Because you bought this book (or are thinking about buying it), you’ve probably already made the decision to buy an iPad. The iPad is designed to be easy to use, but you can still spend hours exploring the preinstalled apps, configuring settings, and learning out how to sync the device to your computer or through iCloud. I’ve invested those hours so that you don’t have to — and I’ve added advice and tips for getting the most from your iPad.

This book helps you get going with your iPad quickly and painlessly so that you can move directly to the fun part.

About This Book

If you're a mature person who is relatively new to using a tablet, or you want to update to iPadOS 16 and learn about all the new features of that version, you need this book. In iPad For Seniors For Dummies, you discover the basics of buying an iPad, working with its preinstalled apps, getting on the Internet, and using social media.

This book uses a few conventions to assist you:

• Bold: I use bold type to make figure references stand out in the text.
• Italics: I use italics for emphasis and for placeholder text that substitutes for what you might be seeing onscreen, such as Price when the actual price is what you would be seeing.
• Command sequences: When you need to follow a series of actions, you might see it presented like this: Tap Settings ⇒ General ⇒ Date & Time. That means to first tap the Settings icon, and then tap General on the screen that appears, and then tap the Date & Time option.
• URLs: Web addresses appear in monofont type in the printed book and as clickable links in the e-book, like this: www.dummies.com.

The Tip icon in the margin of a page alerts you to brief pieces of advice to help you to take a skill further, provide an alternative way of doing something, or, occasionally, to be aware of a problem an action might cause.

This book uses nontechnical language, like all For Dummies books, as it guides you through the basic steps of working with your iPad. To make the content of this book easily accessible, it’s organized into sets of tasks within the following parts:

• Part 1: Getting to Know Your iPad: The first chapter in this part guides you through buying an iPad, in case you don’t have one yet, as well as any accessories you might need. Also in this part, you learn what buttons to push and screen elements to tap, and what movements to make to turn on and use your iPad effectively. If you need to update your iPad's operating system to the latest version, you can find out about that and more in this part.
• Part 2: Beginning to Use Your iPad: This part begins by showing you how to enable accessibility features that may help you use your iPad more easily. You then learn more about Apple’s virtual assistant, Siri, and how to manage apps and contacts and use communication tools such as FaceTime, Messages, and social media apps. Finally, I give you a good start on surfing the web and sending and receiving email.
• Part 3: Enjoying Media: Your iPad will quickly become indispensable for all things media related. From reading books to watching movies and television shows to listening to your favorite tunes and podcasts, this part shows you the ropes for acquiring and enjoying new content. You also find out how to take stunning pictures and videos using your iPad’s built-in cameras.
• Part 4: Living with Your iPad: Finally, this part of the book helps you to stay on top of your busy life by taking notes and by setting calendar events, appointments, and reminders of important items on your to-do lists. You also explore several helpful utilities that come with iPadOS 16 and learn how to troubleshoot and maintain your iPad.

Foolish Assumptions

This book assumes that you are a mature iPad user who wants to get straight to the basics of using an iPad. It assumes also that you may not be familiar with using a tablet, or that you are updating to iPadOS 16 and want to discover all the new features that come with that update. In writing this book, I’ve tried to consider the types of activities that might interest someone who is 50 years old or older.

Beyond the Book

Like every For Dummies book, this one comes with a free cheat sheet that brings together some of the most commonly needed information for people learning to use, in this case, the iPad. To get the cheat sheet, head for www.dummies.com and enter iPad For Seniors For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box.

Where to Go from Here

You can work through this book from beginning to end or simply open a chapter to solve a problem or acquire a specific new skill whenever you need it. The steps in every task quickly get you to where you want to go without a lot of technical explanation.

At the time I wrote this book, all the information it contained was accurate for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (first through fifth generations), 11-inch iPad Pro (first, second, and third generations), 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, iPad (fifth through tenth generations), iPad Air 2, iPad Air (third and fourth generations), iPad mini (fifth and sixth generations), iPad mini 4, version 16 of iPadOS (the operating system used by the iPad), and version 12.8 (for Macs) or 12.12 (for PCs) or later of iTunes. Apple may introduce new iPad models and new versions of iOS and iTunes between book editions. If you’ve bought a new iPad and found that its hardware, user interface, or the version of iTunes on your computer looks a little different, be sure to check out what Apple has to say at www.apple.com/iPad. You’ll no doubt find updates there on the company’s latest releases.