Launch iPad Apps Using Spotlight

With so many apps available for iPad, you likely have a whole lotta apps installed. So, finding an app you want to use might take a while, especially when you have multiple screens of apps - even if you've given some thought to organizing them.

Spotlight to the Rescue
You can launch any app, fast, using iPad's Spotlight Search feature. (iPhone and iPod touch have this feature, too.)

Using Spotlight to Find an App
From any home screen, press the Home button. (It'll take you to the first Home Screen.) Then, press the Home button again. Now, you're in the Spotlight Search screen.


Start typing the name of the app you want into the search field. As you type, you'll see matches below the search field. You'll see matches for apps, as well as Mail messages, music, contacts and calendar events. The apps will be listed at the top. Tap the app you want and it will launch.

By the way, Spotlight Search is also a great way to quickly find and play a song on your iPad.

How To Reorder Spotlight Search Results on iPhone 4

Spotlight Search on iPhone (and iPad and iPod touch, too) makes it easy to find and open applications, phone numbers, addresses, notes, songs, and much more. (See Related Articles below to learn more about how to use Spotlight Search.)

By default, Spotlight Search results are grouped and listed in this order: Contacts, Apps, Music, Podcasts, Video, Audiobooks, Notes, Mail, Calendar and Messages.

If you often use Spotlight Search to find specific email messages, you would likely want search results for Mail listed first. Perhaps you'd like to use Spotlight Search to quickly call-up and play songs from your iPhone music library. You'd probably want Music listed at the top.

Open Settings and then tap General. Next, tap Spotlight Search. You will see the list of Spotlight Search results categories. Press and drag the reorder icon (the three stacked lines at the right of each category name) to move a category up and down the list.

By the way, you can remove a category from Spotlight Search results by tapping the checkmark to uncheck the category.

Related articles:
- Find Any App on Your iPhone, Fast
- The Fastest Way to Find a Phone Number on the iPhone

The Fastest Way to Find a Phone Number on the iPhone

This tip will let you go from an app to a phone number in less than five seconds.
Ready? (Cue the action-suspense music.) Go!

If you're in an app, press the Home button to exit the app.

Press the Home button again. (If you're not already in the first home screen, this'll get you there.)

Press the Home button again.
Now, you're in the Spotlight search screen.

Type the name of the person you're searching for.

When you see their name in the list, Tap it!

Boom - there ya go! Dial away.