Every Multitasking Feature in iPadOS 15 Worth Knowing About (and How to Use Them)By Khamosh Pathak 9/13/21 4:00PM Recently, Apple has essentially released a new iPad multitasking system every two years or so. iPadOS 15 brings yet another overhauled multitasking system to the iPad and iPad Pro, but this time, Apple has actually made significant headway into making multitasking easier for new users. Show Recent Video This browser does not support the video element. 8 Things You Should Never Put in Your Dishwasher Related StoriesYou Already Need to Update Safari Again Just How Much Does Your Phone Listen to Sell You Targeted Ads? 10 Ways Youre Not Using Focus on iPhone, But Should Be There are now actual buttons for running apps side by side, and as this new system builds on top of the last years, you can still use the drag and drop gestures if thats what youre used to. Heres what you need to know about the new Split View features in iPadOS 15. How to use the new multitasking menu in iPadOS 15The previous method still works: You can drag a new app from the Dock and placing it at the edge of the screen to enter Split View mode. But this limits you to apps just in the Dock, and Apples new multitasking system finally fixes that fatal flaw. G/O Media may get a commission 15% Off Select Models Levoit Air Purifiers Take a deep breath of purified air Buy for $60+ at Levoit Use the promo code PRESIDENTS15 Advertisement When you have an app open, tap the new three-dotted menu button at the top (youll find it in the middle of the status bar). Screenshot: Khamosh PathakAdvertisement This will show three different options. The first is for opening the app in Fullscreen mode, the second is for Split View, and the third is for Slide Over. Choose the Split View option. Advertisement Youll see the app animate and dock itself to the right edge. The entire iPad home screen is now available to you. You can browse around and pick any app from the home screen, App Library, or search. Advertisement Once chosen, the app will be docked in Split View. You can now resize the windows using the black bar in the middle. Advertisement How to use the new App Switcher in iPadOS 15iPadOS 15 also overhauls the App Switcher. You still access it by swiping up from the Home bar and holding on for a second or two. The layout is still familiar (and everything else, like swiping up to close an app, works the same), but Slide Over windows now get their own section at the end. Here, you can flip through and switch to any Slide Over panel. Advertisement The biggest change, though, is the fact that all windows and Split View panels here are live and dynamic. You can pick an app window from a Split View pair and drag it out to create a fullscreen window out of it. Similarly, you can place an app on top of another to create a Split View pair. Screenshot: Khamosh PathakAdvertisement When an app has multiple windows open, youll see a little Windows icon next to it (it looks like two cascading squares). Screenshot: Khamosh PathakAdvertisement When you tap on it, youll be able to see all the windows from the app (including Split View and Slide Over windows) on one screen. Advertisement How to use the Shelf on your iPadMultiple app windows bring us to a new feature in iPadOS 15 called the Shelf. This is a new Dock-like panel that appears when you open an app that has multiple windows. Advertisement You can also access it by tapping the multitasking menu button. This is essentially a quick, visual way to switch between multiple windows of the same app. Advertisement Use the brand new multitasking keyboard shortcutsWhile keyboard shortcuts are not new to the iPad, they are finally coming alive in iPadOS 15. As you might already know, you can hold down the Command key to see a floating window with all the keyboard shortcuts associated with the app. Advertisement In iPadOS 15, however, youll see a Multitasking tab, where youll come across a set of new and powerful keyboard shortcuts just about multitasking. If you use your iPad or iPad Pro with a keyboard accessory, these shortcuts are worth committing to your muscle memory: Advertisement Globe+Left/Right Arrow: Quickly move between the previous or the last app (or the app pairs). Globe+Up: Open Apps Switcher. Globle+Down: Show all open windows for the current app. Globe+F: Turn the current Split View app into a fullscreen app. Control+Globle+Left/Right: Tile the current app left or right. Control+Globe+Down: Replace the current app in Split View. Globe+Tilde: Go to the next window. How to exit Split View on iPadIn the previous iterations of the multitasking system, uncoupling two apps from Split View was always a hassle. Thanks to the multitasking menu button, things are much simpler. Advertisement When you want to make an app or window full screen, just select the multitasking menu button from the top (three-dots icon), and choose the first Fullscreen icon (rectangle thats completely filled in). Screenshot: Khamosh PathakAdvertisement And voila, both apps are now unpaired. Advertisement More from Lifehacker Jackfruit Is Way More Than a Meat Alternative 10 Reasons You Should Buy a 3DS in 2022 What Are Your Favorite Sketchy Parenting Tricks That Totally Work? How to Watch Super Bowl LVI Live Without a Cable Subscription [Updated] |