The 5 apps that instantly upgrade any iPad

The iPad can do so many things that you probably haven’t even come close to maximizing its potential. It’s the kind of device that can be used in both a professional setting and a personal setting and nobody would think twice about it in either scenario.

When you purchase a new iPad, there are a few things you will likely do right away — one is downloading entertainment apps, like Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu. Most people use their iPads for entertainment at some point while they have them, so it makes sense to have those on there.

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But, there are certain apps that you may not think about right away that are must-adds. The apps I discuss below range in usefulness and are specific to certain situations, but they’ve made my life easier and could help you bring your iPad usage to its peak performance.

Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M4)

The 13-inch iPad Pro packs its powerful M4 chip into a very thin, light, and portable design. It also offers a brighter, more vibrant OLED screen display.

1 Goodnotes

Note-taking reimagined — and much more helpful

Goodnotes

Anyone who is using their iPad for note-taking should consider Goodnotes. This notes app is way better than the Apple Notes app, as it’s intuitive and made for those who love to scribble things down. It works by typing on the iPad, using an Apple Keyboard, or with an Apple Pencil. It can pick up when you write down a typo and fix it without you having to go back and do so.

Goodnotes 6, the current iteration of the app, has more AI features, including the ability to guess what word you’re writing and automatically finish it for you. Its generous cloud storage allows you to access your notes across multiple devices and easily share them with others. I’ve used it for both work and keeping a running list of recipes I want to try at home, and it’s always been a handy tool.

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Goodnotes 6

Goodnotes is a notes app that makes it easy to jot down notes with your Apple Pencil on your iPad. It will recognize a typo as you’re writing and fix it for you. You can share documents and store them too.

2 Credit Karma

Budget for the life you want

Intuit

I used to rely on Mint to track my spending and budget for different parts of my life. It helped me set savings goals, see where most of my money was going, and compare my spending month to month. Now that Mint’s features have been rolled into Credit Karma, it’s even more useful. Having it on your iPad is a smart move since it does more than just budgeting, it gives you a full picture of your finances.

Credit Karma can not only show you where your money is going and help you plan accordingly, but it can also help you prepare your taxes and get ready to file them, looking into auto, home, and home loans, and more. Credit Karma helps you keep track of your credit score and provides some valuable tips on which credit cards you should consider, which ones have the best incentives, balance transfers, and more. It’s great to have on your iPad to help you keep track of all of your money and spending and saving habits.

Credit Karma

Intuit’s Credit Karma is a budgeting and tax app that helps you keep your finances in order. It acquired Mint’s technology, putting many of its budgeting features into its app. Credit Karma can help you keep track of your credit score.

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3 Google Workspace

Great for both work and personal use

Stephen Phillips / Unsplash

Google Chrome is the most used browser in the world, largely because so many people have Google accounts. Google Mail is one of the most popular email providers as well, so if you use Gmail or frequently use the Google Workspace apps for personal and professional use, it makes a ton of sense to have them on your iPad. This includes Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Drive, Google Meet, and more.

Google Drive brings together major apps like Docs, Sheets, and Keep, making it easy to stay organized on your iPad. With the Google Workspace suite, you can quickly update a family Christmas card spreadsheet or collaborate on a shared file with colleagues.

There are many possibilities with all the Google apps and so many people use them that it’s an easy way to store documents and share them in the cloud. On the iPad, you can scan and upload PDFs with the camera as well as comment in real time on files as others are looking at them.

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Gmail

Gmail is one of the most popular email providers. It is incorporated into the Google Workspace universe, connecting all of your favorite productivity apps. 

4 Instapaper

Take your reading offline and with you

Are you frequently flipping through articles on your phone, computer, or iPad throughout the day? If you’re like me, it feels like you’re always looking at a screen and trying to catch up with the news, find a new recipe, read a work brief, and more. Rather than keeping something open in a tab and remembering to look back at it days or weeks later, using Instapaper makes everything more accessible.

You can even create notes and highlight parts of an article or recipe as you’re reading it. This saves videos, entire articles, snippets of text, and more. No matter if you save them on your computer, Kindle, or phone, they can be found on your iPad, and vice-versa. Picking up what you were reading, across multiple devices, by just tapping a bookmark in a browser makes gathering your thoughts so much simpler.

Instapaper

Instapaper is a news article bookmarking application with a beautiful interface, a tablet-optimized view, and lots of formatting options.

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5 Nanit

Give yourself peace of mind as a parent

Nanit

This is a personal choice of a newer parent, but I have the Nanit baby monitor and use my iPad every night to watch the baby monitor. It’s so much easier than relying on a handheld baby monitor with a small screen.

Baby monitors also have small ranges, while the Nanit connects to Wi-Fi, making it great to use while downstairs, out on the deck, and more. It gives me peace of mind as a parent as the iPad is propped up on a night stand, easy to watch at all hours of the night.

Nanit’s app works great on the iPad because it can be used in both landscape and portrait mode. It also sends push notifications if the temperature is below or above a set degree, or even if the baby is crying. There’s a microphone button that lets you talk to your baby through the iPad, too. It makes monitoring more efficient and effective.

Nanit

Nanit is a baby monitor that connects via Wi-Fi, allowing you to use your phone or tablet as the baby monitor screen. It sends push notifications to your devices, letting you know if the baby is crying or if the temperature is out of range. 

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