
As Apple has started to meld the software on iOS and Mac devices, it stands to reason it would begin to support all input options.
#USE A MOUSE WITH IPAD AIR PORTABLE#
That makes it a truly great portable device for most situations.

That changed a bit in recent years, with the introduction of the iPad Pro, which brought a keyboard to the iPad. The company wasn’t immediately able to comment whether there are any technical reasons for hiding the feature away in the accessibility menus.Īpple long kept its tablet and Mac computer lines separate, with fingers and styluses the only inputs allowed on iPads, with keyboards and mice left for the Macs. That being said, there’s not really much reason for Apple to not provide wider support for mice on the iPad. Apple hasn’t necessarily designed it for everyday use of a mouse you use with a computer. This feature, however, was originally designed as an accessibility option for iPad owners who are more comfortable using a mouse than tapping on a screen. You can change the “tracking speed” to faster or slower, change the color of the (unfortunately large) cursor, and turn off the floating menu button by switching off the “Always Show Menu” toggle.Īnd assuming you don’t have a Bluetooth or USB-C mouse laying around, you’re left with a setup that looks something like this: There are other settings in the “AssistiveTouch” menu page that will help with your mousing experience. You can either pair a Bluetooth mouse, or plug in a mouse through the USB-C port-you may need an adapter if you only have a standard USB-A mouse Scroll down to “Pointing Devices” and tap it.Turn on the “AssistiveTouch” toggle near the top of the screen.Tap the “AssistiveTouch” bar near the top of the screen.Tap “Accessibility” down in the left-hand menu.

#USE A MOUSE WITH IPAD AIR HOW TO#
One new feature that’s hidden away within a series of menus is perhaps the most surprising of all: the iPad now supports a mouse. Here’s how to access it, after you’ve installed the beta software:
