iPad Pro iPad Pro vs iPad Air: different keyboard layouts?

[PieTunes]

I'm hoping someone can shed some light on this. For well over a year I've used an iPad Air 3 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Recently I decided to up my game and purchased a new 11" iPad Pro. Both are on the same/latest version of iPadOS. However the keyboards are noticeably different.

On the Pro there are extra buttons such as Tab and Caps Lock, etc. The biggest annoyance though which I'm still trying to get used to is that the emoji and number/special keys buttons are swapped. The muscle memory of hitting the right button without thinking has thrown everything off kilter. It just doesn't seem very user design friendly.

Does anyone know why they are different? Is there a way to get the keyboard on my new Pro to mirror what I saw on my Air, at the very least those two bottom left buttons?

Any advice or guidance would be appreciated, thank you.

Air Keyboard

Pro Keyboard

 

[AutomaticApple]

Does anyone know why they are different?

The 11-inch iPad Pro is bigger, which allows for Apple to put more keys on the keyboard.

 

[PieTunes]

The 11-inch iPad Pro is bigger, which allows for Apple to put more keys on the keyboard.

I thought that as much, they can expand the buttons, like have Caps Lock or the word Shift instead of an up arrow, but what doesn't make sense is swapping the positions of two buttons that are already there and the same size. That entire bottom row is identical in width and placement except those two. If this was done on purpose, I can't wrap my head around what Apple's logic is behind it.

I'm absolutely loving the new Pro, this little issue is just odd to me.

 

[rui no onna]

Keyboard layout varies with display size. The 12.9" has a number row. Alas, no idea what Apple was smoking when they decided to swap the emoji and symbols/numbers keys. Iirc, they've done the same thing on iPhone keyboards.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Are both iPads on the same version of the OS?

I have a 12.9" iPad for comparison (iOS 14 beta). It has a 5-row keyboard with a dedicated number row. The position of the Emoji key is consistent with the Pro Keyboard illustrated above. Note that the Emoji key becomes the Globe key if you have more than two keyboards configured at Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards (eg. English (US), Emoji, Greek).

Apple's physical keyboards for iPad (both Smart and Magic) have the Globe key in the same position as the Emoji key on the virtual keyboards - the Globe key defaults to Emoji when that is the only alternate keyboard setup in Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards.

My iPhone X (iOS 13.6.1) in Landscape has the Emoji/Globe key in the same location as the iPad Pro.

So overall, my devices are all consistent to each other.

So this brings me back to the question, "What version of iOS/iPadOS is on that iPad Air?"

 

[PieTunes]

Are both iPads on the same version of the OS?

I have a 12.9" iPad for comparison (iOS 14 beta). It has a 5-row keyboard with a dedicated number row. The position of the Emoji key is consistent with the Pro Keyboard illustrated above. Note that the Emoji key becomes the Globe key if you have more than two keyboards configured at Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards (eg. English (US), Emoji, Greek).

Apple's physical keyboards for iPad (both Smart and Magic) have the Globe key in the same position as the Emoji key on the virtual keyboards - the Globe key defaults to Emoji when that is the only alternate keyboard setup in Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards.

My iPhone X (iOS 13.6.1) in Landscape has the Emoji/Globe key in the same location as the iPad Pro.

So overall, my devices are all consistent to each other.

So this brings me back to the question, "What version of iOS/iPadOS is on that iPad Air?"

All my iPads, the iPad 7, mini 5, Air 3, and Pro 11" have all been updated to 13.6.1. The keyboards on the first 3 have the bottom left two buttons in the same position, they're swapped just on the Pro 11". Bizarre.