I love the new iOS 11 Dock. It shows up with just the flick of a finger and lets me get to my favorite apps easily. Or better yet, I can instantly drag them out for multitasking.
The Dock: The silver translucent bar along the bottom of your Home screen is called the Dock. If you’ve tried swiping between app pages, you’ll notice the icons in the Dock don’t change. Jan 24, 2018 Drag an icon from the Dock to the right or left side of the screen. You can move the split-view slider to adjust the amount of screen space for each app. Moving the slider all the way to the left. After the icons start jiggling, these recently used apps will sport a minus button instead of an X. Tap this button to remove the app. Deleting the icon from the recent apps section doesn't remove the app from your iPad, only from the dock.
The Dock is divided into two sections. One side shows a list of permanent apps and the other portion displays the three most recently used apps. Unfortunately, those recent apps aren't as useful as they're supposed to be.
More often than not, the app I’m looking for is usually replaced by a newer app, which forces me to perform another gesture to get to the Home screen. That's just a waste of time. And, some app icons look downright horrendous and should have no place on my beautiful Dock.
Fortunately, Apple lets you get rid of them, and I'm going to show you how. Rather than wrapping things up at that, I’m also going to talk about some other annoyances – Handoff icons and iOS 11 app suggestions – that can clutter the Dock.
Tap and hold an app's icon. After a moment, it will begin wiggling, which means that it is ready to be moved. Be sure not to press down hard on the app's icon since doing so may invoke your iPad's 3D Touch mechanic, which won't let you move the app.
Also Read:Review: The Best and Worst of iOS 11Disable Recent Apps
Step 1: Let’s begin by getting to the Settings screen. To do that, just tap the Settings icon on the Home screen.
Step 2: From the navigation pane, select General. Now, tap Multitasking & Dock.
Step 3: Tap the switch next to Show Suggested and Recent Apps to disable the option.
Voila! That’s it. You now have a clean Dock.
Tip: If you miss those recent apps, just follow the same steps above to turn them back on.Remove Handoff Icons
iOS 11 made a major change to its Handoff feature, which now shows up on the Dock instead of the lock screen.
Handoff icons – with a tiny Mac or iPhone label to indicate the hand-off – appear on the section of the Dock usually reserved for recent apps. Unfortunately, disabling recent apps doesn’t stop Handoff icons from popping up.
If you have no intention to use the feature on your iPad, and would rather prefer to keep Handoff between just your Mac and iPhone, you can opt to turn it off. Let’s see how we can do that.
Step 1: Tap General on the Settings screen, and then tap Handoff.
Step 2: Just tap the switch next to Handoff to disable it.
That’s it! Remember, you can always turn the feature back on at any time.
You removed even more clutter from the Dock. But wait …
Also Read:21 Things Every New Mac User Should KnowiOS 11 Suggested Apps
Have you noticed any icons stamped with a tiny clock, location, or headset weirdly showing up on the Dock? I bet you have. They are part of the machine learning algorithm in iOS 11 and supposed to make life easier with automatic app suggestions.
Usually, these icons show up at specific times of the day. In addition, you may also see apps based on your location. Some apps – YouTube, for example – also pop up when connecting a headset. Of course, these are all based on your app usage patterns.
And, Apple is so sure that this feature would enhance the experience of everyone with an iPad that there’s no built-in option to turn it off. There’s a workaround, however, to get rid of suggested icons.
Warning: This workaround also prevents such apps from showing up within Spotlight search suggestions.Step 1: On the Settings screen, select Siri & Search on the navigation pane. You should now see a list of installed apps on your iPad.
Step 2: Select an app that you want to stop from being automatically suggested on the Dock, and then tap the switch next to Search & Siri Suggestions to disable the option. You should now see an additional option labeled Show Up. Turn that off as well.
Note: You must repeat the process for any other apps that show up as suggestions on your Dock.Step 3: Restart your iPad. To do that, press and hold the Power button, and then swipe across when prompted. After your iPad shuts down, press and hold the Power button again to turn it back on.
You should not see the suggested icons anymore. If they still show up, however, you must also disable the Siri App Suggestions widget.
Step 4: Press the Home button, and then swipe left to get to the screen with the Spotlight search bar. You should see an option labeled Edit. Tap it.
Ipad Dock Icons
Step 5: To turn off Siri App Suggestions, tap the red-colored Remove icon next to it. Tap Done to save the change.
Step 6: Get over to the Home screen now. You should see the annoying icon or icons finally gone.
Note: This is just a workaround, and it does not disable the machine learning algorithm of iOS 11. Therefore, newer apps may be suggested to you later on. In that case, follow Steps 1 and 2 to stop them from showing up.Also Read:Download and Install Grayed Out on iOS 11: Here's How to Fix ItEnjoy Your Uncluttered Dock
You should now have a clean Dock where you can just have the icons that you want. And yes, you can also work uninterrupted without having distracting icons popping up all the time. Feels liberating, right?
