.

Turn off Shake to Undo

If you tend to unintentionally shake iPad, you can turn off Shake to Undo.

Start the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Accessibility and tap Touch. Then turn off Shake to Undo.

Quick tip: To undo text edits, swipe left with three fingers.

See also

Tag: accessibility

Show Full Article

How to play memory movies in Photos on iPad

Friday October 16, 2026 5:13 am EAT by Emily Long

View each memory in your Memories collection as a movie that’s set to music. All the collections and albums you have in the Photos app can also be viewed as a memory movie that you can edit to make more personal.

With Apple Intelligence, you can create a custom memory movie of the story you want to see. While one plays, you can pause it, mute it, go backward or forward, or close it.

Note: Apple Intelligence on iPadOS 27 or later is available on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPad mini (A17 Pro) and iPad models with M1 or later. Apple Intelligence is not available in all languages or regions. Usage limits may apply.*

Play a memory movie

Open the Photos app on your iPad.
Tap Collections.
Swipe left under Memories to scroll through a selection of your memories, or tap Memories to view them all.
Tap the Play button in the bottom-right corner of a memory to play it.
As the memory movie plays, you can do any of the following:
- Pause: Tap the screen and tap the Pause button.
- Go backward or forward: Swipe left or right. Or tap the screen. Slide the frames at the bottom of the screen left or right.
- Mute: Tap the screen, then tap the Mute button.
- Close a memory: Tap the screen and tap the Close button.

Want to customize the memory movie? See our guide, Personalize your memory movies.

Play a memory movie from an album or collection

All the albums and collections you’ve got in the Photos app can be viewed as memory movies.

Open the Photos app on your iPad.
Tap Collections.
Select an existing album or collection. Tap the Play button to watch the photos and videos as a memory movie.

For customizing the memory movie, see our article, Personalize your memory movies.

Create a memory movie with Apple Intelligence

Right in Photos, you can make a custom memory movie of any story you want to see. After you type a description, Apple Intelligence finds the best photos and videos, sets them to music, and crafts a storyline with unique chapters and a narrative arc.

Open the Photos app on your iPad.
Tap Collections, tap Memories, and tap Create.
Enter a description of the movie you want to create and then tap the Close button.

*Apple Intelligence is available with Siri and device language set to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, or Vietnamese. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. Some devices may not be available in all regions. Siri AI is available in beta in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 and requires an Apple Intelligence–enabled device set to a supported language. Available in English to start. Siri AI will not be initially available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Certain Apple Intelligence features that rely on server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, including but not limited to Siri AI, Intelligent Photo Editing Tools, Image Playground, and AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts. Daily limits may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors. Expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future. Use of these features is subject to the Apple Intelligence Terms and Conditions.

See also

Personalize your memory movies in Photos on iPad

Tags: Apple Intelligence, Photos

Show Full Article

How to type to speak using Live Speech on iPad

Friday October 16, 2026 5:04 am EAT by Dave Johnson

If you’re unable to speak or have lost your speech over time, you can use Live Speech on iPad to have what you type spoken out loud during in-person conversations and in apps like FaceTime. You can choose from dozens of system voices or use a Personal Voice you create.

On a FaceTime call, the other person hears Live Speech on their end. You can also save phrases you use often, and add them to custom categories like school or work.

Note: Live Speech isn’t available in all languages.

Have what you type spoken out loud

Open the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Accessibility and tap Live Speech. Then turn on Live Speech.
Triple-click the top button or Home button (depending on your iPad model) and tap Live Speech (if the Accessibility Shortcut is set up with more than one feature).
Tap the Live Speech window, type what you want to have spoken and then tap Speak.

You can also paste copied text into the window, or tap suggested words that appear above the keyboard as you type.

Live Speech is output on the other end of the call if you’re on a FaceTime call. Otherwise, your iPad’s speaker outputs Live Speech.

Have saved phrases spoken out loud

Live Speech keeps a list of phrases you use often to select from. Your phrases can go into custom categories like school or work, too.

Open the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Accessibility and tap Live Speech. Then turn on Live Speech.
Tap Phrases and then do any of the following:
- Create a new category: Tap the Add Category button, enter a category name, select an icon, and then tap Add Category.
- Add a new saved phrase: Tap a category, tap the Add Phrase button, enter a phrase, and then tap Save.
Triple-click the top button or Home button (depending on your iPad model). Then tap Live Speech (if the Accessibility Shortcut is set up with more than one feature).
Tap the Phrases window and then do any of the following:
- Speak a phrase from a saved category: Scroll to the left to select a category, then tap a phrase.
- Quickly add a new phrase: Tap the Add Phrase button in any category, enter a phrase, tap Done, and then tap the phrase.
- Quickly speak a recently used phrase: Tap Recent and then tap a phrase.

