How to wipe an iPad

If you're planning to give or sell your iPad to someone else, it's a good idea to wipe all of your data off of it first.  Doing so is very easy.

• Tap Settings
• Tap General
• Swipe down to the bottom of the menu and tap Reset
• Tap Erase All Content and Settings
• Tap Erase
• Tap Erase again

If you just want to reset your iPad's settings back to their default values, but you don't want to delete any of your data, tap Reset All Settings instead of Erase All Content and Settings.  For the subsequent steps, select Reset rather than Erase.

How to take a screenshot on an iPad Mini

To take a screenshot on your iPad Mini, push the Home button and while you're still holding it down, push the Sleep/Wake button (aka the Power button).  Hold them both down for a second or two, then let go.  The screen will flash and you may hear a camera shutter sound effect; that means the screenshot has been taken.  You may also see a message asking if you want to turn your iPad Mini off -- just select Cancel.  You can view your screenshot through the Photos app.

UPDATE: With the new iOS 10.2 version, you may no longer receive the prompt before your phone turns off if you hold the Sleep/Wake button down for too long.  Make sure to push the Home button first, then the Sleep/Wake button.

How to find the MAC address of an iPad

To see the MAC address (called the "Wi-Fi Address") on your iPad, follow these steps:

- From the home screen, tap Settings
- Tap General on the left side

The MAC address will be displayed on the right side of the screen, labeled Wi-Fi Address.

How to add a web page shortcut to an iPad Mini 2's home screen

In addition to using bookmarks in your web browser, another way to "save" a web page on your iPad Mini 2 is to create a shortcut to it directly from the tablet's home screen.  To create a home screen shortcut for a web page:

- Open Safari
- Go to the web page you want to create a shortcut for
- Tap the square with the arrow coming up out of it (to the right of the address bar)
- Tap the + icon (Add to Home Screen)
- Tap Add

These steps were written for an iPad Mini 2 with iOS version 9.1.  For tablets running other versions of iOS, the steps may vary.

How to turn off conversation view in the Yahoo! Mail app for iPad

If you use the Yahoo! Mail app for iPad, you've probably noticed that it defaults to conversation view to display your inbox messages.  In conversation view, emails sent back and forth on the same subject are grouped together, so they only show as one entry by default.  If you want to disable conversation view, so that emails show up individually, you can do so easily:

- In the Yahoo! Mail app, tap the icon in the upper left corner that looks like an avatar of a person (next to the menu icon).
- Tap Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap Preferences.
- Tap the slider next to Conversations so that it goes from green (on) to white (off).

How to add a web page shortcut to an iPad's home screen

Bookmarks in your web browser are a good way to "save" web pages so you can go back to them again easily next time.  However, for web pages that you visit often, you might prefer to put the bookmark directly on your iPad's home screen.  By doing it that way, you can just tap the icon to open the web page, rather than having to open the browser first, then go to your bookmarks and find the one you want.

To add a shortcut to a web page to your iPad's home screen:

- Open Safari
- Navigate to the web page you want to create a shortcut for
- Tap the rectangle with the arrow coming out of it at the top of the screen
- Tap Add to Home Screen
- Change the name of the shortcut if you wish
- Tap Add

These steps were written for an iPad with iOS version 5.1.1.  The steps may vary for other versions.

How to find the Bluetooth address of an iPad Mini

To see the Bluetooth address for an iPad Mini or iPad Mini 2:

- Tap the Settings icon on the home screen
- Tap General in the left pane
- Tap About in the right pane

You'll see the iPad Mini's Bluetooth address displayed toward the bottom of the list, under "Bluetooth."  The Bluetooth address will be displayed even when Bluetooth is disconnected or disabled.

How to close open apps on an iPad Mini

Too many open apps can slow down your iPad Mini.  Closing an app that is running in the background is easy to do on an iPad Mini, but if you're used to an Android device, the process is different.  This guide will show you how to close apps that may be running in the background on an iPad Mini.

On your iPad Mini, tap the Home button twice.  All of your currently-open apps will be displayed on the screen, in a horizontal list.  You can scroll through the list to see which apps are currently running.

To close an app, tap it and without letting go, drag it up to the top of the screen.  The app will disappear from the list of open programs.  You can close multiple apps this way if you want.

Once you are finished, tap the Home button to return to the home screen, or tap one of the open apps to bring that app to the forefront.

How to find the MAC address of an iPad Mini

To see the MAC address (also called hardware address or physical address) for an iPad Mini or iPad Mini 2:

- Tap the Settings icon on the home screen
- Tap General in the left pane
- Tap About in the right pane

You'll see the iPad Mini's MAC address displayed toward the bottom of the list, under "Wi-Fi Address."  The MAC address will be displayed even if the Wi-Fi connection is disabled.

How to find the IP address of an iPad Mini

To see the IP address of an iPad Mini that's connected to a Wi-Fi network:

- From the Home screen, tap the Settings icon
- On the left side of the Settings screen, select Wi-Fi
- On the right side of the screen, tap the network you're connected to (it will have a check mark next to it)

The IP address will be displayed, along with other network information.

How to disable Bluetooth on an iPad Mini 2

When you get a new iPad Mini 2, the Bluetooth feature may be enabled by default.  If you want to turn Bluetooth off, follow these steps:

- From the Home screen, tap the Settings icon
- Select Bluetooth on the left side of the screen
- The slider bar will be in the "On" position (slid to the right) -- to disable Bluetooth, tap the slider bar so it goes "Off" (to the left)

How to find the IP address of an iPad

Any time your iPad is connected to a TCP/IP network, be it a work network, a public network, or your home network, it uses an IP address to identify itself.  If you want to know what your iPad's current IP address is, you can find it by following the steps below.

- From the home screen, tap the Settings icon (with the gear on it).

- Select Wi-Fi from the list on the left side of the screen.

- A list of networks will appear on the right side of the screen (or it may only be one network).  Next to the network you are currently connected to will be a greater-than sign (>) in a blue circle.  Tap this icon.

Your iPad's IP address will be displayed, along with other information about your network.  Note that these steps won't work if you are not currently connected to a Wi-Fi network.

(Originally published on Helium.com, January 2013)