Want an alternative way to jump back to the main screen of the iPad without fumbling around for the Home button? The “multitasking gestures” feature, new with last year’s iOS 5 update, lets you use movements from all four fingers on the screen to replicate certain functions normally performed by clicking the Home button once or twice.
To use the multitasking gestures, first make sure the feature is activated. Tap the Settings icon on the iPad home screen, select the General category and make sure Multitasking Gestures is set to On.
Now, to leave an open app to return to the main iPad screen, open your hand, place all four fingers and your thumb on the screen — and slowly pinch them all together until the open app window shrinks and fades into the home screen.
You can also open the multitasking bar of recently used apps by placing your fingers and thumb on the glass and sliding them up toward the top of the screen. Swiping your fingers and thumb from left to right or right to left on the screen lets you switch between apps you recently had open.