This is a question to all iPad Pro user who do not have a Magic Keyboard attached with it or any other Physical Keyboard. How do you guys prefer typing on the iPad Pro Virtual Keyboard ? I am just trying to know, take ideas and inspirations on how you guys type with the Onscreen Keyboard ? I for one feel if there is no big, long page and email that I have to type the Swype keyboard works very handy. is almost 98% bang on target with its predictive typing. what do you guys do ?
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iPad Pro Lengthy Typing on iPad Virtual Keyboard ?
- Thread starter marcusalwayswins
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After 10 years of using the virtual keyboard, I'm a master of typing on it.
Why can’t the Pro 11 or 12.9 inch have the split keyboard line the mini and regular iPad have?
I've been using iOS keyboards since the original iPhone and original iPad, and to this day, I still cannot stand it. In particular, there is some kind of motion or shortcut or something that is totally unintuitive (honestly have no idea how to trigger it on purpose) that when activated, wipes out a line of text I just typed. Or maybe it's an undo-the-last-few-seconds-of-typing feature. Whatever it is, it's horrible. I hate it. And it only happens when I'm using the onscreen keyboard really quickly, like I would typing on a physical keyboard. If I peck along slowly, it doesn't activate.
Over a decade later, I finally bought a bluetooth keyboard for my iPad (typing on it now). Any lengthy typing on my iPad happens while I am at my desk, so a keyboard that just sits there (vs a keyboard case) is sufficient. And it has reduced my frustrations with typing in iOS by several magnitudes. I wish I'd done this years ago.
Over a decade later, I finally bought a bluetooth keyboard for my iPad (typing on it now). Any lengthy typing on my iPad happens while I am at my desk, so a keyboard that just sits there (vs a keyboard case) is sufficient. And it has reduced my frustrations with typing in iOS by several magnitudes. I wish I'd done this years ago.
Red, I’m with you! I've run into many situations where text disappears and I cannot undo to get it back! It's also very frustrating typing on the default virtual keyboard. Make too ,any mistakes, especially on the iPad. Do better on the iPod touch or iPhone — I think becuSe I use my index finger rather than my thumbs — and type more slowly. I tried a couple of those slide your finger around virtualmleyboards,mbut they didn’t work that well, either. But maybe I need to revisit them a, [sic: !]
WARNING: Long ramble ahead.
bpBut the worst thing is Apple's error-prone auto-correction! It mis-corrects words, corrects words bu removes spaces (such as after commas),or puts in extra spaces,adds capital letters in the wRong place, and usually doesn't knowmhow to correctvwords where you've inadvertently hitza letter thanes than the space are [sic: spacebar]. AC is till better than nothing because of how many errors I make typingnon the VK.
Apple should license or buy — or, simply reverse engineer — Microsoft Word's spell checker and use it for its auto-correct system! Word almost always knows what you mean and how to fix errors; it's [sic] accuracy is uncanny.
The absolute,Ute worst thing about Apple's auto-correct systemcis how it handles apostrophes, especially possessives. Its is routinely changed into It's. Type something such as “The dog fetched its ball” and it'll come out “The dog fetched it's ball”. “It’s dogjljse [sic: doghouse] is right over there.“
“Its holdings” becomes “it's holdings”.
They,re missing the boat; e.g., when one hits a comma and doesn't hold it down long enough for the apostrophe, Apple's AC does nothing and leaves the roe ! [sic: error] So, they're comes out as they,re and we're comes out as we,re.
The errors abound (I.e., in always wanting to capitalize the letter “I” [sic] or in hand,ing standard abbreviations — right there in i.e.!).
One big problem is that there is no way of editing the AC system — slelectively dep,lying it — or, in most cases, automatically overriding it, such as with text shortcuts. (Those are still worth setting up as they do fix many AC errors.)
Apple has improved it, though. It used to change
“It's great” into “It' segregated”.
“It's also” became “It' salsa”
It's just plain = It' squat plain
“It's not” ---> “It' snot”
It's ridiculous = Apple's auto-correct system!
A multi-billion dollar company with some of the smartest people on the planet can surely design an auto-correct system that can handle apostrophes properly And is much, much more accurate.
Thping on a Bluetooth physical keyboard, even an undersized one, is a great improvement, but it's a hassle digging it out of the desk, or going where it is, pairing it, and typing — at that point,mit'd be easier to use the Mac. But there goes the comfort and enjoyment of the iPad formmfactorL!
——————'
Note: Didmnot bother fixing seversl of the errors to show what often goes wrong. ?
WARNING: Long ramble ahead.
bpBut the worst thing is Apple's error-prone auto-correction! It mis-corrects words, corrects words bu removes spaces (such as after commas),or puts in extra spaces,adds capital letters in the wRong place, and usually doesn't knowmhow to correctvwords where you've inadvertently hitza letter thanes than the space are [sic: spacebar]. AC is till better than nothing because of how many errors I make typingnon the VK.
Apple should license or buy — or, simply reverse engineer — Microsoft Word's spell checker and use it for its auto-correct system! Word almost always knows what you mean and how to fix errors; it's [sic] accuracy is uncanny.
The absolute,Ute worst thing about Apple's auto-correct systemcis how it handles apostrophes, especially possessives. Its is routinely changed into It's. Type something such as “The dog fetched its ball” and it'll come out “The dog fetched it's ball”. “It’s dogjljse [sic: doghouse] is right over there.“
“Its holdings” becomes “it's holdings”.
