When you first work with WordPress, you might wonder if it can work with an iPad. I mean can you web design on an iPad; we will spend sometime answering this below.
Does WordPress work on iPad? WordPress has an app on the IOS store but this app that you can install for either WordPress.com websites or self hosted. However, this app requires the user to install Jetpack on their website and gives limited functionality compared to the WordPress back-end admin. You can still login to WordPress using the traditional login but it would be much easier using an accessory like a pen for navigation.
So if you are still unsure about WordPress on an iPad, read below and we will discuss the details of why this is both a good and bad choice when you are doing certain tasks.
The rise of iPads and WordPress popularity
Tablets were on the rise in the world of technology. So much so that the biggest company Amazon developed their on tablet to keep up with market demand.
Since about the early 2010s tablets have been rising on people’s radar as the alternative for laptops. Many people in fact enjoy the bigger screen real estate and all the things that come with most tablets such as ease of use.
It’s no shock that iPads are the single biggest tablet on the market next to androids own brands. Amazon ranks somewhere in there too (affiliate link), they might be bigger than iPads since market shares fluctuate.
Still it doesn’t change that the primary use for these devices originally was surfing the web. When you put someone with a tech background behind, they began experimenting with the capabilities.
It wasn’t long before many of these tablets had hacks out which allowed them to be used for more than what it created what them for. iPad already had this battle won because unlike the Amazon tablets or even Android, these tablets where designed for professionals who wanted a slick experience.
So then if that’s the case you might ask what does this have to do with WordPress? Well WordPress is one of the top ways to build a website and has been for some time and shows no reason that it will be slowing down soon. So when you give someone a device that has the internet you should expect them to do things related to the internet.
WordPress is a giant piece of the internet and iPads are popular devices so it’s only a matter of time. But your question is still not answered, let’s dive below to learn more.
The question you should ask about iPads and WordPress
When someone asks can you, you need to realize this is open-ended. You can do many things but the fact is those things may not work well when you do them. So below I have divided the next sections into questions related to WordPress on the iPad and what you can expect.
Some questions below aren’t questions at all but statements. If you follow this website, you know that we are all about WordPress and page builders. We’ll when you dive into the questions below you will learn what you can and can not do using your iPad.
Should I use an iPad to design for the web?
No, you should not use an iPad to web design short of designing things like assets such as graphics, editing images, or adding posts to your website. Fact is much of WordPress works with tablets but it does not work well with tablets.
When you combine this with the fact that most programs that run on tablets are watered down versions of the full programs you have a recipe for bad design. Limited functionality is the main drawback because this will limit the amount of good work you can create on a tablet.
Does this mean that someone could not push through and create a terrific website on an iPad? If they had the time and resources, you can absolutely create a great website on an iPad but it will create more problems than designing on a desktop. The best way I can describe the process is, can someone change a tire without a tire iron? Probably but they are asking for more of a challenge and headaches getting the tire off, iPads are the same with web design.
Stick to doing things like making graphics, editing images or adding posts as we mentioned above and you will be all right. Everything else I would consider off limits.
Can I use WordPress admin on a tablet?
Yes, you can use WordPress admin login on a tablet. The biggest drawback to doing this is that while WordPress is responsive, it’s much harder to do a tablet without the use of something like a stylist (affiliate link).
So will navigation can be a challenge, you can still make small edits to things like back-end WordPress options which allow you to edit parts of your website. These small things such as adding tags, categories, changing certain settings and even minor edits to the site can be done.
Major things like designing pages and posts templates are explained below. You can even write a post as we mentioned above which would work well with Gutenberg. You might find a few bugs here and then but mostly the experience is solid and consider it.
iPads and Page builders on WordPress
So as a word of warning, they optimize many page builders for things like desktops and not the functionality on things like iPads or tablets. As a matter of fact some of the biggest ones will have a hard time working with these devices although they do say they support them, you will often find the most bugs on these devices compared to their desktop counterparts.
Just like above I mentioned that it requires extra work to get these devices working with page builders and that isn’t a lie. You can have some parts of the system work perfect and others work horribly.
Your best bet is to experiment with your page builder of choice and don’t be shocked if it’s lacking a certain amount support on iPads. There just isn’t a huge demand for people editing on these devices and so bugs can be found when you use them.
Typing on iPads and how it affects WordPress
Another reason you find that WordPress is lacking on an iPad is typing on a screen rather than a keyboard can be something that can take some getting use to. This can be solved by buying an iPad keyboard (Amazon Link) but it still doesn’t get you out of having to type on a cramped keyboard and also doing work on it.
A long time ago I had a 10 inch laptop and typing on it took some getting use to, I am not sure if I was ever good but I wasn’t terrible. Point being that if you aren’t up for the challenge of learning how to type on an iPad, then you shouldn’t consider doing deep work with one.
Related Questions
Would you use a tablet to design a website? No, I would never use a tablet to design a website. About, the only thing I would ever do is check how a website looks on an iPad. Users search the web using iPads so make sure your designs look right on all screens.
Why can’t I just use the WordPress app? You can but like above, you find that the app is lacking from its desktop counterpart. They build the WordPress app more for people who have their websites hosted on WordPress.com. If you are someone who self hosts, you can still use it but it requires the bloated plugin Jetpack to be installed which we do not recommend.
What software do you recommend that is capable with iPad? If you are stress about design or web design in general most will say Adobe products which is the go to with anything involving web. But I really enjoy Affinity which is a great set of programs which also work on iPads and have better pricing than Adobe.
Conclusion
I hope this article has helped answer some questions you had about working WordPress on an iPad. While you can see up above that it can be done, I don’t think I would recommend it. For a majority of people you are asking for a headache that will cause you problems if you try to work on an iPad.
If you liked this article and you want to learn more, we did an article about WordPress working on a mac as well. And if you want to learn more about WordPress tutorials and page builders visit our website.
