How to Use apps together more effectively

1 Side- by-side apps

Open an app, then swipe up from the screen’s bottom edge to reveal the Dock. Hold a finger on an app icon. When it enlarges, drag it to the left or right edge. When the first app shrinks to make room, let go to open the other app on that side.

2 Move or swap apps

One app has a line at its top. Drag the line to move the app to the other side of the screen. Drag and drop is also used to replace what’s open. Drag an icon over one of the already-open apps. When the latter dims, let go to replace it.

3 Apps not in the Dock

You can drag app icons from places other than the Dock. Return to the Home screen and start dragging an app icon. Use your other hand to switch back to your app(s). You can drag icons from Spotlight’s results, too.

4 Break out a Safari tab

Hold a link to pick it up. As with sideby-side apps, drag it to one side and drop to open it there. For two pages that are already open, enter the tab’s overview, hold a thumbnail, drag to one side, then tap the other page you want alongside it.

5 Rearrange your apps

We expect you’re thinking, “I’ve known this for years!” but as of iOS 11 you can rearrange your Home screen faster. Hold a finger on an icon as normal, so they all start jiggling. Keep it held and tap other apps to pick them up too.

6 Drop where you want

A badge follows your dragging finger. It indicates how many apps you’ve picked up. Drag to another page or into a folder and drop the apps. The apps are placed in reverse order to the one in which you picked them up.

7 Drag some text

Double-tap a word to start selecting text, then adjust the selection as desired. Hold a finger on the text to pick it up, then drag within the same document to move it. Or, drag to an app on the other side of the screen to copy it there.

8 Drag as you switch app

Dragging and dropping between apps doesn’t require both to be on screen at once. When you switch app (using the app switcher, the Home screen, Spotlight or swiping four fingers left or right), what you’re dragging will follow along.

9 Keep track of research

Let’s say you’re planning a trip. Not everything you’ll want to keep track of is in one place, so drag Safari links, News articles and Contacts cards, say, into Notes. Those give you links to the original items. Some others paste as text, though.

10 Make a note of places

You can drag and drop places from Maps too: hold a finger on your current location, a landmark, or a pin you’ve dropped to pick it up, then drag it across to Notes. This gives you a preview of the location that links back to Maps.

11 Bookmark emails

Drag items from Mail’s messages list into Notes (drag one, then tap more). It looks like you just get the subject line in yellow, but tap it to open the message in Mail. Use this, for example, to keep hotel bookings alongside other holiday details.

12 A neat enhancement

If you find it unwieldy to drag an item while trying to navigate iOS to where you want to drop it, use Yoink (£2.99) as an interim holding place. Open it as a floating window and you can reach it by swiping in from the right edge.