Want to watch MKV videos stored in the Files app on an iPad? You can do that easily once you learn how. This makes it simple to keep locally stored MKV movies on iPad within the Files app to be able to watch directly on the device.
If you have an MKV video file in the Files app of iPad that you want to watch, you may have noticed that by default the Files app is not able to play mkv video files. But not to worry, with the help of a free app you can easily watch any MKV movie that is located in the Files app of an iPad.
Open the Files app on the iPad and navigate to the MKV movie file you want to watch
Tap on the MKV video and then tap on the Share button, it looks like a box with an arrow flying out of the top
Choose “Open in VLC” to open the MKV movie file into the VLC app*
Watch your MKV video in VLC, you can play, pause, fast forward, rewind, and perform all other expected video watching capabilities in VLC on iPad
*Sometimes you must first choose to “Copy to VLC” from the Sharing menu, then tap out of the Share sheet, wait a moment or two, and then open the Sharing screen again to choose “Open in VLC”.
Note that every time you wish to watch the MKV video in VLC you will need to manually choose to do so through the same Sharing menu within Files app.
With iPadOS 13 (and later) you can even use this same trick to watch MKV video files from the Files app that are on a local network share, so if you have an SMB file server you can access that through Files app and then load any mkv movies directly into VLC too.
If for some reason this method doesn’t work from playing the MKV video file directly from Files app on iPad or iPhone, you can also use the wi-fi upload method to VLC to watch MKV, AVI, and other videos on iPhone and iPad, which basically copies the movie file directly to the VLC app storage on the device.
Wondering how long an iCloud backup restore to an iPhone or iPad will take to complete? Restoring an iPhone or iPad from an iCloud Backup can take a while, depending on the size of the iCloud backup, and the speed of the internet connection the iOS device is connected to.
If you want to check on the progress of an active iCloud Restore, you can do so in modern versions of iOS.
How to Check Progress of iCloud Restore from Backup on iPhone or iPad
Open the “Settings” app in iOS
Tap on “Your Name” at the top of the Settings
Tap on “iCloud”
Tap on “iCloud Backup”
Locate the data remaining information on the iCloud backup restore process under the ‘Stop’ button to get a rough idea of how much longer the restore will take
The data remaining information will be shown in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB).
It’s best to let the iCloud Restore process complete, however long it may take. Failure to let the iCloud restore from backup process complete can lead to permanent data loss.
Optionally, but not recommended, you can stop an iCloud Restore from backup to an iOS device. Stopping an iCloud Restore can result in data loss and is therefore not recommended unless there is a compelling reason to do so.
While the iCloud Restore process is ongoing, you may notice notably poor battery life on the iPador iPhone as the devices “Ongoing Restore” background activity and downloading of data uses more energy than usual. Letting the iCloud Restore process complete will return the device to normal expected battery performance.
Note that much earlier versions of iOS do not support this feature.
By comparison, checking the restore progress of an iTunes backup restore is much more obvious because the iTunes window has a progress indicator showing the current progress and how long it will take to complete.
Sometimes, an iPad Pro must be placed into DFU mode as a troubleshooting step before being able to restore the iPad Pro. DFU stands for Device Firmware Update and DFU mode is basically a lower-level device restore state than regular Recovery Mode for iPad Pro.
Placing an iPad Pro into DFU mode is for advanced users and for specific troubleshooting scenarios where an iPad Pro is unable to recover or restore through regular methods.
This approach for entering into DFU mode covered here applies only to newer iPad Pro devices of the 2018 model year and later, meaning those without a Home button and with Face ID as the primary unlock mechanism, including the iPad Pro with 11″ screen and iPad Pro with 12.9″ screen. Other iPad models with Home button can enter DFU mode with these instructions instead, which uses a different method.
To use DFU mode properly, you’ll need the iPad Pro a USB cable, and a Mac or Windows PC with iTunes, or macOS Catalina.
How to Enter DFU Mode on iPad Pro
Warning: Restoring a device with DFU mode will erase the iPad Pro and may cause permanent data loss. If you do not have a backup of the iPad Pro available you will have no data to restore to the device.
