Using an iPhone or iPad with a bluetooth keyboard

Bluetooth keyboards for blind and low vision users

Blind iPhone and iPad users can control their devices fully with an external keyboard in the same way as using a computer with a screen reader such as Jaws.. As an alternative to full keyboard control, some users prefer to  continue using touch gestures and use the bluetooth keyboard as an alternative to typing text with the on-screen keyboard. These notes are written for VoiceOver users but low vision users can, of course, also use external keyboards and may find it helpful to turn on VoiceOver in some contexts to take advantage of spoken feedback and convenient editing commands. 

You will first need to acquire a bluetooth keyboard. Most bluetooth keyboards will be suitable. Blind and low vision users who are skilled touch typists should be able to use most good keyboards. Low vision users with limited touch typing skills may require a keyboard with large print on its keys. Read on for some recommended keyboards.

Apple Magic keyboards

Apple sells four versions of the Magic Keyboard. The two models with TouchID  are designed for use only with Macs with Apple silicon; these are not designed for iPhone or iPad use. For iPhone or iPad select either the Apple Magic keyboard or the Apple Magic keyboard with keypad. Both versions have standard sized keys at standard spacing and are suitable for touch typing. The Magic keyboard is the smaller of the two. The Magic keyboard with numeric keypad has the keypad and extra keys which will be familiar to PC users. I have only used the smaller keyboard; the keypad and extra keys on the larger keyboard may be convenient for some users, especially if they are using full VoiceOver keyboard control. The smaller Magic keyboard is perfect for general typing and is the keyboard that I use on my iMac computer. All Apple Magic keyboards have a built-in rechargeable battery with very long battery life.

Large print bluetooth keyboards

Users who aren't confident of keyboard layout and who have some useful vision may prefer keyboards with large print letters, numbers and symbols on the keys. The Bluetooth Wireless Large Print Keyboard from Techsilver looks to be a sound choice at a very good price. I have no personal experience of this keyboard but I have had very positie feedback from one owner. I'd welcome any additional feedback from people who try it. It is a standard sized keyboard with very large and clear key labels.  It is available in four colour variations, black lettering on yellow keys, black lettering on white keys, white lettering on black keys and yellow lettering on black keys. I've included an illustration of the white on black model below. These keyboards run off 2 AAA batteries with a very long battery life. The keyboard layout appears to be a close match to Apple Magic keyboard layout. The keyboard illustrated below has the at and double quote symbols reversed from the standard Apple positions.

Logitech K380 keyboard

A cheaper alternative which is worth considering is the Logitech K380, available from Amazon. This is a standard sized keyboard and is excellent for touch typists.  It may be paired with up to three different devices so, for example, you could use just one keyboard for your iPhone and iPad. The keys for switching between devices are clearly marked and easy to locate.  The keyboard operates off 2 AAA batteries with very long battery life. There are two potential disadvantages to this keyboard.  For users with some useful sight, the size and clarity of the key markings is poor. Also, it is a dual-purpose Apple and Windows keyboard and the positions of a few special keys are not to Apple's standard. This will only be a problem if, like me, you switch between a Logitech and Apple keyboard. For normal typing, all keys are in the same positions as on an Apple Magic keyboard.  Colour variations may be available, but I've only found the dark blue version on Amazon.

Keyboard cases

Apple, and many other manufacturers, offer cases for iPad and iPad Pro which incorporate keyboards. These come close to converting a tablet to a laptop. These may be convenient for some low vision users. VoiceOver users may find it inconvenient to perform VoicceOver gestures on a screen fixed to a keyboard and may prefer to keep the screen and keyboard separate. Keyboard cases need to be thin and light and there are likely to be some compromises on the feel of the keyboard. 

Using a bluetooth keyboard for text entry and editing

Although it is possible to perform every task on an iPhone or iPad using just a bluetooth keyboard, you may prefer to use a mix of Siri, touch gestures and keyboard commands. Some users may prefer to use touch gestures for most activities and switch to the bluetooth keyboard only when they would otherwise have to use the on-screen keyboard. Here's what you need to know about entering and editing text.

Selecting the amount of spoken feedback from VoiceOver

First, you need to decide how much spoken feedback you want from VoiceOver as you type on your keyboard. Go to VoiceOver settings and swipe right to the typing button and double tap. Swipe right to the typing feedback button and double tap. Swipe right until you reach the hardware keyboards heading. Select one of the following choices which are: nothing, character, words, or characters and words. Confident touch typists will probably prefer to select nothing or perhaps words. 

Exploring the keyboard layout

If you aren't sure where to find a character or what a specific special key does, then keyboard help is at hand.  You can put your keyboard into help mode. In help mode, VoiceOver speaks the function of each key or key combination but does nothing else. This lets you familiarise yourself with the keyboard layout and can also be used during typing to help locate a tricky special character.

To enter keyboard help mode you need to hold down two keys with your left hand and tap the K key with your right hand. The two keys that your left hand needs to hold down are control and option. On most keyboards, these are the second and third keys from the left on the bottom row of the keyboard. On the Logitech keyboard, they are the first and third keys. Hold these two keys down together and then tap the K key. VoiceOver will speak "starting help". You can end the help session by tapping the Escape key on your keyboard, which is the key at top left. In help mode, press a key or combination of keys to learn its function. For example, if you are uncertain of the location of the percent sign, hold down Shift and you will hear VoiceOver speak "shift". Continue holding shift and explore the top row of keys until you hear "percent". In keyboard help mode, none of the keys you press will be acted on. The keyboard will return to normal when the Escape key at top left is pressed.