They,re missing the boat; e.g., when one hits a comma and doesn't hold it down long enough for the apostrophe, Apple's AC does nothing and leaves the roe ! [sic: error] So, they're comes out as they,re and we're comes out as we,re.
The errors abound (I.e., in always wanting to capitalize the letter “I” [sic] or in hand,ing standard abbreviations — right there in i.e.!).
One big problem is that there is no way of editing the AC system — slelectively dep,lying it — or, in most cases, automatically overriding it, such as with text shortcuts. (Those are still worth setting up as they do fix many AC errors.)
Apple has improved it, though. It used to change
“It's great” into “It' segregated”.
“It's also” became “It' salsa”
It's just plain = It' squat plain
“It's not” ---> “It' snot”
It's ridiculous = Apple's auto-correct system!
A multi-billion dollar company with some of the smartest people on the planet can surely design an auto-correct system that can handle apostrophes properly And is much, much more accurate.
Thping on a Bluetooth physical keyboard, even an undersized one, is a great improvement, but it's a hassle digging it out of the desk, or going where it is, pairing it, and typing — at that point,mit'd be easier to use the Mac. But there goes the comfort and enjoyment of the iPad formmfactorL!
——————'
Note: Didmnot bother fixing seversl of the errors to show what often goes wrong. ?
I jumped on the swipe thing very early... I'm super fast with it. But Apple's version isn't very accurate, at least for me. I strongly prefer Gboard. Not only is it more accurate, but I love that it has search and gifs built in.
You have inspired me! Perhaps I have not put enough effort to really learn it. I have always hated physical keyboards in general as an artifact of legacy technology and I would love to do away with them.
I use the built in keyboard...if I know I am going to be doing a lot of switching around between apps and stuff while needing to type a lot, I use the Magic keyboard from my Mac. But other then that, I am usually just using the virtual keyboard which I think works just fine.
Yeah me too. Plus, I try my best to avoid typing large bodies of text on the iPad especially when I have an excellent keyboard in my laptop.
Longest thing I have to type on iPad is usually just a forum post.
Even on the work desktop, I rarely have to type long bodies of text. I do need a keyboard with dedicated numpad for Excel though. Hence, I gravitate towards the $600 Ryzen 5 ThinkPad E15 for WFH (when not on desktop) instead of other more expensive devices. Cheapest device gets the job done better/easier.
I’m so glad that you made this thread. I recently got rid of my 12.9 inch iPad Pro with a Magic Keyboard and I just have my 11 inch pro. I decided that I wanted to use my iPad as a tablet only and it has really made me appreciate it more. Part of that effort involves using the virtual keyboard and learning how type on it for longer than just a quick text message or Google search.
I found that once I got a proper case to put it into typing mode and use the same form when typing on a physical keyboard (landscape mode and hands in the same position) it became easier and I actually now love it. Yes, there is a learning curve and there is definitely more friction but I’m ok with that. The trade off was worth it because now the iPad is a light and portable device that’s not competing with my laptop. I love the pencil and I love the touch screen so I want to use it every chance I get when using the iPad. I couldn’t do this for professional work though. I’m mainly typing journal entries and notes but so far so good.
I think the more I use it the better I get and I actually don’t mind the autocorrect. I think that’s what helps make it manageable for me.
I found that once I got a proper case to put it into typing mode and use the same form when typing on a physical keyboard (landscape mode and hands in the same position) it became easier and I actually now love it. Yes, there is a learning curve and there is definitely more friction but I’m ok with that. The trade off was worth it because now the iPad is a light and portable device that’s not competing with my laptop. I love the pencil and I love the touch screen so I want to use it every chance I get when using the iPad. I couldn’t do this for professional work though. I’m mainly typing journal entries and notes but so far so good.
I think the more I use it the better I get and I actually don’t mind the autocorrect. I think that’s what helps make it manageable for me.
Yup! https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/gboard-the-google-keyboard/id1091700242
It learns from your own email if you let it, and it's by far the best swipe keyboard I've come across.
This and this and this….since ORIGINAL iPhone! Thank you both for expressing my exact thoughts. (And I’m typing this on my iPhone 22 mini—just imagine the keyboard size!)
If I’m not VM Ware into the office, when I use a Bluetooth Keyboard, I use virtual keyboard. I’m a touch typist since late 70s in HS. It’s not the same. On virtual keyboard, you can’t hover like you do on a physical keyboard. More hunt and peck hybrid.
Haha, yep, typo suits this occasion. ?Glad to see Apple's still making the iPhone mini 10 years from now.
I am often writing 25k word documents. And, at times, over 100k word documents. That, among other things, guided me to a proper Thinkpad.Longest thing I have to type on iPad is usually just a forum post.
Even on the work desktop, I rarely have to type long bodies of text. I do need a keyboard with dedicated numpad for Excel though. Hence, I gravitate towards the $600 Ryzen 5 ThinkPad E15 for WFH (when not on desktop) instead of other more expensive devices. Cheapest device gets the job done better/easier.
Yeah, I've yet to find another laptop keyboard that I like as much as the ThinkPad (I've use T, X and E-series).
I’ve only used the R, T and X series. I have also been picky about the exact KB module I wanted on the R and T series. The X series has perhaps one of the best KBs I have ever used. It’s also a tough little machine.
I only started using this by mistake as I haven’t got the magic keyboard yet. Very surprised how well it does. I just use the apple folio case at an angle and type. Very few mistakes. And super compact for a 12.9!