3 Great Uses for iPad Search


Hi, everyone!  This is Lara Hammock from the Marble Jar channel and in today's video, I'll share three ways I use the iPad search function.
I use my iPad A LOT.  I did an app purge this week and started out with 264 apps — I kid you not. I’m always looking for more efficient ways to get things done on my iPad, so let me show you 3 ways the iPad search function is indispensable to me. 
First of all, here’s what I’m talking about when I refer to the Search function. You get here by swiping down on the home screen. So, the first way i use this is to

1 - Search for Apps

As i said, i have too many apps to keep track of.  I organize some of them by folder — and my organizing logic makes total sense — or at least it did at one point, but i don’t always remember where I’ve put things.  I mean I had 264 apps, right?  As a result, I use this search bar to search for apps ALL THE TIME.  In fact, it’s so much faster than digging through folders or even swiping between screens that I use it for launch apps even when I know exactly where the app is!  I also really love the Siri App Suggestions here that are based on frequent or recent apps you’ve opened.  Tapping on the icon launches the app right from this screen.  Okay — the second way I use it is to

2 - Search for Contacts

I’m not a big fan of the Apple contacts app. I know that it’s just a utilitarian tool and I shouldn’t expect much from it, but I HATE the icon art. It’s plain, it’s grey, and most importantly — I just can’t seem to mentally associate it with contacts, so I find myself spending time looking for it every time.  So now — instead of ever looking for this icon again, I just use the search bar. Pull down and put in my contact name.  Here — I’ll put in a sample contact.  So, you can do almost anything from this search screen. Tapping the number dials the contact, tapping the address opens it in Maps (I wish they would let you change the default Map app), you can FaceTime, email or message from this screen. If you want to edit the contact, search gives you a link to pull it up in contacts. Using search for this makes me never have to directly use the contacts app again!  And last, I use it as a

3 - Calculator

It irritates me that the iPad doesn’t have a calculator in the multi-tasking screen like the iPhone does.  For my iPad, I downloaded a calculator app, but it took a couple of additional key stroke to get to it.  Then I realized that you can do the vast majority of calculator functions right in the search bar.  Let me show you.  If you put in 567 * .06 and you don’t even have to hit search, the answer just shows up in Top Hits immediately. Quick hint - don’t use the space bar to separate the numbers or else you will have to switch your keyboard between text and numbers like that — instead just run everything together.  Quick and easy!
I also like the search bar for searching emails and calendar events — i usually find it faster than the indigenous search method within those apps.  You can change search settings by going to Settings, then Siri and Search.   I’d love to hear other creative ways that YOU use the search bar.  Comments are always appreciated and thanks for watching!

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