Connect the iPad Pro to the computer by using a USB cable
Open iTunes on the Mac or Windows PC (this is not in MacOS Catalina)
Press the Volume Up button and release it on the iPad Pro
Press the Volume Down button and release it on the iPad Pro
Now press and hold the Power button until the iPad Pro screen turns black, this can take 10-15 seconds or so
While still holding the Power button, now press and hold both the Power and the Volume Down button for another 5 seconds
Release the Power button, but continue to hold the Volume Down button for another 10 seconds
At this point iTunes should pop-up an alert message stating that “iTunes has detected an iPad in recovery mode. You must restore this iPad before it can be used with iTunes”, this indicates the iPad Pro is successfully in DFU mode
After the iPad Pro is in DFU mode it can be restored or updated as necessary.
If on the computer you do not see an “iTunes has detected an iPad in recovery mode. You must restore this iPad Pro before it can be used with iTunes” message, then start the process of entering DFU mode over again. Following the steps exactly is necessary to properly enter DFU mode.
If the iPad Pro screen turns on, or if you see an Apple logo on the iPad Pro, or if you see an iTunes logo on the display of iPad Pro, then the iPad Pro is not properly in DFU mode. If you see the iTunes logo on the screen it likely means the iPad Pro is in Recovery Mode instead, which sometimes is sufficient to restoring a problematic device, but generally people aim to enter DFU mode because Recovery Mode fails.
Usually you can simply restore the device from iTunes or MacOS to whatever the latest available version is, but you can also use firmware to restore from if desired. You can get iOS IPSW firmware files here if needed. To use an IPSW file you must be sure you are using the proper version for the particular device, and it must be actively signed by Apple. You must use an iOS firmware file that is compatible with the iPad Pro model, and the iOS IPSW file must be signed by Apple in order to use and restore from.
How to Exit DFU Mode on iPad Pro
Exiting DFU mode can be achieved by successfully restoring the device, or by rebooting the iPad Pro with the following steps:
Press and release Volume Up button
Press and release Volume Down button
Press and hold the Power button until the Apple logo appears on screen
This effectively force restarts the iPad Pro, causing it to leave DFU mode. Of course if an iPad Pro is ‘bricked’ and must be restored through DFU mode, then exiting DFU mode this way is not going to solve anything because the device must be restored through iTunes or macOS.
Every iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Apple Watch, and Apple TV can enter into DFU mode (as well as recovery mode), though how to do so depends on the particular device and model. Other DFU mode instructions are as follows:
Ultimately using DFU mode with iPad Pro (or any other device) is rarely needed, because with almost all regular troubleshooting scenarios you can restore an iPad Pro either directly through iTunes, macOS, or by using Recovery Mode.
Rarely, an iPad may get stuck on an Apple logo screen when the device is booting or restarting. Getting stuck on the Apple logo usually happens during a failed software update, whether it was interrupted or incomplete, but it can sometimes happen during restores and during other operations as well.
If an iPad, iPad Pro, iPad Air, or iPad mini is stuck on an Apple logo screen, you can use the tips below to troubleshoot the problem and resolve the issue.
How to Fix an iPad, iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad Mini Stuck on Apple Logo
This guide will aim to review troubleshooting solutions to resolve an iPad, iPad Pro, iPad Air, or iPad mini that is stuck on a black Apple logo screen. Follow in the order presented, and be sure to use the advice specific to the iPad model, as the troubleshooting steps differ between iPad with Face ID and iPad with Home buttons.
0: Wait! Does the Apple logo screen on iPad have a progress bar?
If the Apple logo screen has a progress bar underneath the Apple logo, then that likely means the device is installing a system software update, or is being restored. In that situation, you will not want to interrupt the system software update process.
If you see the Apple logo screen on an iPad and it has a progress bar underneath the Apple logo, let it sit for a while with the device plugged into a power source.
If a software update is being applied, the iPad will complete the installation and restart itself normally when it has finished.
You may pick up an iPad and notice it’s on the Apple logo screen seemingly out of nowhere if you have automatic iOS / iPadOS software updates enabled on the iPad. Just let the update complete, do not interrupt it.
If the iPad remains unresponsive and stuck on the black Apple logo screen for an extended amount of time, say after an hour or so, it may be stuck and need further troubleshooting. When the iPad is truly stuck on the Apple logo screen, use the troubleshooting tricks below to resolve the issue.
1: Force Restart the iPad
Sometimes simply forcibly restarting the iPad will resolve being stuck on an Apple logo screen. Forcibly rebooting an iPad varies on the iPad model and the iPad model year, use the instructions below depending on the specific iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini, or iPad Pro.
