Here’s a handy tip for newer iPad users. If you don’t like the default font in the iPad’s built-in Notes app, it’s very easy to change it.
You don’t have a broad range of choices, but there are 3 fonts you can choose to use with the iPad Notes app. Here’s how to select the one you want:
– Open the Settings app.
– Tap on the Notes item in the left sidebar, just below the entries for iCloud and Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
There are a number of reasons why it might be important to identify which iPad model you have, or which iPad model you are considering buying. For starters, it might well influence what price you are willing to pay or can expect to receive when buying or selling an iPad.
Luckily, it’s a very easy thing to do. Here’s how to identify which model an iPad is:
– Look at the back of your iPad. Down towards the center bottom you’ll see the word iPad, and below it the amount of storage space it has (16,32, or 64GB). Below that you’ll see some fine print about the iPad. The first line begins with ‘Designed by Apple in California.’ At the end of that line you’ll see ‘Model’ and a 5 character model number beginning with the letter ‘A’. For example, my iPad is Model A1430 – an iPad 3rd gen 64GB WiFi + Cellular model.
– Once you have your 5 character model number you can check it against Apple’s listing of all iPad models, found here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5452
Apple’s listing will tell you which generation your iPad is, when it was released, and whether it is a WiFi only model or WiFI + Cellular.
That’s it. That’s all you need to know in order to identify which model an iPad is.
An Apple ID is used on the iPad, and all iOS devices, to sign in to all the built-in stores – the App Store, iTunes, and the iBookstore. You need an Apple ID in order to download and install apps, songs, movies, and books on the iPad.
One of the most common questions I see on iPad discussion forums is how to change the Apple ID on the iPad. It’s a very easy thing to do. Here’s how:
– Open the Settings app
– Scroll down the sections in the left sidebar and tap on ‘iTunes & App Stores’ (if you are running an older version of the iPad operating system than the current iOS 6, then this section will just be labeled Store).
By default, the iPad display rotates as you change the way you hold the device – so it shows the screen in landscape mode when you hold it in landscape orientation, and adjust to portrait as you turn the device to that position.
If the iPad display ever stops rotating, it can be fixed quite quickly. Here are the quickest ways to do this:
– If you can see a little lock symbol next to the battery status in the iPad’s status bar (as shown above) then the iPad is set to lock rotation. If you have chosen to use the iPad’s side switch (the one on the right hand side of the iPad just above the volume controls) to Lock Rotation, then you can just flip the side switch to its up position to disable rotation lock. You choose what the side switch is used for in the Settings app – under this section: General > Use Side Switch to.
– If you have set the side switch to act as a Mute button, then you’ll need to pull up the Multitasking Bar in order to disable the rotation lock. Double-tap on the home button to bring the Multitasking Bar up, then swipe right until you see the Rotation Lock button at the far left of the bar. Tap on it to unlock.
Here’s a question I’ve had asked often lately when I’m talking to people about their iPads or iPhones: how do I tell if my iPad / iPhone is running the latest operating system software?
It’s a good question, because generally speaking it’s a good idea to keep your iPad up-to-date and run the current version of iOS, the operating system for iPad and iPhone. And happily it’s very easy to check whether you are running the current version and to update your iOS version if needed.
Here’s how:
The quickest way to see which iOS version you are currently running:
Go to the Settings app and to General > About. On the About screen the 9th item down the page is Version. This will list the current version of iOS – at the time of writing this post that is 5.1.1.
Updating iOS If you’re running iOS 5 or later on your iPad:
iOS 5 was released in October of 2011. If you are running that version or later on your iPad then you can simply go to the Settings app and then tap on General on the left-hand sidebar – you’ll then see an item titled ‘Software Update’ in the right-hand window, just below the ‘About’ item. Tap on that and you’ll either get a verification that your software is up to date, or a box showing that an update is available. If there’s an update available, you can choose to install right from this same screen.
* The only exception to the above is when a full new version (for instance the next major update to iOS, iOS 6, which is due for release this fall) is released. These generally require a full restore via iTunes to apply rather than an over-the-air update on the iPad itself.