Discover iOS 11 and the Newest iPads and iPhones

This chapter is from the book

iPad and iPhone Tips and Tricks: Covers all iPhones and iPads running iOS 11, 7th Edition

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This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book 

iPad and iPhone Tips and Tricks: Covers all iPhones and iPads running iOS 11, 7th Edition

Learn More Buy

Interacting with Your iPhone or iPad

If you’re a veteran iPhone or iPad user, you already know that Apple’s iOS mobile operating system enables you to interact with your mobile device using its touchscreen. Data entry, for example, is typically done using the virtual keyboard displayed on screen when it’s needed. Based on the type of information you’re entering and the app you’re using, the keyboard’s layout adapts automatically.

When you’re not using the virtual keyboard, much of your interaction with the iPhone or iPad is done through a series of taps, swipes, and other finger gestures on the Multi-Touch display.

Using the Touchscreen

To navigate your way around iOS 11 on your iPhone or iPad, you need to learn a series of basic taps and finger gestures.

As you learn more about iOS 11’s features throughout this book, you’ll discover how to use them by executing the necessary taps, swipes, pinches, and other finger gestures.

When you turn on the device or wake it from Sleep mode, virtually all of your interaction with the smartphone or tablet is though the following finger movements and taps on the device’s highly sensitive Multi-Touch display:

• Double-Tap—Used to zoom in/out in certain apps, or center the content you’re viewing on the screen in some apps.
• Drag—Press and hold your finger over an icon or object, and then drag it along the screen to an different location. When using a Move button, for example, you’d use the drag gesture. On an iPad Pro, the Drag gesture is used to move selected content from one app into another app.
• Flick—Press gently on the screen and then move it left, right, up, or down, to scroll or pan.
• Five-finger pinch (iPads only)—To exit any app and return to the Home screen, place all five fingers of one hand on the screen so that they’re spread out, and then draw your fingers together, as if you’re grabbing something. Be sure, however, that the Multitasking Gestures are turned on in the Settings app (found under the General heading).
• Hold—Instead of a quick tap, in some cases it is necessary to press and hold your finger on an icon or onscreen command option. When a hold action is required, place your finger on the appropriate icon or command option, and hold it there with a slight pressure. There’s never a need to press down hard on the smartphone or tablet’s screen. (Hold works with all iOS mobile devices running iOS 11, and is different from the Peek and Pop gestures that are exclusive to the newer iPhone models).
• Pinch—Using your thumb and index finger, perform a pinch motion on the touchscreen to zoom out when using certain apps. Or “unpinch” (by moving your fingers apart quickly) to zoom in on what you’re viewing on screen when using many apps.
• Pull-down—On all iPhone and iPad models, except the iPhone X, quickly swipe your finger down from the very top of the iPhone or iPad’s screen. This causes the Notification Center to appear. You can hold the device in portrait or landscape mode for this to work.

• Swipe—A swipe refers to quickly moving your finger along the screen from right to left, left to right, top to bottom, or bottom to top, in order to scroll left, right, up, or down, depending on which app you’re using.
• Swipe Up—At any time, you can swipe your finger in an upward direction on most iPhone models (starting at the bottom of the screen) to make the redesigned Control Center appear. From here, you can access a handful of functions. On any iPad, use the swipe up gesture from the bottom of the screen to access the redesigned Dock.
• Tap—Tapping an icon, button, or link that’s displayed on your device’s screen serves the same purpose as clicking the mouse when you use your main computer.
• Touch and Hold—When working with text created using the virtual keyboard, press and hold your finger on the screen over a letter or word to see a magnified view and be able to manually move (reposition) the onscreen cursor.

Working with the Home Button

Here’s how to use some of the Home button’s main functions when using iOS 11 on any iPhone or iPad model (except the iPhone X):

• Activate Siri—Press down and hold the Home button for two seconds from the Home screen or when using any app.
• Access the App Switcher—From any app (or from the Home screen), quickly press the Home button twice. Press the Home button again (or select an app) to exit the App Switcher.
• Exit an app and return to the Home screen—When using any app, press the Home button once to exit it and return to the Home screen. Keep in mind that in most cases this does not shut down the app; it continues running in the background.
• Reboot the device (without deleting any of your apps or data)—On older iPhone models and on all iPads, press and hold the Home button simultaneously with the Side button for about five seconds until the Apple logo appears on the screen.

• Return to the main Home screen—When viewing any of the Home screens on your mobile device, press the Home button once to return to the main Home screen.
• Wake up the device from Sleep mode—Press the Home button once when your iPhone or iPad is in Sleep mode. If the device is powered down, press and hold the Side button for several seconds instead.

Use the Touch ID that’s built in to the Home button of compatible devices to unlock it, confirm a payment using Apple Pay, or when making a content purchase from the App Store, iTunes Store, iBook Store, or within a participating app. Touch ID can also be used to grant you access to certain apps that otherwise require a password, such as a banking or credit card app.