Force Restart iPad Pro 11″ and iPad Pro 12.9″ (2018 and newer)
You can force restart iPad Pro with Face ID (2018 and newer) including the iPad Pro 11″ and iPad Pro 12.9″ models, with the following instructions:
Press and release Volume Up, press and release Volume Down, press and hold Power button until the iPad Pro restarts
Force Restart iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini, and older iPad Pro
You can force restart an iPad with a clickable Home button, including iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini, and older iPad Pro models, with the following instructions:
Hold the HOME button and POWER button concurrently until the device screen turns off to black and back on to an Apple logo screen appears
Occasionally, force rebooting works and the iPad returns to the lock screen or home screen as usual. If not, carry on for more troubleshooting.
2: Update iPad with Recovery Mode (or Restore)
The next troubleshooting trick is to update the iPad using Recovery Mode. Using Recovery Mode requires the use of a computer (Mac or Windows PC) with a modern version of iTunes, and you will need a USB cable to connect the iPad to the computer. Much like force rebooting, entering Recovery Mode varies per iPad model.
Update iPad Pro with Face ID via Recovery Mode
If the iPad has Face ID and no Home button, you can enter Recovery Mode on iPad Pro (2018 and newer) with the following instructions:
Open iTunes on the computer (or Finder if Mac is running Catalina)
Press and hold the Power button and Volume Up button until the “Slide to Power Off” screen appears, then drag that slider to turn OFF the iPad Pro
Next, hold down the POWER button and connect the iPad Pro to a computer with a USB cable. Continue holding the POWER button until iPad is in Recovery Mode
Choose “Update” when the alert message appears on screen
Updating the iPad in Recovery Mode may take a while so be patient and let 20 minutes or so pass. If this is successful, the iPad Pro will update the system software and then reboot itself eventually back and work as normal.
If this fails, you will need to repeat the steps above, but at step 4 choose to “Restore” the iPad instead of ‘update’ (Important note: by restoring the iPad it will reset it as new and erase all data on the iPad, however if you have a backup you can restore from that backup when complete).
Update any iPad with Home button via Recovery Mode
If the iPad has a Home button, you can enter Recovery Mode on iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini, and older iPad Pro with the following instructions:
Open iTunes on the computer (or Finder if Mac is running Catalina)
Press and hold the Power button until the “Slide to Power Off” screen appears, then slide to turn OFF the iPad
Hold down the HOME button while connecting the iPad to a computer using a USB cable
Continue holding the HOME button until the iPad is in Recovery Mode and detected by the computer
Choose “Update” when the alert message appears on screen
Updating the iPad can take a while, give it at least 20 minutes to see if this works. If updating is successful, the iPad will reboot and become usable as usual.
If this fails, you will need to repeat the steps above, but at step 5 choose to “Restore” the iPad rather than update. (Important note: restoring the iPad will erase all data on the iPad and set it up as new, however if you have a backup you can restore from that backup during the setup after restore).
3: Erase & Restore iPad with DFU Mode
If the above Recovery Mode methods fail to resolve the issue, you can try to use DFU mode to restore the iPad or iPad Pro instead. DFU mode is a lower restore method that may work when Recovery Mode fails. Using DFU mode will erase the iPad completely, meaning all data on the iPad will be lost. If you have a backup of the iPad, you can restore the iPad backup to the iPad when DFU restore has finished.
Restoring iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini, older iPad Pro with DFU Mode
You can enter DFU mode on any iPad with a Home button with these instructions:
Connect iPad to a computer (Mac or PC) and launch iTunes (or Finder if Mac is running Catalina)
Hold down the POWER button and the HOME button at the same time, and continue holding both of those buttons for 10 seconds
After 10 seconds, release the POWER Button but continue to hold the HOME button for another 5 seconds
Choose to Restore the iPad with iTunes, this will erase all data on iPad and set it up as new
Connect iPad Pro to a computer and launch iTunes (or Finder if Mac is running Catalina)
Press and release Volume UP, then press and release Volume DOWN, then press and hold the POWER button for 10 seconds
While still holding the Power button, also press and hold Volume DOWN button for another 5 seconds
Release the Power button but continue to hold Volume DOWN for another 10 seconds
When you see an alert on the computer that a device has been detected in recovery mode, choose to Restore to erase the iPad and set it up as new
When the iPad Pro has successfully restored you can either set it up as new or then restore it from an available backup during the setup.
