How do I type diacritical marks on the iPad Smart Keyboard?

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Level 1

6 points

How do I type diacritical marks on the iPad Smart Keyboard?

I know how to find them all on my iMac. I know most basic ones, like these: á ä â à, by heart. But there are many that I need to access while typing on my iPad that I don’t know.

I understand that I can get to them by detaching my iPad from the Smart Keyboard and accessing the software keyboard to press and hold a letter, then choosing from the provided options. But that’s inconvenient and frustrating.

I’ve searched discussions.apple.com and done general web searches for various permutations of my question and cannot even find a simple screenshot of the full set that I can get from the macOS Keyboard Viewer.

Surely there’s a way to find this info for the hardware keyboard I use with my iPad Pro.

Any help you can give will be most appreciated.

Thanks!

Posted on Aug 22, 2019 5:04 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

118,756 points

Aug 22, 2019 7:16 AM in response to MichelPM

MichelPM wrote:

How to set ABC Extended on iPad?

Settings > General > Keyboard > Hardware Keyboard

Over at the right edge, you tap to see all the possible layouts supported, and choose ABC Extended.

(Your hardware keyboard must be connected for the setting to appear).

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Answer 2

MichelPM

Level 10

81,306 points

Aug 22, 2019 5:47 AM in response to presser_kun

The Apple keyboard cover I find very limiting and does NOT cover the full range of keyboard keys found more easily in the onboard virtual software keyboard, unfortunately.

I am not even sure other seperate third party Bluetooth keyboards cover the full range of keys the iOS software vitual keyboard covers.

Apple allowed external Bluetooth keyboards, but I feel Apple made them more of a hindrance most times and have always resorted back to typing right on the iPad's own keyboard and have done so for the past 9 years.

There is really no good way to access many of the symbols on the iOS virtual software keyboard from ANY external keyboard.

That is why most external keyboard have a key to bring up the iPad;s own virtual keyboard to have access to all of the various keyboard key symbols in iOS.

It’s the way it is.

Sorry.

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Answer 3

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

118,756 points

Aug 22, 2019 7:00 AM in response to presser_kun

You can make all the same characters that your iMac keyboard can make. For maximum range, set Hardware Keyboard to ABC Extended. Here is the reference

https://sites.psu.edu/symbolcodes/mac/codemacext/#codes

http://m10lmac.blogspot.com/2016/07/os-x-abc-extended-keyboard-layout.html

Beyond that you have to use an ios screen app like UnicodePad. Or set up text shortcuts for specific items if not too many.

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