Get Apps
The iPad and iPad mini are sleek and shiny, fantastic examples of industrial design that packs a host of cutting-edge technologies into thin, responsive tablets. Aside from holding one in your hand, however, your time spent using the iPad will be focused almost entirely on its software.
The core apps that ship with the iPad are useful, but those are just the beginning. With a few taps (and often just a few dollars), you can locate, purchase, and download apps that do nearly anything you can think of. In this section, I tell you how to find and install apps, and also how you can share them with friends.
Find and install apps
Quick, jump in the car, let’s go app shopping!
I almost had you there, didn’t I? It used to be that buying a new program meant going to a store in the mall, or buying a box from an online retailer, or even downloading it from the developer directly. But that’s not the case with iPad apps.
The only outlet to get apps is Apple’s App Store, available on the iPad itself or from within iTunes. Pricing varies among apps, naturally, but most cost less than $15—in many cases, far less, with many apps available for free.
Note
The App Store does not offer demo or shareware versions of apps, so it’s difficult to evaluate an app before purchasing it. It’s not impossible, though: Many vendors offer free “light” versions of their apps, which are limited in scope but give you a sense of what the paid version can do. Other apps may cost as little as $0.99 and offer just a handful of features, with the option to unlock others if you pony up some more cash.
The App Store on the iPad
Tap the App Store icon on the Home screen to launch the App Store. Since it’s a storefront, you’ll see many new and featured titles (Figure 32). To view more apps in boxed sections, such as Best New Apps, swipe left or right.
Tip
It’s sometimes difficult to get a sense of what an app offers by looking solely at screenshots, so be sure to tap the link that takes you to a developer’s Web site for more information. Companies often include a video of how the app operates.
At the bottom of the screen, the buttons let you view featured apps; consult lists of the most popular paid and free apps in Top Charts; see apps installed by others in your geographic location; or access apps you’ve already purchased. (See “Update Apps” for more about the Updates button.) If you already know what you’re looking for, enter its name into the Search field in the upper-right corner of the screen.
To view more information about an app, including screenshots and customer reviews, tap its icon.
If you decide your life isn’t complete without the app, tap the button that displays the price. The button changes to read Buy; if the app is free, you’ll see “Install App” (Figure 33). Tap it again to purchase, or tap anywhere outside the button to switch back to the price.
After you enter your iTunes Store account password, the app downloads and is installed in the first open space on the Home screen.
Note
If you’re connected to the Internet using cellular networking, large apps—over 50 MB—won’t be downloaded. Connect to a Wi-Fi network or use iTunes on your computer and try the purchase again. Waiting for Wi-Fi also means you won’t chew up your monthly cellular data allotment with app update downloads.
Tip
The iTunes Store knows which apps you’ve purchased in the past (for the Apple ID you’re signed in with). Those appear with an iCloud button (
); no need to re-buy them.
The App Store within iTunes on a computer
If you’re on your computer, you can purchase apps in iTunes and then sync them to the iPad later. However, an extra step is required when buying apps. Fire up iTunes, click the iTunes Store button, and then click the App Store heading at the top. After clicking the Buy button, the app is downloaded and added to iTunes. When you next perform a sync, the app is transferred to the iPad and appears on the Home screen. That said, I almost never need to install apps. Read on...
Automatically install purchased apps
If you already own another iOS device, such as an iPhone, it’s likely you want new apps to appear on the iPad as well. Normally you’d have to download a purchased app again on the iPad or sync with iTunes (provided you’ve synced the iPhone first). Instead, you can opt to automatically download new apps, music, and books.
Go to Settings > iTunes & App Store and turn on the Automatic Downloads option for Apps. A similar preference exists in the settings for iTunes, categorized under the Store heading.
Run iPhone apps on the iPad
You’ll find apps that are written specifically for the iPad, but your iPad can also run apps written for both the iPhone and iPod touch. In some cases, a single app can run on all three devices—the app contains resources that take advantage of the iPad when run there, but that are ignored when run on an iPhone or iPod touch.
Apps not adapted to the iPad work in one of two ways: either at their actual size centered in the screen, or enlarged to fill the screen. Tap the 2x button in the upper-right corner to scale the app to fill the screen, or tap the 1x button to return to the original size.
Update apps
When developers update their software, they submit a changed version to the App Store, where Apple approves the update and makes it available. Because everything goes through the App Store, your iPad can check for updates so you don’t have to go searching for them online.
A numbered badge appears on the App Store icon in the Home screen, indicating how many updates are ready to be downloaded. In iTunes, the badge appears on the Apps item in the sidebar.
Tip
You don’t have to wait for the iPad or iTunes to communicate with the Apple mothership. In the App Store app, tap the Updates button to trigger a check for new versions. In iTunes, select the Apps item in the sidebar and then click the Check for Updates button.
To install the updates on the iPad, do the following:
1. Tap the App Store app to launch it.
2. Tap the Updates button in the bottom toolbar. A list of updated apps appears.
3. To learn more about the update, tap its name in the list. Otherwise, skip to the next step.
4. Tap the Update button next to any single app you want to download.
Or, tap the Update All button at the top of the screen to download and install all updates at once.
Note
A scary-looking dialog may appear before the download begins, warning that an app may contain material inappropriate for children. Apple is strict about the type of content that’s accepted into the App Store, so you shouldn’t find anything too suggestive, and certainly nothing explicit. However, Apple can’t control all content, especially for apps that fetch data from the Web, so the company throws up this disclaimer.
A new feature of iOS 7 is the ability to automatically update apps in the background. If you find that you don’t often check for updates, or you can’t stand to see the little red badge on the App Store icon, go to Settings > iTunes & App Store and activate the Updates switch under Automatic Downloads.
What if you want to re-download an app you purchased, but you can’t remember its exact name? In the App Store app, tap the Purchased button to view your purchase history and download any apps that aren’t currently installed on the iPad.
Remove apps
As you download more apps—and I predict you will—you’re going to find that some don’t hold the allure they once did, or you’ll discover a new app that does something better than the first one you downloaded. You can remove the app on the iPad itself or disable it from syncing within iTunes.
1. Locate the app you want to remove on the Home screen, and then touch and hold its icon for a second. All of the apps begin to shake, and an X button appears on the app’s icon.
2. Tap the X button.
3. Tap the Delete button in the confirmation dialog that appears.
Tip
The original apps that ship with the iPad cannot be removed. If they’re in your way, consider moving them to another Home screen or into a folder.