To remove a phrase, swipe left on it, then tap Delete.

Allow audio from other apps in calls

Allowing audio from apps to be audible in voice and video calls is helpful when you use apps that assist with speaking and communication.

Open the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Accessibility, tap Audio & Visual, and tap Add Audio in Calls.
Turn on Allow Apps to Add Audio in Calls.

When this option is on, both audio and microphone input are included in calls. To silence all audio during a call, mute the microphone.

See also

Tag: accessibility

Show Full Article

How to create your own emoji with Genmoji on iPad

Friday October 16, 2026 5:04 am EAT by Abigail Shilets

With Apple Intelligence, you can create custom emoji—called Genmoji. Simply describe what you want the Genmoji to look like, combine existing emoji with descriptions, or create one of friends and family based on their photos.

You can add Genmoji to messages, share them as a sticker or Tapback, and more. You can add up to three people from your Photos library, and delete a Genmoji you no longer want. If a description doesn’t match the person you selected, the Genmoji is personalized based on the photo instead.

Create Genmoji

Tap a text field. Then tap the Emoji button or the Next Keyboard key to switch to the emoji keyboard.
Tap Genmoji at the top right of the onscreen keyboard.
Do any of the following:
- Describe it: Enter a description.
- Use existing emoji or Genmoji as a base: Tap the Emoji button to choose emoji or Genmoji.
- Add a person from your Photos library: Tap the Choose Person button, then select a person. You can add up to three people.
  
  Note: If you provide a text description that doesn’t match the person you selected, your image is personalized based on the photo you selected rather than the text description.
- Add a photo of something else, like a pet, nature, or food: Tap the Choose or Take Photo button. Then choose an option.
Tap the Submit button to create your Genmoji.
To refine your Genmoji, describe a change or add existing emoji or Genmoji to the one you created.

Note: Scroll up or down to move between versions of your Genmoji. You can move to a different version at any time and keep refining from there.
When you’re happy with your Genmoji, tap the Done button.

Genmoji you create are saved with your stickers.

Image Playground can create a Genmoji, too; read our guide, Create original images with Image Playground.

Delete Genmoji

Tap a text field. Then tap the Emoji button or the Next Keyboard key to switch to the emoji keyboard.
Swipe right or tap the Stickers button.
Tap the Stickers button, touch and hold a Genmoji, and tap Delete.

You can also tap the Add button in a Messages conversation, then tap Stickers. Tap the Stickers button, touch and hold a Genmoji, then tap Delete.

You can block access to image creation features, like Genmoji, in Screen Time settings. See Block or allow Siri and Apple Intelligence features. The recommended age for realistic images is 18+.

See also

Tag: Apple Intelligence

Show Full Article

How to use the onscreen keyboard with VoiceOver on iPad

Friday October 16, 2026 5:01 am EAT by Chris Smith

VoiceOver changes how you use the onscreen keyboard when you activate an editable text field. You can enter, select, and delete text; change the keyboard language; and more.

There are a few typing styles, like standard typing and touch typing, and VoiceOver speaks each key as you select it and again when you enter the character. You can also edit text with the onscreen keyboard, and change the keyboard settings.

Enter text with the onscreen keyboard

Select a text field, then double-tap.

The insertion point and the onscreen keyboard appear.
To enter text, do one of the following:
- Standard typing: Select a key by swiping left or right on the keyboard and then double-tap to enter the character. Or move your finger around the keyboard to select a key and, while continuing to touch the key with one finger, tap the screen with another finger. VoiceOver speaks the key when it’s selected, and again when the character is entered.
- Touch typing: Touch a key on the keyboard to select it and then lift your finger to enter the character. If you touch the wrong key, slide your finger to the key you want. VoiceOver speaks the character for each key as you touch it, but doesn’t enter a character until you lift your finger.
- Direct Touch typing: VoiceOver is disabled for the keyboard only, so you can type just as you do when VoiceOver is off.
- Dictation: Use a two-finger double tap on the keyboard to start and stop dictation.

To enter an accented character, do one of the following:

Standard typing: Select the plain character, then double-tap and hold until you hear a tone indicating alternate characters have appeared. Drag left or right to select and hear the choices. Release your finger to enter the current selection.
Touch typing: Touch and hold a character until the alternate characters appear.

