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Keyboard layout change on iPad?!

bottsjw

bottsjw

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 24, 2010
114
97
I'm surprised this story isn't getting more attention...
https://www.itnews.com.au/news/keyboard-layout-change-in-ios-annoys-users-494832

With the update the left hand keys have been switched on the iPad... but remain in the old position on the iPhone... who the heck thought that was a good idea? I feel like I'm missing something ... along with tapping the wrong key on the iPad... why would anyone think these keys should be in a different place?!

Are others having this issues?
 
bottsjw said:
With the update the left hand keys have been switched on the iPad... but remain in the old position on the iPhone... who the heck thought that was a good idea? I feel like I'm missing something ... along with tapping the wrong key on the iPad... why would anyone think these keys should be in a different place?!

Are others having this issues?
Click to expand...
OMG! This explains why I keep ending up in smilies on my iPad unexpectedly!
 
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So it’s not just me.

I’m struggling to comprehend how this made it past QA. For me it results in constantly tapping the wrong button when switching devices. Surely it’s a bug and not a design choice?? :eek:
 
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Gotta maintain the inconsistency between iPad, iPhone, and Mac (like how the time/clock, WiFi icons are all in different places on each device now).

I fixed the keyboard issue (for me) by removing the emoji keyboard.
 
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I’m not normally one to froth about things, but this is increasingly perplexing to me. I’m honestly struggling to fathom how it’s possible that no one at Apple noticed this, or that someone ruled it acceptable. Either option is equally mind boggling. Seriously though...to actively change the layout on one device so that it’s different to the other device and cause friction for the user.

Nonsensical...it has to be a bug.
 
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I find it extremely disrupting. My wife finds it extremely disrupting.
It is either an oversight or a very, very, very stupid idea.
Thinking of reporting it to Apple as a bug.

What next? Mixing letters around to keep our attention?
[doublepost=1537357793][/doublepost]
minimo3 said:
I fixed the keyboard issue (for me) by removing the emoji keyboard.
Click to expand...

Good idea. I need multiple languages keyboards so unfortunately this would not solve it for me.
 
Yes, quite annoying. It has been brought up during the iOS 12 beta testing and I personally submitted a feedback to Apple asking to get it consistent between iPhone/iPad. For now it remains quite random, with iPhone’s keyboard also switching the left-bottom section buttons in portrait/landscape modes. I do not really mind which button is where, but it would be great to have some consistency there.
 
FYI I switched to Gboard and it has the buttons in the "correct" position. Swipe typing is great,why haven't I used this the whole time?
 
They are most likely trying to encourage people to make use of the pull-down secondary numbers and symbols rather than switching keyboards via bottom-left. But yeah, it’s really annoying.
 
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IJBrekke said:
They are most likely trying to encourage people to make use of the pull-down secondary numbers and symbols rather than switching keyboards via bottom-left. But yeah, it’s really annoying.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I wouldn’t mind that if it worked better.
As it is now, you need to be very slow and deliberate in the pulling down motion, whereas one should be able to do it with just a flick.
 
Well this explains why I have been having so much trouble typing on my iPad recently.
 
Just another brick removed in the "it just works" wall that Apple was famous for, before 2013!

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ios12-changes-for-the-sake-of-changes.2140586/

Wifi icon now in the upper right instead of left, clock/date now in the upper left instead of how the time was in the center. Unnecessary changes for the sake of change, which used to be Microsoft Window's hallmark, but now Apple's! :( None of these are improvements, they're just different.
 
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I’m guessing that moving the time from the centre is to allow for an upcoming notch.
 
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Tozovac said:
Just another brick removed in the "it just works" wall that Apple was famous for, before 2013!

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ios12-changes-for-the-sake-of-changes.2140586/

Wifi icon now in the upper right instead of left, clock/date now in the upper left instead of how the time was in the center. Unnecessary changes for the sake of change, which used to be Microsoft Window's hallmark, but now Apple's! :( None of these are improvements, they're just different.
Click to expand...
It seems that's a design change. Doesn't mean they are just for no reason, but basically the reason that that is the design that Apple wants to use now.
 
Pravda said:
Very annoying and glad I’m not the only one. Muscle memory is a #%@$&!
Click to expand...

Yes. I’ve no doubt I will get used to this. My guess is that swapping the emoji and numbers toggle buttons is more ergonomic since the numbers/symbols toggle is used more often then emojis (I assume for most, still?), so less far for the thumb to travel to press it. It’s funny being right handed that I don’t really use the numbers/symbols toggle button on the right of the space bar.

On the other hand, I’m already shifting my hand to the far side of the keyboard to hit the shift key which is also used to cycle brought the numbers/symbols keyboards — albeit it’s not as dramatic a shift as going all the way to the outside bottom corner, but still all in the same area.

I suspect I will adjust. We’ll see.

sananda said:
I’m guessing that moving the time from the centre is to allow for an upcoming notch.
Click to expand...

Hadn’t thought of that because the rumor had been that there would not be a notch on the iPad as the bezel wouldn’t be as small as the iPhone. Maybe this is the proof to the contrary?

Either way it’s a real pain, as I used to glance straight up from whatever I was reading in the morning to check the time I had left to leave for work. Now I have to look well off the article I was reading and find my place again.

Maybe it’s like the number/emoji switch and I’ll just get used to it, but somehow this seems much less ergonomic to the function the previous placement served.
 
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I just looked on my iPhone SE — no notch, and the time is still top center. The emoji key is still to the right of the number/symbol key.

So here’s the question, is this a bug in iOS12 to be fixed in 12.1 for older iPads, at least for the notch? Or is this a change they intend for all iOS devices, and 12.1 will move my time to the left on my SE?

The emoji key could definitely be a bug, or it could be a customizable option which missing setting adjustment is a bug? I mean I could see someone who uses emojis a lot more than I do, wanting to access that key more easily, but I can’t see that for everyone, especially on an iPad where this seems to only be showing up.

The only thing this does is put the number key in the same relative position on each side of the keyboard for the iPad, but with no change to the iPhone keyboard, I’m not sure what advantage this is to anyone either way. Maybe his will make more sense when they remove the bezels from the new iPads and the thumb has to move much farther to the outside to reach it? Still don’t know why any of this would be necessary for older devices.

The inconsistencies here are head scratching for sure.
 
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Ok, I just found this thread after going nuts using my iPad. Why the hell would they flip the [123] and [emoji] keys?!?!??!?!
 
Unbelievable annoying change.
It is a rarely used button on a spot which is perfectly suited for the function it used to have.

What os more annoying: why can't I determine the behaviour of a button like this to my own preferences?

And the only solution seems to be to delete all other keyboards in prefs : which is also not really a setting or preference then.

Un-be-lievable
 
sananda said:
I’m guessing that moving the time from the centre is to allow for an upcoming notch.
Click to expand...

Or in reaction to making the iPad consistent with the X notch, which was a sorry half-baked decision when Apple tried to keep up with the Joneses for bezel size (something I didn’t know them to prioritize, before 2013).
 
Tozovac said:
Or in reaction to making the iPad consistent with the X notch, which was a sorry half-baked decision when Apple tried to keep up with the Joneses for bezel size (something I didn’t know them to prioritize, before 2013).
Click to expand...

If that’s the only reason, then why is the time still on the top center of my iPhone SE?

iOS 12 clearly has the ability to sense the device it’s on and adjust accordingly. Why not for the iPad?
 
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