Fortunately getting stuck on a black Apple logo screen is a pretty rare occurrence for iPad, and while the same thing can happen on an iPhone it’s also not particularly common to run into with that device either. Usually the troubleshooting steps outlined above will resolve the issue. Let us know in the comments below what worked to resolve your problem.
Tried all of the above and still stuck on an Apple logo screen? Something else may be going on, so the next best option is to contact official Apple Support or an Apple Authorized Repair Center for further assistance in repairing the iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini, or iPad Pro.
Sometimes an iPad must be placed into Recovery Mode before it can be restored or updated successfully with a computer. For example, if an iPad gets stuck on a black screen with an Apple logo for a very long time, Recovery Mode can usually remedy that. Typically Recovery Mode is used for a troubleshooting endeavor, but it can also be used for downgrading from iOS beta / iPadOS beta versions as well.
The instructions here will show how to enter Recovery Mode on iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini, and the earlier iPad Pro models with a Home button. Basically if the iPad has a Home button, the instructions detailed here will work to put the iPad into Recovery Mode. However, any newer model iPad Pro without any front buttons and with Face ID instead must use these instructions to enter Recovery Mode instead on iPad Pro 2018 and newer devices.
How to Enter Recovery Mode on iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini, early iPad Pro
To enter Recovery Mode on iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini, and earlier iPad Pro with Home button (2017 and earlier models, this will not work on the modern iPad Pro 2018 and later models), you will need a computer (Mac or Windows PC) with iTunes and a USB cable to connect the device to the Mac or PC with.
First turn the iPad off, do this by pressing and holding the Power button until the Power Off slider appears on the screen and then sliding on that to power it off
Launch iTunes on the computer *
Hold down the Home button while connecting the iPad to the computer with a USB cable
Continue holding the Home button until iTunes (or Mac Finder) shows a message stating that an iPad in Recovery Mode has been detected
After the iPad, iPad mini, or iPad Air has been detected by iTunes (or Finder), it can be restored with iTunes, or updated as usual. If you’re on a beta iOS version, you can also downgrade to the last stable build while in Recovery Mode.
* Use iTunes for MacOS Mojave 10.14 and earlier, and all Windows PC computers will use iTunes too. If the Mac is on MacOS Catalina 10.15 or later, then use the Mac Finder instead of iTunes.
Exiting Recovery Mode on iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini
If you want to exit out of Recovery Mode without performing any action in iTunes, you can do so with a simple force restart of the iPad.
Hold down the POWER button and the HOME button concurrently until the Apple logo appears on the screen, signifying it has been force restarted
After you reboot the device to exit recovery mode, it will boot as normal. Or if it was experiencing difficulty, like getting stuck on the Apple logo screen, it will probably just boot directly back into that if you didn’t actually run through recovery to restore the iPad.
Almost all serious issues with an iPad can be resolved through Recovery Mode, but rarely in some very stubborn cases you may need to put the iPad into DFU mode instead and restore from there. That’s quite rare however, and is really only applicable for when Recovery Mode is not working successfully for a restore or device update.
All iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch models can be placed into Recovery Mode, though the instructions for doing so differs per device.
iCloud backup restores can be stopped at any time on newer iOS devices. This means that if you have chosen to restore an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from an iCloud backup, either when setting up a device with a prior iOS backup, or to restore a problematic device as a troubleshooting method, you can stop the iCloud Restore process at anytime. This article will explain how to stop an iCloud backup restore to an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
Stopping an iCloud Restore is generally not recommended and should not be taken lightly, as it may result in data loss.
Rarely, an iCloud Restore can get stuck, or the process take so long that it’s impractical to complete, thus it may need to be stopped as a troubleshooting method.
If you stop an iCloud Restore from iOS backup, any data that has not been restored will not be restored to the device in the future, nor will that missing data be backed up in the future, and therefore the unrestored data may become lost permanently if the restore is not allowed to complete.
Additionally, stopping an iCloud Restore to an iOS device offers no information as to what information was or was not restored to the iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. In other words, you’ll have no idea what data was restored versus what data was not, so you could theoretically be missing photos, videos, notes, contacts, apps, app data, files, documents, or other important information by stopping the iCloud Restore.
How to Stop an iCloud Restore on iPhone or iPad
Warning: stopping an iCloud Restore may result in data loss.
