New iPad Mail App - how to remove "web preview" pane or ??

May 27, 2020 9:36 AM

Please see the screenshot - i am trying to help my Dad (79. has had an iPad for 6-7 yrs) reclaim his mail app real estate on his brand new iPad. There is a mini-preview pane on the right side which he says he cannot close that shows websites in some emails, but not necessarily related to the email he is currently viewing. Does anyone know what this feature is called or how to disable or close it? (In the screenshot it's the pane showing the Springer website.) Screenshot
posted by chr1sb0y to Technology (8 answers total)

Best answer: I hate that thing with the fiery passion of a burning sun. You can get rid of it by sliding it off to the side, but it seems really finicky to do. It often just bounces right back in a sticky manner. Hopefully someone will have a more authoritative answer for you.
posted by Lokheed at 9:41 AM on May 27, 2020 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Yeah, This is called slideover...what you see there is an instance of the web browser open in a separate small window. You can hide it by dragging the small grey pill at the top center of that window and dragging/ flicking it to the right of the screen and out of view.

You can also just hit the home button, and open up safari again so it comes out of the slideover view.

Hope that helps?
posted by bxvr at 9:43 AM on May 27, 2020

Apple’s support page regarding Slide Over
posted by girlmightlive at 9:48 AM on May 27, 2020

Best answer: You can turn off multitasking completely If you never want to use it intentionally
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 10:16 AM on May 27, 2020 [4 favorites]

I also hate that slideover with the passion of a thousand burning suns. Flames on the side of my face. The gesture that summons it is a slide in from that side of the screen, from the black frame into the working space. So many apps have sliding gestures that a very similar to intentionally triggering it, so when I have multitasking on it pops in constantly.

The thing it took me a while to figure out is that when you want it to go away, you need to put your finger on the top of the little window (by the little round rectangle at the top) and slide it to the right in a straight striking gesture, all the way off into the black edge. Any attempt to push it off to the side that veers up or down will not banish the window. It will just bounce back, like stubborn useless gum.

But yeah, as much as I would enjoy using other multitasking features the best option I've found is Bloxworth's instructions for turning multitasking off entirely.
posted by past unusual at 11:01 AM on May 27, 2020

After many months of trial and error I've discovered that the only reliable way to close the window is to swipe up on the horizontal bar at the bottom (if you have one of the iPhones with no home button, it's the same bar as the one you swipe up on instead), and then flick the window away. Swiping to the side just temporarily dismisses the window, which can then return at the strangest times.
posted by btfreek at 5:34 PM on May 27, 2020 [1 favorite]

example
posted by btfreek at 5:39 PM on May 27, 2020

One way I've found of getting rid of slideovers (though I may be doing something wrong) is to drag it to one side of the screen or another until it "docks" and splits the screen with the other apps, then drag the separator to the edge of the screen so the unwanted window disappears. I've actually never had a problem with an app appearing in slideover when I didn't want it to.
posted by lhauser at 8:37 PM on May 27, 2020