Dashpadd

Preparing Your Old Tablet for Display Use

Start Clean (But Maybe Not From Scratch)

The first decision: factory reset or just clean up what’s there?

Factory reset if:

  • You’re setting this up for someone else (grandparents, a shared family device)
  • The tablet is sluggish and you want a clean start
  • There’s an old Apple ID or Google account you don’t use anymore
  • You don’t remember the passcode (this happens more than people admit)

Just clean up if:

  • The tablet is already signed into the right account
  • It runs fine, just has a bunch of old apps and photos
  • You want to keep some existing apps

Either way works. A factory reset takes about 20 minutes (including reactivation), and it guarantees a clean baseline.

Factory Reset

iPad

  1. Go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPad → Erase All Content and Settings
  2. Enter your passcode when prompted
  3. Confirm you want to erase
  4. Wait for it to restart (5-10 minutes)
  5. When the “Hello” screen appears, you’re starting fresh

Important: If Find My iPad is turned on, you’ll need the Apple ID password to proceed. If you don’t remember it, go to Settings → [your name] → Find My → Find My iPad and turn it off first.

Android

  1. Go to Settings → System → Reset Options → Erase All Data (Factory Reset)
  2. Enter your PIN or password
  3. Confirm and wait (5-15 minutes depending on the tablet)

Important: Make sure you know the Google account and password that was on the device. After a factory reset, Android requires the original Google account to activate (this is a theft protection feature).

Software Updates

After the reset (or before you start cleaning up), update the software to the latest version your tablet supports.

iPad: Settings → General → Software Update. Tap “Download and Install” if an update is available. This might take 20-30 minutes on an older device. Let it finish – don’t interrupt.

Android: Settings → System → System Update (or Software Update on Samsung). Check and install whatever is available.

Your old tablet won’t get the latest iOS or Android – it’ll get the latest version it can run. That’s fine. You want the latest security patches and bug fixes for your hardware.

Setting Up Accounts

You need exactly one account on this device. Keep it simple.

iPad

Sign in with an Apple ID during setup. Use your regular one if this tablet stays in your household. Create a new, dedicated one if you’re setting it up at someone else’s house (like a grandparent’s).

A dedicated Apple ID means you can manage the device remotely – restart it, change settings, and troubleshoot without being there. It also keeps grandma’s device separate from your own iCloud.

Android

Sign in with a Google account. Same logic: your own for your house, a new one for remote setups.

If you’re using a shared family photo album as the main display, make sure this device’s Google account has access to that album.

Amazon Fire Tablets

Fire tablets want an Amazon account. Use yours for in-house, a new one for remote setups. If you plan to sideload Google Play (to get Google Photos, Google Calendar, etc.), do that before installing other apps – the process involves a restart and it’s easier on a fresh device.

Stripping Down

Now remove everything this tablet doesn’t need. The goal: this device does one thing. Every app, notification, and setting that doesn’t serve that one thing is clutter and a potential distraction.

Remove Unnecessary Apps

Delete or offload apps you won’t use. On a dedicated kitchen display, you don’t need Pages, GarageBand, iMovie, or Clips. On a photo frame, you don’t need email or news apps.

iPad: Long-press an app icon → Remove App → Delete App. Or go to Settings → General → iPad Storage to see what’s taking up space and offload from there.

Android: Long-press an app → Uninstall. Pre-installed apps that can’t be uninstalled can usually be “disabled” – which hides them and stops them from running in the background.

Remove Old Photos and Files

If you didn’t factory reset, clear out old photos, downloads, and files. Free storage means fewer slowdowns.

iPad: Settings → General → iPad Storage shows everything by size. Focus on Photos, Messages, and any apps with large caches.

Android: Settings → Storage gives you a breakdown. Clear out old downloads, photos, and app caches.

Sign Out of Unnecessary Services

If the tablet still has email accounts, social media logins, or messaging apps, sign out of them. Every active account is a potential notification source, a background data user, and a privacy concern if the tablet is in a shared space.

Install Your Display App

Once the tablet is clean, install the one app (or two at most) that this device needs for its job. Check our app compatibility guide for what runs on your tablet’s OS version.

Common choices:

Install it now. You’ll configure it after the settings (Part 2), but having it on the device now means you can test it during setup.

The State of the Device Right Now

If you’ve followed this page, you should have:

  • A tablet running the latest software it supports
  • One account (Apple ID or Google) signed in
  • No unnecessary apps, photos, or files
  • Your display app installed
  • A clean, fast device ready for configuration

Next: Part 2 – Settings for Always-On Use →

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