Open the “Settings” app in iOS
Tap on “Your Name” at the top of the Settings list to access iCloud settings
Next tap on “iCloud”
Now tap on and choose “iCloud Backup”
Tap on “Stop Restoring iPad” (or “Stop Restoring iPhone”)
Confirm that you want to stop restoring from iCloud by tapping on “Stop”
As the final confirmation dialog message suggests, stopping an iCloud Restore to an iPhone or iPad will stop any data that has not yet been downloaded from being downloaded, and that missing data will not be restored or backed up again in the future.
Currently, iOS does not provide a list of data that has been restored, or has not yet been restored, and so if you stop the restore process from iCloud you will not have any idea as to what was restored or what wasn’t. This is one of many reasons why it is not recommended to stop an iCloud Restore, as you may permanently lose data or other important stuff.
Broadly speaking, it is recommended to let the entire iCloud Restore process complete, regardless of the scenario, or whether setting up a new iOS device from a previously made backup to iCloud, or restoring a device for troubleshooting, or whatever other purpose. iCloud Restore can take a long time depending on the size of the backup being restored, and the speed of the internet connection that the iPhone or iPad is connected to. You may notice that the “Ongoing Restore” process is causing battery drain of a newly setup iOS device, but that will stop when the backup has completed.
If you are going to stop an iCloud Restore because it’s stuck or for some other reason and thus want to start the entire iCloud Restore from a backup process over again, you may want to reset the iPhone to factory default settings or reset the iPad to factory settings, and then during the fresh device setup, choose to restore the appropriate iOS backup again, either from iCloud or from iTunes. If you’re using iCloud Restore, be sure to have a fast and reliable high speed internet connection.
If you have recently setup a new iPad Pro, iPad mini, or iPad and discovered the battery is draining unusually fast leading to subpar battery life on the device, don’t fret, there’s probably a good reason for it.
In fact, if during your recent setup or restore of the iPad you decided to restore from an iCloud backup, that very well could be the reason the device battery is draining down so much faster than expected. We’ll show you how to check if this restore process is happening in the background, and what to do about it.
Note: this is aimed at users who recently setup new devices. If you did not recently restore the iPad, iPad Pro, or iPad mini from a backup, or set up the device and transfer data from another iPad, then you might want to follow more general tips on improving battery life with iOS 12. And yes while we’re focusing on iPad here, this same material applies to the iPhone and iPod touch as well.
How to Check if “Ongoing Restore” is Draining iPad Battery Life
Open the “Settings” app in iOS
Go to “Battery”
Wait a moment for the “Insight and Suggestions” section to populate, if you see “Ongoing Restore” then that’s why your battery life is draining much faster than usual
Confirm this is the cause of the battery drain by scrolling down and looking for “Restore” in the battery usage section
Optionally, investigate and take action on other Battery suggestions and insights for other apps or behaviors draining down battery (like background app activity)
iCloud Backup Restore will complete over time as it completes downloading all pictures, photos, images, videos, apps, local files and data, contacts, music, podcasts, and anything else that was contained within the iCloud backup which is being restored.
How long does “Ongoing Restore” take to complete?
How long it takes an Ongoing Restore of an iCloud Backup to complete depends on several factors, but the two prominent components are the size of the iCloud backup being restored from, and the speed of the internet connection which the iPad is connected to.
The larger the iCloud Backup that is being restored from, the longer it will take to complete the restore process, and the longer it will take for the battery to stop draining faster than usual.
The iCloud backup restore must complete for the ‘Ongoing Restore’ process to complete and thereby restore expected battery longevitity to the iPad, iPad Pro, or iPad mini.
OK, my iPad shows “Ongoing Restore” so what should I do?
Let the backup restore complete!
Make sure the iPad is connected to a high speed internet connection (as fast a connection as is available) and then let it sit connected to that internet connection for as long as it takes to complete the restore process.
In the screenshot examples here, the “Ongoing Restore” process from iCloud backup to a freshly setup iPad Pro has taken several days restoring a 25GB backup and has still not yet complete. This is because the internet connections network speed which the iPad Pro is using is not particularly fast. Unfortunately there’s nothing that can be done in that scenario other than wait, and while that ongoing restore takes place on the iPad the battery will continue to drain faster than expected.
