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Maximize Google Drive on the iPad

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Maximize Google Drive on the iPad | www,ShakeUpLearning.com | #gafe #gafesummit #edtech #googleedu #ipaded #iosedapp

As I have mentioned before, we have come a long way with using Google Apps on the iPad! There have been a lot of updates to the Google Drive app over the last year, and you may have missed some handy features. Below are a few tricks to help you make the most of using Google Drive on the iPad. This article will show you how to manage multiple accounts, passcode protect Google Drive, and how to upload from other Google Drive accounts, camera roll, iCloud, Dropbox and more!

Manage Multiple Accounts

Do you have more than one Google account? I have several, and it’s nice that I can log in to multiple accounts through the Google Drive for iOS app. Here’s how:

1. From the Google Drive App, tap on the menu button (top left).

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2. Tap your account name.

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3. From here, select, “Add another account,” and login to your other Google account. Once you have added each of your accounts, you can follow the steps above to toggle between your accounts.

This feature can also make shared iPads a bit easier. Add this feature with the tip below and help keep students from accidentally logging into the wrong account.

Passcode Protect Google Drive Accounts

Protect your Google Drive files with a passcode. You can passcode protect each Google Drive account with a different code. When you passcode protect your account, you will be prompted for the passcode each time you open the Google Drive apps. If you have a newer iPad/iPhone with Touch ID, you can also login with Touch ID.

Here’s how to set a Passcode Lock for each Google Account:

Go to Settings (top left corner)

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Next, tap Passcode Lock > Enable Passcode Lock to “On”.

You will then be prompted to set the passcode (and re-enter to confirm). After confirmed, you can choose to have the passcode “Always Lock,” and it will require that you enter the passcode each time you return to Google Drive.

Shared iPad Tip: (Thank you to the fabulous +Jody Green for sharing this tip!) We all know that shared iPads present a lot of challenges, and logging in and out of Google Accounts can take a lot of extra time. Jody has students store their individual accounts in their assigned iPads with a passcode lock. This way students can only access their own accounts, and keep students from accidentally logging in with the wrong account.

 

Upload Files to Google Drive from Camera Roll, iCloud, Dropbox and More!

There are now many ways to upload files to Google Drive, including connections to third party storage apps. Below are three options for uploading to Google Drive in the iOS app.
  • Upload files or videos from the Camera Roll: Access photos, videos and screenshots that you have saved to your Google Drive. This method is a great way to move files created with other apps into Drive (i.e. iMovie).
  • Use Camera: Use the camera directly from the Google Drive app to directly upload photos and videos to Google Drive. This function will still save to your camera roll as well, but with photos and videos safely stored in Drive, you can delete from your iOS device to save precious storage! (Note: Always verify that the photos and videos are saved in Drive before deleting from the camera roll.)

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  • Upload files: From here you will see various options depending on the other apps you have installed. Upload files from iCloud, another Google Drive account, Dropbox and more! (To enable, click on + > Upload Files > More.)
Ready to learn more about using Google on the iPad? Watch my online session this Saturday, May 9th for the Google Edu On Air conference for Educators: The Best of Both Worlds: Google Apps for the iPad.

Register for the full, two-day event here.

Watch my session live on this page.
(Video embedded below.)

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Comments

  1. Kasey, This is Awesome!! Just a small suggestion though. Could you please add to your instructions that when they go to settings, that they are tapping the gear symbol for settings beside their user name in the top left corner?
    Thanks! Love your blog!
    Marie

  2. Thanks for catching that Marie. I hope this now makes things more clear.

  3. Great tips, Kasey! Could you please explain how to password protect individual files? Thanks!
    Kinsy

  4. Hi Kinsey, I’m sorry my wording was incorrect. You can only do the entire account. We are hoping to see the ability to protect individual files and folders soon. Sorry for the confusion.
    If anyone else knows how this can be done, please share!