While it’s nice of Apple to provide us with the ability to remove recent files and Handoff icons, those annoying suggested apps should also have been optional.
So, what are your thoughts regarding the revamped Dock in iOS 11? We’d love to hear.
![Ipad Dock Icons Ipad Dock Icons](/uploads/1/1/7/9/117926362/229306130.jpg)
Did You Know
You can also solve calculus equations on OneNote.
More in iOS
Reeder vs Unread: Which RSS Feeds ReaderApp Is Better on iPhone
Dock can be used to immediately switch between apps on your iPad. It’s a convenient place to hold regularly used or recently downloaded apps. Eventually preventing you from trying to dig through several screens to find a single app. It helps to multitask more quickly as the user can open two or more apps with slide over or split view mode. Now let’s get started to understand how the Dock can be used on your iPad running iPadOS 14 or 13.
How to Access the Dock on your iPad
You can locate the dock at the bottom of your home screen. Wherein the right side will show all the recently opened apps, and the left side can be customized with your most favorite apps.
Suppose you are in some other app and wish to access the dock from the opened app itself. Slightly swipe up from the bottom of your app screen, and you will see it there.
Rearrange Apps in your Dock on iPad
Tap and hold on an app to enter jiggle mode. Once you are there, hold and drag the icon to relocate the app at your desired place.
The same rule applies for the apps on the home screen. Drag them to the Dock and drop at your preferred location.
How to Add and Delete Apps from the Dock on iPad
Ipad Dock Best Buy
To add an app, you can tap and hold on it and drag the same to the left side of your dock.
Now, to delete the same, follow the steps below:
- Tap and hold on the app to be deleted, and you will see a cross icon upon it.
- Tap on it.
- You have to confirm if you wish to delete the app.
- Soon after confirming, the app will be deleted.
Disable the Suggested and Recent Apps in Dock for iPad
- Open the Settings app.
- Now, go to Home Screen & Dock.
- You will find the option of Show Suggested and Recent Apps in Dock.
The toggle can be turned on or off as per your wish. In case you want the apps to show up, the toggle can be turned on, and if you want it the other way, the same can be turned off.
Multitask with Slide Over and Split View Mode
In case you want to use two or more apps on your iPad without changing the screen you are currently accessing. This can be done with a slide over and split view mode. This way is applicable only if you have one app available in the dock, so for that, firstly, you need to add any one of the two apps.
- Open one of the apps.
- And now slightly swipe your fingers from the bottom of the screen to view the dock.
- Press and hold on the app to be opened with split-view mode for 2 seconds.
It will turn into a small vertical window, after which you will be able to view both the apps with one app on the larger window and the other one on the smaller window.
Note: The split view mode will only work for some iPad models, including iPad Pro, 5th generation iPad or later, Air 2 or later, and iPad Mini 4 or further.
Use Apps while Watching a Video with PIP Mode
Ipad Dock For Car
Using some essential apps while watching a movie seems interesting. Isn’t it?
Below are the steps to access it in your iPad:
I have assumed that your movie or video is currently open, and now you have to open another app in the picture-in-picture mode.
Ipad Remove Dock Icons
- Swipe up from the bottom to find the dock on your iPad.
- Now, as the app you wish to open in PIP mode is already added. You can tap and hold the app and drag it to the right side corner of your screen.
- You can now access both the screens with picture-in-picture mode.
Note: From the Settings, you can even enable a PIP mode that continues to play your video even if you press the Home Button. So, in case you are watching a video, and you press the home button, it will immediately turn into a floating PIP that lets you move the video anywhere by sliding; it will turn smaller or larger if you pinch in or out the same.
To enable the settings: Launch Settings app → Tap on Home Screen and Dock → Multitasking → Turn the Picture-in-Picture toggle On.
That’s all from Us!!
In order to make your dock look more appealing, you can enable the Dark Mode on your iPad. Here is our blog post to get you through it.
Now, to activate the mode, you can swipe down from the top and tap on the Dark icon, and your mode will get activated.
Which mode would you prefer on your iPad? Do mention in the comment section below!! Till then, stay updated to all the new features coming up!
Related Contents:
I'm a technical writer who is interested in understanding consumer difficulties and find easy solutions. At iGeeksBlog, I enjoy making how-to and troubleshooting guides that help people do more on their iPhone, iPad. In my spare time, I enjoy listening to music and going to my favorite spots.
- https://www.igeeksblog.com/author/ria-sharma/How to Use Markup to Edit Screenshots on iPhone and iPad
- https://www.igeeksblog.com/author/ria-sharma/
- https://www.igeeksblog.com/author/ria-sharma/
- https://www.igeeksblog.com/author/ria-sharma/How to Use Launchpad on Your Mac: A Beginner's Guide