5 things to do first with your new iPad

Summary

Always update iPadOS for reliability, compatibility, security
Download essential third-party apps, but avoid unnecessary ones
Customize your home/lock screens with widgets, fonts, wallpapers

If you’re picking up an iPad for the first time, it can be genuinely exciting but also a little intimidating. Apple likes to market the iPad as a futuristic laptop replacement, but when you have one in front of you, it’s obvious that it’s very different from a Mac or Windows PC. They operate more like iPhones, yet have more power than a MacBook in some cases.

Below we’ll cover some of the first things you should do with an iPad to improve your experience, whether you own an entry-level model or a fully-equipped iPad Pro. I’m assuming you’ve already completed Apple’s initial setup process, which guides you through steps like connecting to Wi-Fi or signing into an Apple Account.

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1 Doublecheck for iPadOS updates

Dodge unwanted technical hurdles

The Software Update option in iPadOS 18.2.

Once you’ve completed the initial setup, your iPad should — in theory — already have the latest version of iPadOS. However, Apple often issues smaller releases for its devices, so there’s a chance your iPad may need further updates to guarantee reliability, compatibility, and security. If you live in a country where Apple Intelligence is available, you may also be missing out on AI features if you’re still using iPadOS 18.0.

You can check for new versions of iPadOS by going to Settings > General > Software Update. If an update is ready, be sure you’ve got plenty of battery life left and 30 minutes or more you can afford to be without a usable tablet. Installation can take longer if you have a slow Wi-Fi or cellular connection.

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2 Download and log into all the third-party apps you need

But don’t gorge on games

iPad mini (2024) with Google's Home app open

Apple likes it when customers stick to first-party apps, and there can be benefits to going that route. The truth, however, is that you’ll almost certainly need a lot of third-party apps, especially when it comes to areas like work, gaming, and online video. I depend on apps like Asana, Slack, Gmail, and Monday for my writing projects, for instance. Browse the App Store for services you use on a regular basis, download the corresponding apps, and open them all to make sure you’re signed in. Remember that in some cases, you might be forced to run the iPhone version of an app — Instagram being the most infamous example.

You’ll almost certainly need a lot of third-party apps, especially when it comes to areas like work, gaming, and online video.

Avoid downloading everything on the App Store that looks halfway useful or fun. You might be excited by your iPad’s potential, but if you’re not already using an app on another platform, there’s a good chance you’ll end up deleting it and regretting the wasted time, storage, and money. Be especially wary of games — while there are some amazing titles out there, like Balatro or Stardew Valley, many App Store titles are low-effort gimmicks that exist to bombard you with ads or in-app purchases. You may want to look into emulators or remote play connected to a PC, PlayStation, or Xbox.

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Weather, Siri, and Calendar widgets in iPadOS 17.

Now that iPadOS offers both a Mac-style dock and an App Library, the best use of an iPad’s home screen is often widgets, which can display important data and app options without launching an app first. Just tap and hold an app icon to see widget options, or else tap and hold in an empty home screen space, then select Edit > Add Widget. Widgets can be dragged around for better positioning, and some of them can be resized to show more info. A few popular widgets include Weather, Calendar, Reminders, and Siri Suggestions, but there are others that cover tasks like opening recent items in the Files app.

You can add a few widgets to your lock screen by going to Settings > Wallpaper, hitting Customize for the lock screen you want to use, then selecting the widget tray at the far left. Note that lock screen widgets tend to be scaled back, and are rarely that useful on an iPad, since no model has an always-on display (yet).

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4 Customize your lock screen’s font and wallpaper

Make your iPad your own

iPad mini on a wooden table with AirPods Pro.

When you’re customizing your lock screen (using the steps above), you can also adjust the size, color, and/or style of its fonts by tapping on its clock tray. Apple doesn’t let you move the clock — an awful waste of space on an 11- or 13-inch screen, if you ask me — but it’s a quick way of personalizing a device you’ll be staring at every day.

Our guide to customizing iPhone your lock screen also applies to iPads, so I won’t go into details about changing up your wallpaper. You should absolutely download your own high-resolution images to use as wallpaper because they’ll be the backdrop for everything you do and pop nicely on Apple’s LCD and OLED screens. There are a variety of free web sources you can turn to, such as Unsplash. Just remember that if you want wallpapers that look good on any iPad in both portrait and landscape modes, search for images with a resolution of at least 2752 x 2752 pixels. You can get away with smaller images if you have an iPad sized 11-inches or lower.

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5 Use Stage Manager and Display Zoom

Get some real work (or fun) done on a tablet

A 2020 11-inch iPad Pro in a Logitech keyboard case.

Apple is so bent on a seamless user experience that it often gets in the way of a device’s capabilities. Image and text size is prime example — while iPadOS’s default makes sense if your vision isn’t that great, people with corrected or naturally sharp eyesight should go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Display Zoom and turn on More Space. This shrinks many text and interface elements, letting you see a lot more onscreen at any given time. That can make a big difference to productivity, especially when you’re multitasking.

Display Zoom’s More Space option lets you see a lot more onscreen at any given time.

Speaking of multitasking, I’m a big fan of Stage Manager, mainly because it gives you more control over window sizes and positioning. You can also quickly flip between app groups. If you’ve got an iPad with an M-series processor (currently an Air or a Pro), you can also push Stage Manager windows to a separate display when you want to use an iPad as the heart of a workstation. To enable Stage Manager, navigate to Settings > Multitasking & Gestures and pick the option up top.