How to turn an iPad on and off

New to using an iPad? To stream, browse the web and play games, you’ll need to find out how to switch it on first. And when the fun’s over, you’ll want to shut it down and save some battery life for next time. So, we’re here to show you how to do both. And you’ll be glad to hear it’s really not rocket science…

Using buttons to turn iPad on and off

Turning your iPad on and off with the physical buttons is the quickest (and easiest) way. Here’s how to do it:

• Turning on – Press and hold the top button for a few seconds. The Apple logo will flash up on the screen. Once it shows up, you can let go of the button and your iPad will boot up.
• Turning off – Press and hold the top button again. A slider should appear at the top of the screen saying, ‘slide to power off’. Swipe the slider to the right and the iPad will start to shut down. It might take a few seconds to turn off completely, but once the screen goes black, you’ll know it’s powered down.

It’s also slightly different for some of the newer versions of the iPad that don’t have a home button. Press and hold the top button and one of the volume buttons at the same time to bring up the power-off slider and turn it off.

Using Settings to turn off iPad

You can also turn off your iPad from the Settings app. If your buttons aren’t working, here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Open the ‘Settings’ app.
2. Scroll down and tap on ‘General’.
3. Go to the very bottom of the General menu. You’ll see an option that says, ‘Shut Down’.
4. Tap on it, and a slider will appear on your screen (just like when using the buttons). Slide it to the right to power off your iPad.

Force restarting your iPad

Sometimes your iPad might just not play ball. It could freeze, or not react at all to any of your tapping. If that’s the case, a standard restart isn’t always enough to sort this. So, that’s where a force restart comes in.

Here’s how it works on different types of iPads:

• For iPads with a Home Button – Press and hold both the top (power) button and the home button at the same time. Keep holding them until you see the Apple logo, then let go of the buttons. You iPad will then restart.
• For iPads without a Home Button – Quickly press and release the volume up button, then do the same with the volume down button. After that, press and hold the top button until you see the Apple logo. Then release the button.

A force restart is different from a normal restart because it forces the iPad to reboot. This can easily fix any temporary issues like crashes and lag.

What to do if your iPad won’t turn on

First off, don’t panic! There are a few things you can try before you talk to Apple Support.

1. Check it’s actually charged – The most common reason why an iPad won’t turn on is because the battery is at 0%. Grab your charger and plug it in and leave it to charge for at least 15 to 20 minutes. After that, try to switch it on again. Sometimes when the battery is really low, it can take a while for the charging screen to pop up.
2. Try a Force Restart – Charging hasn’t worked? Try force restarting your iPad like we’ve mentioned above. This can be handy if your iPad is stuck on a black screen but hasn’t fully shut off.
3. Look at the charger – Check to see whether the charger and cable aren’t damaged and are actually working properly. You can always try a different charger to rule out any issues with your hardware.

Charging tips

To keep your iPad in tip top shape, you’re going to want to charge it properly…

• Use the original charger – Always try and use the charger and cable that came in the box. Chargers that aren’t made by Apple can sometimes damage the battery or take an age to charge your iPad.
• Avoid overcharging – iPads are designed to stop charging once the battery hits 100%. Meaning you don’t have to worry about unplugging it straight away. If you can though, it’s generally a good idea to unplug it once it’s fully charged to reduce the strain on the battery.
• Charge regularly – Try to keep the battery between about 20% and 80% for the best battery health. Letting it drain entirely – or charging it to 100% all the time – can shorten its lifespan.

Entering recovery mode

Recovery mode is kind of like a last resort before you get Apple involved. It’s the serious way of troubleshooting – especially if your iPad is suffering from some serious software issues. Whether that’s your screen getting stuck on the Apple logo or the iPad not updating properly.

Here’s how to enter recovery mode:

1. Connect your iPad to a computer with a USB cable.
2. Open iTunes (on Windows PC or older Mac) or Finder (on newer Macs).
3. Force restart your iPad by following the steps further up the article.
4. Keep holding the top button until you see a screen that shows a cable pointing toward a computer – this is the recovery mode screen.
5. Your computer should recognise that your iPad’s in recovery mode and will ask you to update or restore the device.

It’s worth saying though that restoring your iPad could wipe all of its data. So, make sure you back it up before you do it. Otherwise, it could be gone for good.

Source: CURRYS.CO.UK