Once the restore has completed, battery life will return to normal.
iCloud Backup and restore is an excellent feature for iPhone and iPad users, but because it’s reliant on a good internet connection it has notable downfalls to users who are not based in a place like San Francisco, California or other similarly major metro regions with highly developed broadband internet infrastructure. That includes much of the USA, and virtually any smaller sized city, many suburbs, and many semi-rural or rural locations, which often have 3mbps to 20mbps broadband offerings at best. The lack of sufficient high-speed internet infrastructure in much of a country or any given region obviously has nothing to do with iCloud or Apple however, so if you’re one of the millions of people who has a slower internet connection, that’s just the way it will be until some entity decides to invest in higher speed local internet service.
OK but my internet connection is horrible and this is taking forever, is there a way to get around this never-ending “Ongoing Restore” process?
Aside from finding a higher speed internet connection to use until the backup restore completes to the iPad (or iPhone), the only other option would be to start over and use an iTunes backup restore instead of the iCloud backup restore.
Restoring from iTunes backups require a Mac or Windows PC with the latest version of iTunes, and a USB cable to connect the iPad Pro, iPad, or iPad mini to the computer. Then a backup is made to the computer with iTunes (assuming the computer has sufficient disk space available to store the backup), and then that same iTunes backup is used to restore to the iPad during the setup and restore process. This is usually much faster because a direct USB connection between devices is typically much faster than downloading data from the internet. Sometimes iTunes backups can take a very long time too, but usually that’s due to some easily troubleshooted issue.
If you use Spotify for streaming music, over time you may discover the Spotify app increases local cache storage, which can sometimes grow quite large. These audio cache files can make the Spotify app appear to take up a lot of storage space on an iPhone or iPad. But fortunately Spotify offers a simple functionality hidden within the app that allows you to easily delete all local cache from Spotify, which is a very helpful tool to free up some storage space.
You can also use this trick to simply see how much storage space the Spotify cache is taking up.
How to Delete Cache from Spotify on iPhone or iPad
Open the Spotify app then go to Spotify Settings by tapping the gear
Choose “Storage”
Select the “Delete Cache” button *
Confirm that you want to delete and clear all cache from Spotify
* Note that you can also see the total cache storage of Spotify at this Storage screen where you initiate the cache removal.
How much cache storage is taken up by Spotify depends on a variety of factors, including how often you use Spotify to stream music and audio, what audio quality settings for Spotify are in use by the app, and other factors.
While iOS does not have an empty cache functionality for either the iOS System, nor most apps (though you can clear cache in Safari for iOS), nor the “Other” storage stuff in iOS, thankfully some third party apps do have manual cache removal capabilities. Third party apps with cache clearance capabilities include the aforementioned Spotify, Google Maps, Twitter, and many more, though many others do not have that capability. You can, however, delete Documents & Data from iOS apps which can offer some relief from a storage burden if you’re running particularly tight, though that’s not an ideal mechanism.
For apps that do not have individual cache removal functionality (and most do not) you can use a silly workaround to dump cache from Instagram and other notorious storage munchers by what is effectively deleting the app and then reinstalling it again. Admittedly that is less than ideal, but until either the app developers offer built-in cache removal functionality, or until Apple adds a cache removal functionality into the System Settings of iOS, sometimes these quirky workarounds will be required.
Most users won’t really ever run into a situation where clearing cache is necessary from their devices, but if you discover storage capacity on iPhone or iPad is running tight or is full, then sometimes clearing out app caches can return a significant amount of free storage to the device, so it can be a worthwhile trick to know.
We’re obviosuly focusing on Spotify for iOS here, but it’s probably the same on Android too, though Android itself usually offers a separate built-in system cache removal functionality, something that iOS would benefit from as well.
If you’re an iPad owner who uses Google Chrome web browser with an external keyboard connected to the iPad, you might appreciate learning a variety of handy keyboard shortcuts to help using Chrome and navigating within the app for iPad.
This collection of keyboard shortcuts for Chrome on iPad works with basically any iPad, iPad Pro, iPad Air, or iPad Mini, and with basically any keyboard connected to the iPad, whether it’s an Apple Smart Keyboard, Bluetooth keyboard, or a keyboard case.
22 iPad Keyboard Shortcuts for Chrome
New Tab – Command + T
New Incognito Tab – Command + Shift + N
Close Tab – Command + W
Reopen Closed Tab – Command + Shift + T
Bookmark This Page – Command + D
Find In Page – Command + F
Open URL / Location / Website – Command + L
Go to Location / Search Bar to Google Search – Command + L, search terms, then hit Return key
Reload Current Page – Command + R
Open History – Command + Y
Voice Search – Shift + Command + .