Interacting with the iPhone X

Following are some of the new iPhone X finger gestures and uses of the Side button that have replaced the uses of the Home button:

• To access the Home screen using an iPhone X, place your finger near the bottom of the screen and swipe up.
• To utilize Multitasking mode and access the App Switcher, place your finger near the bottom of the screen and swipe up. However, instead of removing your finger from the screen at the end of the swipe, hold it in place for about a second.
• To access Control Center while using the iPhone X, place your finger near the top-right side of the screen and swipe down.
• To access Siri, either use the “Hey Siri” command, or press and hold the Side button for about two seconds.
• To quickly launch the Wallet app and access Apple Pay (to make a payment in a retail store, for example), quickly press the Side button twice, and then look at the iPhone X’s screen (to utilize Face ID) and authorize the purchase.

Using the Virtual Keyboard

Whenever you need to enter data into your iPhone or iPad, you almost always use the virtual keyboard that pops up on the bottom portion of the screen when it’s needed. The virtual keyboard resembles a typewriter or computer keyboard; however, certain onscreen keys have different purposes, depending on which app you’re using.

When you’re using an app that involves numeric data entry, such as Numbers or Excel, the layout and design of the virtual keyboard can change dramatically.

Use these tips to more easily work with the virtual keyboard:

• Divide the virtual keyboard in half (iPad)—Make it easier to type on the virtual keyboard with your two thumbs while holding the device. To split the keyboard (see Figure 1.4), hold down the Hide Keyboard key that’s located in the lower-right corner of the virtual keyboard, and select the Split option. Alternatively, use the index fingers on your right and left hand simultaneously, place them in the center of the virtual keyboard when it’s visible, and then move them apart.

FIGURE 1.4

Especially when holding an iPad in portrait mode with two hands, using the split keyboard makes it easier to type with just your two thumbs.

• Undock and move the virtual keyboard (iPad only)—Hold down the Hide Keyboard key (displayed in the lower-right corner of the keyboard) to be given the opportunity to undock or split the keyboard. Select Undock, and then while holding down the Hide Keyboard key, drag the keyboard up or down to reposition it.
• Turn on or off the keyboard’s key click sound—Launch Settings, tap the Sounds option, and then turn on or off the virtual switch associated with Keyboard Clicks.
• Adjust auto-capitalization, autocorrection, check spelling, enable caps lock, predictive, split keyboard (iPad only), and the keyboard shortcuts options—Launch Settings, tap the General option, and then tap the Keyboard option to access the Keyboard menu. Turn on or off the virtual switch associated with each option.

• Make the virtual keyboard disappear—You can often tap anywhere on the screen except on the virtual keyboard itself, or you can tap the Hide Keyboard key (iPad only), which is always located in the lower-right corner of the keyboard.
• Make the virtual keyboard appear—If you need to enter data into your iPhone or iPad but the virtual keyboard doesn’t appear automatically, simply tap an empty data field. An appropriately formatted virtual keyboard displays.
• Make the keys on the virtual keyboard larger—For some people, a larger keyboard makes it easier to type. Simply rotate the iPhone or iPad from portrait to landscape mode. Keep in mind that not all apps enable you to rotate the screen.
• Access emoji/symbols keyboards—Tap the Emoji (smiley face) key, located between the .?123 and microphone keys, to access alternative virtual keyboards that enable you to incorporate hundreds of different graphical emojis into your messages and documents.
• Use the keyboard with one hand on an iPhone—Adjust the virtual keyboard to make it more accessible when you want to hold and use the iPhone with one hand. Press and hold the Emoji key and from the Keyboard Settings pop-up menu, tap the keyboard icon displayed on the right or left, based on which hand you’re holding your iPhone in.

Creating Keyboard Shortcuts

If there’s a sentence, paragraph, or phrase you need to enter repeatedly when using an app, you can enter that text just once and save it as a keyboard shortcut. Then, instead of typing a whole sentence, you can simply type a three-letter code that you assign to that shortcut, and the virtual keyboard inserts the complete sentence.

To create your own keyboard shortcuts, follow these steps:

1. Launch Settings and tap the General option, followed by the Keyboard option.

2. From the Keyboards menu, tap the Text Replacement option.

3. When the Text Replacement window appears, press the + icon to add a new shortcut.

4. Fill in the Phrase field with the complete sentence (or any text) you want to include, such as, “I am in a meeting and will call you back later.”

5. In the Shortcut field, enter a three-letter combination to use as the keyboard shortcut, such as “IAM” (representing “I am in a meeting and will call you back later”).

6. Now, anytime the virtual keyboard is displayed (when using any app), simply type IAM to input the full sentence.

Using an Optional External Keyboard

If you expect to do a lot of data entry or word processing on your iOS mobile device, instead of using the virtual keyboard, purchase an optional external keyboard that connects to the smartphone or tablet using a wireless Bluetooth connection or the device’s Lightning port.

The Apple Smart Keyboards ($159 or $169, depending on the model, www.apple.com/shop/ipad/ipad-accessories), are available specifically for the various iPad Pro models. These keyboards use a proprietary Smart Connector to attach the keyboard to the tablet using magnets. No pairing is required, and the keyboard is powered by the iPad Pro.