One of the best features in iOS 5 for the iPad was the new multi tasking gestures made available. These multi-touch gestures enable you to touch the screen with four or five fingers and do things that previously would have required the use of the home button.
To use the gestures you will first need to enable them. On your iPad, go to the System Settings app and select General. From there, find the Multitasking Gestures and swipe them On. Now you’re all set to begin using the four or five finger multitouch gestures. Here’s how to use them:
- The iPad can multi-task, which means you can have multiple apps running at the same time. Going to other apps you’re running used to mean you had to press the home button twice. But now you can swipe up with four or five fingers to easily see the multitasking bar.
- To go back to the home screen while viewing any app you can press the home button. With the new gestures made available on the iPad there’s a new way. Using your five fingers you can pinch your screen and it will take you back to the home screen.
- The third multi tasking gesture available on the iPad allows you to switch between apps with ease. Previously to go back to the last app you were using you had to hit the home button twice then select that app. But multi-taskers sometimes need to go back and forth between two apps, to copy text in one app and paste it in another for example. With the multitasking gestures on iOS 5 you can use four or five fingers to swipe left or right to switch between your open apps with ease.
By practically eliminating the need for the home button, the iPad is now more of a touch-only device. Perhaps future iPads won’t even have a home button at all. This opens up the possibility of the iPad 4 having the same physical dimensions as the current iPad, but with a much larger screen.