Navigate Down – Down Arrow
Navigate Up – Up Arrow
Full Page Down – Control + Down Arrow
Full Page Up – Control + Up Arrow
Scroll to Bottom of Page – Command + Down Arrow
Scroll to Top of Page – Command + Up Arrow
Go Back a Tab – Command + Option + Back Arrow
Go Forward a Tab – Command + Option + Forward Arrow
Go Back to Previous Page – Control + [
Go Forward a Page – Control + ]
Leave Chrome – ESC (if your keyboard has an Escape key) or Command + H
You can also use the traditional copy, cut, and paste keyboard shortcuts for iPad(Command + C, Command + X, Command + V) within Chrome on iPad, whether that’s while using the URL / Location / Search bar, or a form on a web page, or anywhere else you can select or enter text in the browser.
Notably missing from the keystroke actions in Chrome for iPad is going back a page or forward a page by using the back and forward arrow keys, which instead either requires using the same keystroke for back as you use to type the Escape key on many iPad apps, or requires tapping the screen Back and Forward buttons to perform that action. That may be an oversight or perhaps something that depends on the version of Chrome for iPad, or perhaps even the keyboard in use with the iPad, iPad Air, iPad Mini, or iPad Pro. If you have any additional insight into that behavior, share it below in the comments.
Google Chrome is a very popular web browser for many computing users on virtually every platform. Other than being a great general web browser, one of the main perks is that it easily syncs across platforms, meaning if you use Google Chrome on iPad, you can easily sync all of your browsing tabs and windows to just about anything else, including a Windows PC, Android, Mac, Chromebook, iPhone, or even a Linux machine. That contrasts to Safari, which is a fantastic web browser with iCloud tab syncing functionality too, but is only available for Apple platforms including iOS and MacOS (well, technically there is a version of Safari for Windows but it is quite outdated and doesn’t support the cloud syncing features so it wouldn’t apply in that regard anyway).
Want to know what the air quality index is at a particular destination? The Apple Maps app on iPhone and iPad can give you this information.
Those who are concerned about air quality will find it useful to know that the Maps app on iPhone and iPad has an optional feature that allows you to see the Air Quality Index (AQI) and accompanying color code directly in the Maps app, but first you must enable the feature, and have a compatible version of iOS system software on the device. This is obviously helpful for planning trips and maps routes for groups who impacted by air quality, and offers another way to see air quality information on an iOS device.
Finding the optional Air Quality Index information in the Maps app of iOS requires iOS 12.2 or later to be installed on the iPhone or iPad, as earlier versions do not support AQI index (though they do support weather). iPhone users with earlier iOS versions can get air quality information in the Weather app on iPhone, and both iPhone and iPad users can find AQI index info from Siri, whereas iPad users with earlier iOS versions will want to use either a website or dedicated weather app for this same information. Assuming you’re on iOS 12.2or later though, here’s how you can enable and see AQI details in Apple Maps.
How to View Air Quality Index in Maps on iPhone or iPad
Open the “Settings” app on the iPhone or iPad
Go to “Maps”
Find the setting for ‘Air Quality Index’ and toggle that switch to the ON position
Exit Settings
Launch the Maps application in iOS
Search for a location or destination in Maps as usual
Note the ‘AQI’ score in the corner of Maps app as you search and use the Maps app on iPhone or iPad
You’ll also notice the weather is shown in Maps directly above the AQI index, offering further information about the destinations and locations you’re viewing in the Maps app of iOS. If you don’t see the weather in Apple Maps, then you may have it turned off in the Maps Settings, directly above the Air Quality Index information.
Any Air Quality Index rating between 0-50 is considered to be ‘Good’, while anything over 50 is of declining quality, over 100 to be considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, with increasing severity of air quality health concerns from numbers beyond that. You can refer to the below chart from AirNow.gov for reference of air quality index, color codes, and the health concerns associated with them:
While AQI information may be irrelevant to some iPhone and iPad users, others will find it to be a very helpful feature, especially if you or someone else has trouble with particulate matter, air pollutants, or even allergies, asthma, COPD, or the myriad other conditions where the quality of air matters tremendously.