Edit text with the onscreen keyboard

Move the insertion point: Use the rotor to choose whether you want to move the insertion point by character, by word, or by line. Swipe up or down to move the insertion point forward or backward in the text. To jump to the beginning or end, double-tap the text.

VoiceOver makes a sound when the insertion point moves, and speaks the character, word, or line that the insertion point moves across. When moving forward by words, the insertion point is placed at the end of each word, after the space or punctuation that follows. When moving backward, the insertion point is placed before the first character of the word.
Move the insertion point past the punctuation at the end of a word or sentence: Use the rotor to switch back to character mode.

When moving the insertion point by line, VoiceOver speaks each line as you move across it. When moving forward, the insertion point is placed at the end of the next line. When moving backward, the insertion point is placed at the beginning of the line that’s spoken.
Delete a character: Use the Delete key.
Select text: Do any of the following:
- Set the rotor to Text Selection, swipe up or down to choose Character, Word, Line, or Sentence, then swipe left or right to move backward or forward. (You may need to enable Text Selection—go to Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Rotor.)
- Set the rotor to Edit, swipe up or down to choose Select or Select All, then double-tap. If you choose Select, the word closest to the insertion point is selected when you double-tap. To increase or decrease the selection, do a two-finger scrub (move two fingers back and forth three times quickly, making a “z”) to dismiss the pop-up menu, then pinch.
Cut, copy, or paste: Set the rotor to Edit, select the text, swipe up or down to choose Cut, Copy, or Paste, then double-tap.
Fix misspelled words: Set the rotor to Misspelled Words, then swipe up or down to jump to the previous or next misspelled word. Swipe left or right to choose a suggested replacement, then double-tap to use the replacement.
Undo: Shake iPad, swipe left or right to choose the action to undo, then double-tap.

Change the keyboard settings

Open Settings, tap Accessibility, and then tap VoiceOver.
Tap any of the following:
- Typing Style: You can choose a new style. Or, set the rotor to Typing Mode and then swipe up or down.
- Phonetic Feedback: Speak text character by character. VoiceOver first speaks the character, then its phonetic equivalent—for example, “f” and then “foxtrot.”
- Typing Feedback: Choose to speak characters, words, both, or nothing.
- Verbosity: Tap Deleting Text. To have VoiceOver speak deleted characters in a lower pitch, tap Change Pitch.

See also

Tags: accessibility, VoiceOver

Show Full Article

How to mark items as favorites in Apple Music on iPad

Thursday October 15, 2026 11:57 pm EAT by Kevin Hollington

You can mark items as “favorites” in Music to make them easier to find. If you subscribe to Apple Music, you can get notifications on new releases from your favorite artists, and easily get back to their music from the Home tab.

Artists you mark as favorites show up below Favorite Artists in Home, with their music recommended more often, and favorite songs go into the Favorite Songs playlist. You can remove favorites later.

Here’s how to mark items as favorites in Apple Music on iPad.

Add favorite playlists, artists, albums, and songs

Start the Music app on your iPad.
Do any of the following:
- Add a favorite playlist: Touch and hold a playlist or tap the More button when viewing a playlist. Then tap Favorite.
- Add a favorite artist: Go to an artist page and tap the More button. Tap the Favorite button at the top of the screen.
  
  When you mark an artist as a favorite, they appear below Favorite Artists in Home, and their music is recommended more often.
- Add a favorite album: Touch and hold an album and then choose Favorite. Or tap an album, tap the More button, and tap Favorite.
- Add a favorite song: Touch and hold a song or tap the More button next to a song. Tap Favorite. Or on the Now Playing screen, tap the Favorite button.
  
  When you mark a song as a favorite, it appears in the Favorite Songs playlist in the sidebar.

You can easily find favorite items in your music library. Below Library in the sidebar, choose Playlists, Artists, Albums, or Songs, tap the Filter button, then choose Favorites.

Remove playlists, artists, albums, and songs as favorites

Start the Music app on your iPad.
Tap the Show Sidebar button, tap a category under Library and tap the Filter button. Choose Favorites.
Touch and hold a playlist, artist, album, or song. Tap Undo.

Note: Deleting a song from your library doesn’t delete it from your favorites. To change this behavior, go to the Settings app, tap Apps, tap Music, then turn on Add & Delete Favorite Songs.

Quick tip: If you’d like songs you make a favorite added to your library, go to Settings > Apps > Music and turn on Add Favorite Songs.

