TUTORIALS Shortcuts
The iPad is capable of desktop-level productivity and Shortcuts can help make it even more powerful
IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes
YOU WILL LEARN How to use Shortcuts
YOU’LL NEED An iPad
The iPad is not a laptop, but it can be used for the majority of the tasks you would use a MacBook for iPadOS is not macOS, but it is becoming more flexible with each release, despite the built-in limitations that Apple has concluded are necessary. The main limitation for most is the lack of a physical keyboard and the perceived invisibility of multi-tasking which, while present, is difficult to work with in a natural way that does not require lots of fiddling and extra taps.
Shortcuts came to iPadOS late, but there are now many options that work well to make your daily use a little easier. Areas such as screen management can be cumbersome so we will focus on this.
HOW TO Make your iPad more flexible
1 Be specific
If you search for ‘iPad’ in the Shortcuts app you will not see any results. There are no shortcuts listed this way so you will need to understand what to look for.
2 Split the screen
Instead, search for ‘Split’ and you will be presented with a small selection of shortcuts to choose from. Select ‘Split Screen 2 Apps’ to begin the customisation process.
3 Choose your apps
You can now select two apps that you want to open in split screen. It is a very simple setup process, but it is likely that this shortcut will come in handy hundreds of times.
4 Just one tap
When you have set the shortcut up, you can now add it to the Home Screen with an icon imag
