iPad Pro: 9 gestures you need to know – CNET

Apple continues to eliminate the home button from iOS devices across its lineup. The latest victim is the new iPad Pro, which now boasts thin bezels and Face ID. The problem with leaving the home button behind is that now we have to relearn how to navigate the iPad and iOS using gestures. 

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During the setup process, Apple walks you through a quick tutorial that shows you how to get to the home screen, but it stops there. There are plenty more gestures you’ll need to learn in order to quickly move around the new iPad Pro. 

Tap to wake

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The new Liquid Retina display can be woken up with a single tap on the screen. It’s a simple way to wake your iPad Pro to check the time, read notifications, or adjust media playback.

Wake then unlock

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After waking your iPad Pro with a tap, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to go to the home screen. 

View app dock

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To view the app dock, swipe up from the bottom of the screen, roughly an inch or so. The app dock will show up, letting you switch between apps or drag an icon to either side of the screen to start split screen. 

Get back to the homescreen

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At any time you can get back to the homescreen of your iPad Pro by swiping up from the bottom of the screen in a quick motion. I’ve found that the best way to do it is to swipe about halfway up the screen in a quick motion. 

App Switcher

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When you want to switch between open apps, you can view the App Switcher with a swipe up from the bottom of the display. But instead of doing it in one quick motion as is the case when going back to the homescreen, pause for a brief second with your finger on the screen. When you lift your finger, you’ll see thumbnails of currently open apps and any saved spaces where you may have been using split-screen mode. 

Force close apps

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To force close apps, open the App Switcher and then begin swiping up on the app thumbnails. You can close multiple apps at the same time to speed things up if needed. 

Fast app switching

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See that bar at the bottom of the screen? It’s a constant reminder of where to use gestures for navigating the iPad Pro. It’s also the same spot you can use to quickly switch between apps. Swipe to the right on the bar to go back to the last used app. As you scroll through apps, you can also swipe to the left over the bar. Neat, eh? 

Control Center

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The iPad Pro’s Control Center is found in the top-right corner of the screen. Swipe down to bring up all of the various controls you have set up for Control Center, regardless of which app you’re currently using. 

Notification Center

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You can still view your notifications and the Today view with a swipe down from the tip of the screen — save for the top-right corner. 

After mastering these gestures, you should have no issues getting around the iPad Pro like a, well, a pro. 

Face ID: Getting to know it on the iPad Pro.

iPad Pro 2018 review: Big beautiful tablet? Yes. Flexible computer? TBD.

Apple iPad Pro