iPad Sharing Tips For Households

Directly out of the box, the iPad has no easy way to switch between multiple users with different settings, configurations, and apps. The iPad is a single-user device, so the central login is persistent.

The iPad’s single-user design applies to the App Store and includes apps like Safari, which tracks bookmarks and web history for everyone, not just one user.

Is It Possible to Set Up an iPad for Sharing?

Unless you have an iPad designed for educational or business use, you can’t set up an iPad for traditional sharing.

While you can log in and out of multiple Apple Accounts on the same iPad, this won’t function like creating separate user profiles on a Mac or PC. For instance, switching to a different Apple Account won’t alter the iPad’s layout.

Additionally, installing apps from multiple Apple Accounts might lead to confusion when it’s time to upgrade to a new device.

How to Set Up Your iPad for Multiple Users

Here are a few tricks to make sharing an iPad easier:

Set Up Folders on Your iPad

One simple way to organize apps for different users is to create a folder on the first page of the Home Screen for each person. This organization makes it easier to find and use specific apps and helps declutter the rest of the iPad.

Use Spotlight Wisely

Familiarize yourself with using Spotlight to launch apps. With multiple users, the iPad may fill with apps, making it harder to locate specific ones. With multiple users, the iPad may fill with apps, making it harder to locate specific ones. Searching with Spotlight is likely the simplest way to find and open apps, regardless of the number of users.

Use Separate Email Apps and Web Browsers

The standard Mail app is useful for managing multiple email accounts, but its default view combines all messages into a unified inbox. It might be simpler to use a specific email app like Yahoo Mail or Gmail for one user and the unified inbox for another.

The same approach applies to browsers. Safari is the default browser for the iPad, but you can also download Chrome or Firefox. This allows each user to keep track of their own bookmarks.

Social Media Workarounds

Social media apps can present challenges. For instance, Facebook supports multiple profiles and lets you set up a passcode for each account; however, you must remember to log out. Other platforms might support extra users but lack passcode options.

A workaround is for one person to use third-party apps or a web browser for social media, while another uses the official apps.

Activate Touch ID for Each User

Set up Touch ID if your iPad supports it. Each user can then unlock the iPad with their fingerprint. While this doesn’t allow access to personalized Home Screens, it enables multiple users to share the device securely without unauthorized access.

What About Childproofing the iPad and Still Using It?

Multiple individuals can use an iPad, but complexity arises when users include small children. You can childproof an iPad to block the download of age-inappropriate apps, music, or movies. However, these safeguards will apply to parents as well, restricting their usage too.

Parents often encounter the issue of the iPad automatically resetting restrictions when they disable them. You have to verify that your settings are accurate each time you re-enable them, such as when kids want to use the device.

This becomes impractical if you’ve established app restrictions but need to disable them frequently to download an app for yourself.

Will Jailbreaking Solve the Problem?

You might work around some of these issues by jailbreaking the iPad, but this could cause more problems than it solves and void any warranty you have.

Downloading apps outside the Apple ecosystem bypasses Apple’s testing process, increasing the risk of downloading malware. 

Jailbreaking isn’t ideal for parents wanting to share the iPad with their kids, but it might be suitable for friends or family members who use multiple accounts. However, it’s only advised for advanced users who are comfortable with the risks of potentially damaging their iPads.