5 hidden tablet features you probably didn't know existed

Tablets have come a long way from being simple content consumption devices. Whether you have an Android tablet, an iPad, or a Windows Surface, these powerful devices have many productivity-boosting features that most people never find. In this article we will share 5 amazing hidden features of tablets that will change your mobile computing experience to a whole new level of efficiency.

Master advanced gesture navigation for faster control

Android tablet gesture secrets

Android tablets have gesture navigation that’s more than just the basic three-button navigation. Once you enable gesture navigation in Settings, System, Navigation mode, you can:

• Quick app switching: Swipe left or right along the bottom to cycle back and forth through the most recently opened apps quickly—without having to open the app switcher.

• Assistant launching: Swipe up from either bottom corner to launch your digital assistant instantly.

• Back navigation: You can adjust the back gesture sensitivity on both the left and right edges.

iPad gesture mastery

If you have an iPad, you have very advanced multitasking gestures that can boost your productivity. Tap the three dots on top of the apps to access the multitasking menu and change the views between split view, slide over, and center window.

Pro tip: Use the four-finger swipe gesture to switch between apps instantly, or pinch with four fingers to return to the home screen. These gestures work consistently across all iPad models.

Master split-screen multitasking

Android split screen

Android tablets have more advanced multitasking capabilities than basic split screen. To activate advanced multi-window features:

1. Swipe up from the bottom to open your recent apps.

2. Tap and hold an app icon.

3. Drag the app to the top or side of your screen.

Advanced techniques:

• App pairing: Save your favorite app combinations to launch instantly in split-screen mode.

• Flexible resizing: Drag the divider between apps to size windows to your liking.

• Multi-active window: Samsung tablets support up to 3 apps at once with the edge panel feature.

Samsung’s multi-active window

Samsung Galaxy Tab users can access the edge panel for ultimate multitasking. Just slide open the edge panel with your finger or S Pen and drag up to 3 apps onto your screen. This turns your tablet into a productivity beast, where you can check email, browse documents, and take notes all at once.

iPad split view secrets

iPad split view has some hidden features like center window mode, which creates focused overlays for tasks like email composition or note-taking. Use the multitasking menu and select center window when available.

Unlock powerful accessibility features

Voice assistant

Most tablets have advanced voice assistant features beyond basic voice commands. Samsung tablets have a voice assistant that reads out everything you touch and provides navigation shortcuts through voice control.

Smart lock and trusted places

Android tablets have a smart lock feature that automatically unlocks your device in trusted locations or when connected to trusted devices. Go to Settings, Security, Smart lock to set up location-based unlocking so you don’t have to enter a password every time you’re at home or in the office.

Interaction control features

Galaxy tablets have interaction and dexterity settings that allow gesture-based control and screen area blocking. These features let you:

• Use motion gestures for hands-free control.

• Block specific screen areas to prevent accidental touches.

• Disable auto-rotation for specific apps.

• Create custom interaction patterns.

Subtitle and audio enhancement

Built-in subtitle systems are more than just basic captioning. Both Samsung and Google subtitle systems have tons of customization options, including font selection, text size adjustment, and positioning control, so you can consume content more accessibly and enjoyably for everyone.

Master advanced text selection and clipboard management

Advanced text selection techniques

Pro text selection goes beyond tap and drag. Power users use keyboard shortcuts when external keyboards are connected:

• Control + A: Select all text in a document or field

• Shift + arrow keys: Select character by character

• Control + shift + arrow keys: Select entire words or paragraphs.

• Double tap: Select entire words.

• Triple tap: Select entire paragraphs or sentences.

Clipboard history and management

Most users don’t realize that modern tablets keep clipboard history so you can access previously copied items. Android keyboards like Gboard and SwiftKey have clipboard access through the keyboard toolbar.

1. Copy any text, link, or image.

2. Open your keyboard in any text field.

3. Tap the clipboard icon in the top toolbar.

4. Access and paste any previously copied item.

Edge panel clipboard power

Samsung tablets running Android 12 and above have the edge panel clipboard as an advanced feature. This gives you

• Persistent clipboard access from any screen

• Multiple item storage with visual previews

• One-tap copying and pasting

• Screen capture integration

Enable this in Settings, Display, Edge panels, Panels, and Clipboard for more productivity.

Optimize battery life with hidden power management features

Adaptive battery intelligence

Modern Android tablets have AI-powered adaptive battery features that learn your usage patterns and optimize background processes accordingly. Enable this in Settings, Battery, and Adaptive Battery so your tablet can manage power consumption based on your usage.

Advanced display optimization

Screen brightness is the biggest battery drain, but power users use multiple strategies:

• Auto brightness with manual override: Use auto brightness as a base while keeping manual adjustment capability.

• Dark mode activation: OLED screens benefit a lot from dark themes, reducing power consumption.

• Screen timeout optimization: Set aggressive timeout for maximum battery preservation.

Background process management

Advanced battery optimization requires strategic background app management.

• Location services control: Disable location access for non-essential apps.

• Auto-sync limitation: Reduce auto-sync frequency for email and social media apps.

• Connectivity management: Toggle Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not in use.

• Power saving mode customization: Configure power saving profiles for different scenarios.

Developer options: battery tweaks

Access hidden battery optimization through developer options. Tap the build number 7 times in Settings, About tablet to unlock this menu, then adjust:

• Window animation scale: Reduce from 1x to 0.5x for faster, more efficient animations.

• Background process limits: Restrict the number of background apps.

• Force GPU rendering: Offload processing from CPU to GPU when appropriate.

Unlock your tablet's full potential

The hidden features of your tablet are only limited by how much you want to experiment with them! These 5 are just a few of what you can do with modern mobile tablets—from advanced tablet gestures that simplify navigation to split-screen tablet multitasking to tablet hacks using accessibility tools, there are so many productivity features your tablet has just waiting to be found.

The best way to use the productivity of your tablet is to start experimenting and make it part of your daily routine. Pick one or two things related to your most common tasks, add that to your workflow, and then continue to add features, shortcuts, etc., until that becomes part of how you use your tablet.

Do it today! Pick one thing from this article. Take a few minutes and try it. Try split-screen multitasking on your productivity apps. Or maybe take it to the next level and set up gesture navigation on your tablet for quicker control. Small changes to how you use a tablet can make a big difference in productivity.

Have you found any other tablet features that give you productivity benefits? If so, comment below or share on social media with Tablet Tips and Tricks. Share these powerful devices and how they can change the world’s thinking about mobile productivity.

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