Keyboard commands for entering, checking, and editing text

These commands will work whenever you are entering or editing text. I have omitted some commands and the full list is in Apple's user guide. Some may work in other contexts. Please note that most of these commands will work only if a feature called Quick Nav is turned off.  Quick Nav seems occasionally to get turned on by iOS or iPadOS. Before you start using these commands, check the status of Quick Nav by pressing the right and left arrow keys together. This toggles Quick Nav. Quick Nav off is indicated by a falling tone and Quick Nav on is indicated by a rising tone.

List of editing commands begins:

Go forward or back one character:

Right arrow or left arrow.

Go forward or back one word:

Option-right arrow or option-left arrow.

Go up or down one line:

Up arrow or down arrow.

Go to the beginning or end of the paragraph:
note that a paragraph is ended with a newline character.

Option-up arrow or option-down arrow.

Go to the previous or next paragraph:

Option-up arrow or option-down arrow.

Go to the beginning or end of the text field:

Command-up arrow or command-down arrow.

Select text as you move:

Shift + any of the insertion point moving tools above.

Select all text:

Command-A.

Copy, cut or paste the selected text:

Command-C, Command-X or Command-V.

Speak text from the current position:

Hold down the control and option keys together and tap the A key. 

This command uses the so-called VoiceOver modifier keys which are set by default to control + option. In VoiceOver Typing settings is is possible to enable an alternative which is just one key, the caps lock key. If this is enabled, then holding down caps lock while tapping the A key will start VoiceOver reading from the current position.

Speak text from the top of the screen:

Hold down command and option together and tap the B key.

Alternatively, if you have enabled caps lock as the modifier,

Hold down caps lock and tap the B key.

Pause or resume VoiceOver speech:

tap the control key.

Using a bluetooth keyboard for full keyboard control

Blind users can take full control of an iPhone or iPad using a bluetooth keyboard. Two sets of keyboard commands are available and can be used in any combination. The first set is the VoiceOver keyboard commands.  These enable visually impaired people to perform a keyboard equivalent of all the VoiceOver gestures.  Apple publishes a list of VoiceOver keyboard commands for iPhone and iPad. You will find links to these below. It is also possible to review the full list of VoiceOver keyboard commands in the VoiceOver section of the Settings app at Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Commands > Keyboard shortcuts. Although this item is named rather confusingly as keyboard shortcuts in the Settings app it is in fact the full list of VoiceOver keyboard commands.

As with other keyboard driven screen readers such as Jaws, the full list of commands is very long and most users will get by with a few of the simpler commands.  

The second set of commands is keyboard shortcuts that are provided to enable all users to perform specific tasks in one simple keyboard step; an example would be Command+ N to begin a new email message in the Mail app. These keyboard shortcuts are similar to shortcuts found in other computer systems but may, of course, differ from ones that you already know.

Apple publish a guide to general keyboard shortcuts for iPad but not for iPhone.  On iPad, shortcuts that work within specific apps can be discovered by holding down the command key within the app. This does not work on an iPhone, but I am experimenting to discover which keyboard shortcuts work on iPhone as well as iPad. I have submitted feedback to Apple requesting that they fully support keyboard shortcuts on iPhone since this is often the preferred device for people with severe sight impairment. For the meantime, here is my list of keyboard shortcuts that work on both iPhone and iPad.

Keyboard commands

Rather than give detailed step-by-step instructions for specific tasks, my notes will mostly offer you a set of commands that I find useful in driving specific apps. Please bear in mind that the VoiceOver keyboard commands are keyboard equivalents of screen gestures so if you already know how to perform a task using gestures, you need to use the equivalent keyboard commands to perform the same task with keyboard alone. However, you may be able to perform the task more efficiently is you also use some keyboard shortcuts. You will find a list of links below for Apple's user guides and my suggestions for some specific tasks.

The modifier and keyboard control of VoiceOver:

Keyboard versions of VoiceOver gestures are usually identified with a modifier key or keys. The modifier is represented in Apple's user guides and in this site by the two letters VO. The modifier needs to be held down, like a shift key, when typing keyboard versions of VoiceOver commands. Apple offers two choices for the modifier. The default is to hold down two keys, control and option. On keyboards with an Apple keyboard layout, these are the second and third keys from the left on the bottom row of the keyboard. On the Logitech keyboard, they are the first and third keys. The alternative is a single key, the caps lock key, which is the third key up the left side of most keyboards. One or both choices for the modifier can be set in VoiceOver settings. Please experiment to discover which choice suits you best. 

An example is the keyboard equivalent of the double tap gesture which can activate items or, when editing text, move the insertion point between the beginning and end of the text. This is written as VO-Space, the letters V and O, a hyphen and then the word Space. It is performed by holding down the modifier and then tapping the Space key.

The following are links to Apple's documentation on controlling VoiceOver with an external keyboard, followed by my guide to using Mail with an external keyboard.

Apple's guide to controlling VoiceOver on iPhone with a bluetooth keyboard

Apple's guide to controlling VoiceOver on iPad with a bluetooth keyboard

Mail with a bluetooth keyboard

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