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Multiple Bluetooth keyboards with different language layouts

I have an iPhone 4 with iOS 4.1 I have both UK and Swedish Apple Wireless keyboards.

I had imagined that logically when I used a Swedish keyboard iOS would detect (or let me manually configure on a keyboard by keyboard basis) that the keyboard has a Swedish layout, so the punctuation and åöä etc. characters match the keys, and when I used a UK keyboard it would work so that the punctuation and £ etc. match the keys on that keyboard.

I'd also expect a keyboard shortcut to let you switch between layouts to allow those with a single keyboard to flip between layouts. (I have a CMD+SPACE shortcut on OSX on my Macbook Pro to do this)

Instead it seems to be driven by the layout of the currently selected soft keyboard, which of course disappears when you pair a Bluetooth keyboard (though the Eject key brings it up).

It's a little thing - but it's really annoying. I suspect many people haven't discovered the soft keyboard trick (where you have to have soft keyboards for each physical keyboard layout you want to use)

Macbook Pro + iPhone 4 iOS 4.1, Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Oct 16, 2010 3:37 AM

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2 replies

Oct 16, 2010 6:45 AM in response to Steve Neal

I had imagined that logically when I used a Swedish keyboard iOS would detect... that the keyboard has a Swedish layout,


Even the full OS X has never done that. You must always activate the correct layout in system preferences and then switch among them manually. Is there another OS that does what you describe?

But let Apple know what you would like to see in future updates via the channel they have set up for that:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

Oct 16, 2010 7:17 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Thanks Tom.

I guess the difference - as I see it - between an iPhone (and iPad for that matter) is that unlike a Macbook/Macbook Pro (where the keyboard is integrated) it is an optional on the iPhone/iPad.

Being able to configure a default layout for the keyboard - rather than the OS - makes a degree of sense to me - but I can see it is quite niche...

Having an OSX-like keyboard shortcut to switch layouts would be useful. My main iPhone soft keyboard is UK English, but my main Bluetooth keyboard for it is Swedish... It's annoying having to switch keyboard on the touchscreen whenever I flip between the two.

Multiple Bluetooth keyboards with different language layouts

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