See also

Tag: Music

Show Full Article

How to share iCloud calendars on iPad

Thursday October 15, 2026 11:57 pm EAT by Moses Johnson

In the Calendar app, you can share an iCloud calendar with other iCloud users. When you share a calendar, others can see it, and you can let them add or change events. You can also share a read-only version that anyone can view but not change.

The people you invite receive an invitation to join, and your contacts need an email address to be invited. You can change a person’s access later.

Create an iCloud calendar

Open the Calendar app on your iPad.
Tap the Calendars button at the top left.
Tap Add Calendar.
Tap Add Calendar, enter a name for the new calendar, and tap the Done button.

If iCloud isn’t your default calendar, tap Accounts, then tap iCloud. See Change your Calendar settings.

Share an iCloud calendar

When you share a calendar in iCloud with one or more people, each of them gets an invitation to join the calendar.

Open the Calendar app on your iPad.
Tap the Calendars button at the top left.
Tap the Info button next to the iCloud calendar you want to share.
Tap Add Person and enter a name or email address, or tap the Add button to browse your contacts.

Note: Your contacts must have an email address to share an iCloud calendar. See Add and use contact information.
Tap the Done button.

Change a person’s access to a shared calendar

For anyone you’ve invited to share your calendar, you can turn their ability to edit it on or off, or stop sharing with that person altogether.

Open the Calendar app on your iPad.
Tap the Calendars button, tap the Info button next to the shared calendar, and then tap the person.
Do any of the following:
- Turn Allow Editing on or off.
- Tap Delete.

Turn off notifications for shared calendars

You get notified whenever someone modifies a calendar you’re sharing, though you can turn off notifications for shared calendars if you’d rather not receive them.

Open the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Notifications and tap Calendar.
Tap Customize Notifications, then turn off Shared Calendar Changes.

Share a read-only calendar with anyone

Open the Calendar app on your iPad.
Tap the Calendars button and tap the Info button next to the iCloud calendar you want to share.
Turn on Public Calendar. Then tap Share Link to copy or send the URL for your calendar.
Choose a method for sending the URL—Message, Mail, and so on.

The URL lets anyone you send it to subscribe to the calendar in a compatible app, such as Calendar for macOS.

Delete a calendar

Open the Calendar app on your iPad.
Tap the Calendars button at the top left.
Tap the Info button next to the iCloud calendar you want to delete.
Tap Delete Calendar at the bottom of the list.

See also

Get started with Calendar on iPad

Tags: Calendar, iCloud

Show Full Article

How to create an Apple Music profile on iPad

Thursday October 15, 2026 11:55 pm EAT by Kevin Hollington

After you subscribe to Apple Music, you can create an Apple Music profile that features your favorite playlists and what you’re currently listening to. You can share it with friends you invite or with other Apple Music subscribers.

You can choose which playlists to share, view profiles your friends created, and request to follow them to see what they’re listening to. You can edit or delete your profile, too, and a Family Sharing organizer can allow children ages 13 to 18 to create profiles.

Create a profile

Start the Music app on your iPad.
Tap the Show Sidebar button. Then tap your name at the bottom of the sidebar.
Tap Set up Profile and then follow the onscreen instructions to create a profile.

After you finish setting up your profile, you can find friends whose music profile you’d like to follow or choose who you share music with (so you can show friends what you’re listening to).

Note: If you’re the organizer of a Family Sharing group, you can allow children ages 13 to 18 to create Apple Music profiles (or prevent them from doing so). Children under 13 can’t create Apple Music profiles. (Age restrictions vary by region.) See Block features or content with Screen Time on iPad.

Edit your profile

Start the Music app on your iPad.
Tap the Show Sidebar button. Then tap your name at the bottom of the sidebar.
Tap Music Profile at the top of the screen, then tap Edit to make updates.

You can edit your profile to choose who you share music with or to choose music to share with your followers.

Delete your profile

If you delete your profile, your playlists and music stop appearing in searches, and followers can no longer see your music or profile.

Note: Deleting your profile leaves your Apple Music subscription, library, and playlists as they are, but you can no longer see what your friends are listening to.

Start the Music app on your iPad.
Tap the Show Sidebar button. Then tap your name at the bottom of the sidebar.
Tap Music Profile at the top of the screen and tap Edit.
Scroll to the bottom, then tap Delete Profile.

If you create your profile again within 90 days, your previous information and followers will be restored.

Note: It might take several minutes after you delete your profile before it’s no longer visible to your followers or in searches.

See also

Create, edit, and delete music playlists on iPad

Tag: Music

Show Full Article