Running multiple programmes on ipad

[mental health nurse]

I all
I've just purchased an iPad3 and was wondering if there is a way to run multiple programmes. In the same way as a laptop/computer, when you can minimise the page your working on in order to look for something on the web or in another file, can you do this on iPad? As it is a pain to have to come out of one thing in order to open another.
Hope someone can help.
:/

 

[6mildollarman]

Congrats on being a new iPad owner!

Yes, that's actually how the iPad's operating system works. When you press the "home" button (the round button with a square symbol) to exit an app to go back to your home screen, it doesn't completely close down the app. It goes into a state of suspended animation, ready to be resumed where you left off when you come back to the app. Now keep in mind that the apps you exit out off DO NOT run in the background (so they don't constantly consume memory or power). They're just in a "paused" state ready to resume when you come back. The exception to this are apps that can play audio in the background, apps that require downloading in the background (digital magazines, podcasts), GPS location services, mail, and some accessories.

So for example, you can be posting via the app for this forum and need to look up something on Safari. You hit the home button to leave the app in the middle of your post, open safari and do your searching, come back to the app and you'll be exactly where you left off, mid post. Now if you go back to Safari, you'll be on the same page you did your search on. You can then watch a YouTube video, pause it to edit an excel file, then reply to an email, and go back to the YouTube vid you paused earlier, or the excel file you're working on editing.

When you hit the home button twice, it'll bring up the task bar. This show you what apps you've accessed recently and are on standby. You can use this as a shortcut rather than finding the app on your home screen. Now if you want to completely close out of an app so that it starts fresh the next time you open it, you'll have do do it here on the task bar. Just hold down on an app icon until they "jiggle" and press the "X" of the corner of the app you'd like to completely close.

Here's a neat trick, the 4 finger swipe. While in an app, Place 4 fingers on the screen at the same time and swipe to the right. You'll immediately jump to the last accessed app. Swipe right again and you'll be at another app you used prior. Swipe left to go back to the previous app. It's a handy shortcut if you don't want to press the home button to go back the the home screen or task bar. It sorta kinda works like alt-tab on a pc.

Enjoy the iPad! I hope it'll be a great experience for you.

 

[skimonkey]

Mental Health Nurse (is that your profession?)...

Welcome to the iPadForum! This Forum offers so much information related to the iPad and its use. The IPF has many discussion topics related to: Acessories, Help, Apple News, Hacking, Gaming, Business/Education, Special Needs and Health.

The iPadForum also includes a Regional Ipad Group for international users across the world. This is a wonderful area to "find" members from your own country.
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If you have not done so, please take a look at the iOS 5.0 and 5.1:
Connecting to the iTunes Store.
iTunes - Books - iPad User Guide for iOS 5.1 by Apple Inc.

Finally, please read the rules!
Forum rules - everybody please read!!

 

[mental health nurse]

Hi Skimonkey
I am a mental health nurse by profession and thank you for pointing me in the right direction.
6mildollarman thank you for the advice I'll give it a go.

 

[skimonkey]

Hi Skimonkey
I am a mental health nurse by profession and thank you for pointing me in the right direction.
6mildollarman thank you for the advice I'll give it a go.

Got it--I figured as much that it must have been your occupation to have a username like that. Good luck with your question and have a good day.

 

[Verndog]

... Now keep in mind that the apps you exit out off DO NOT run in the background (so they don't constantly consume memory or power). They're just in a "paused" state ready to resume when you come back. The exception to this are apps that can play audio in the background, apps that require downloading in the background (digital magazines, podcasts), GPS location services, mail, and some accessories.

Actually, any app that is left in suspended state is consuming some ram. I have found that with the wife's iPad 1 that keeping open apps limited to 1 page improves the system response speed.

 

[6mildollarman]

Actually, any app that is left in suspended state is consuming some ram. I have found that with the wife's iPad 1 that keeping open apps limited to 1 page improves the system response speed.

Hmmm... Maybe it's an iPad 1 issue, and that it only has 256mb of RAM? Apps in suspended state consume RAM in small amounts to keep that "snapshot" so you can quickly get back to it. It shouldn't affect system performance though. And if the iPad needs more memory (for example, launching a huge graphic intensive game) the iOS will clear out suspended apps for you and place them in "not running state", clearing up memory. Well, at least that's my understanding. As of now, my iPad 3 has three pages of suspended apps, two of the apps are large games, but no issues with performance at all.

Here's a resource that explains it better than I can. I found it here in a past thread posted by a fellow forum member:

http://speirs.org/blog/2012/1/2/misconceptions-about-ios-multitasking.html

 

[Verndog]

Thank you for the link, I'll read that at lunch. I should add, she has a ton of apps (too many IMO) and there were prob. 6 pages + that I closed down. I would think the actual amount of consumption would depend on the app. Anyway, it was reacting sluggishly, I closed all but last page and it went back up to normal speed.

 

[On2wheels]

Is double clicking the Home button the only way to get the app list up? Seems like that poor little Home button takes alot of abuse and will be the first thing to die on a pad.

 

[skimonkey]

Is double clicking the Home button the only way to get the app list up? Seems like that poor little Home button takes alot of abuse and will be the first thing to die on a pad.

If you are running iOS 5 or greater...you can do the 4-finger swipe upward and it will lift up to show your multi-task bar.

 

[LeonKaiser]

If you are running iOS 5 or greater...you can do the 4-finger swipe upward and it will lift up to show your multi-task bar.

Or, if you have the virtual home button on your screen activated, you can use that & press it twice to achieve the same results as a 4- finger swipe, extending the life of your hardware home button a few presses more.

 

[mdanehart]

I tried to stream a broadcast and used the 'home' buttom and went to my bookmarks and lost the streaming. I assume this method does not apply audio streams in the background? Or what am I doing wrong ?

 

[Verndog]

If you are running iOS 5 or greater...you can do the 4-finger swipe upward and it will lift up to show your multi-task bar.

Sweet! Thank you... glad I checked in today and got a new trick. I too am concerned about home button abuse / wear.

 

[6mildollarman]

I tried to stream a broadcast and used the 'home' buttom and went to my bookmarks and lost the streaming. I assume this method does not apply audio streams in the background? Or what am I doing wrong ?

Are you streaming from an app or from the Internet?

Specific streaming apps like Pandora continue to play audio after you press the home button and open up other apps. Be careful though, if you open up another app that plays audio, it might be a good idea to stop the stream first. For example, I was streaming Pandora in the background and then opened up Infinity Blade. The audio for both apps played at the same time for a few seconds, then the iPad just froze requiring a reset (holding down both sleep & home buttons). Not sure if this is a memory or multitasking glitch.

If you're streaming from the Internet, pressing the home button will pause your stream. To continue playing in the background, do this:

1) Double tap the home button or 4-finger swipe up to bring up the multitasking bar
2) On the bottom, swipe to the right to display an audio control panel. This panel has a repeat button, play/pause, next track, previous track, volume, brightness, and the app that is currently paused.
3) Press the play button to resume audio. Now your stream should continue to play in the background.

This method also works if you want to stream audio from YouTube.


Let us know if this works for you. Someone please feel free to chime in if I've left anything out or if there's a better method

 

[mdanehart]

6mildollarman thanks for the information.
I can get Iheart to play in the background and surf...but when I go to website to play a prerecorded talk show and try to load another site and then hit the play button, no love found? How about another tutoring session!