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apple bluetooth keyboard w/iPhone 4 -- SEND text message?

How do I hit the "send" button when I'm using the wireless keyboard with my iPhone? I can use all of the text functions. I tried "command-return", etc... thinking that that was a shortcut. Didn't work. Does anyone know how, besides the obvious "press the send button on the iphone"? Sure, I can do that, but I want to do it with the external bluetooth keyboard!

3.0 GHz 8-core Intel Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.8), two 17" Apple Monitors w/DVI-ADC boxes, PCIe USB hub, Digidesign 002R /Command|8

Posted on Jan 10, 2011 10:46 AM

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50 replies

Mar 7, 2011 12:17 PM in response to Eric Rosenwald

I found the answer to hitting the send button from an apple bluetooth wireless keyboard. It's not the perfect answer, but a decent one nonetheless, and, really, I am finding it to solve other issues as well. Turn on your iPhone's Voiceover and learn how to use it. DoesLook in your iphone manual for all the wireless keyboard commands for manipulating your iPhone. You can temporarily turn on the iPhone's Voiceover from the keyboard when not using it for your SMS messages or other items. In any case, I was excited by finally solving this issue. It has been a pain.

Essentially when in VO, you use the arrow keys and space bar while holding down the control and option keys to select and tap what you need. But read up on it.

Apr 24, 2011 11:46 AM in response to Eric Rosenwald

you might as well delete my account and ban me from here because I am not going to stop exposing your unprofessionalism towards your customer.


I am also not going stop exposing how you just blamed the customer for being the problem.


As soon as you are done banning me from here I'm going to send a copy of all these posts along with your replies to Steve Jobs, every website that covers Apple issues and never let this insult be forgotten.

Jul 6, 2011 1:18 PM in response to appleharo

Wow, appleharo!! unbelievable response!! A fully supported wireless keyboard requires that it have a key combo "send" feature. If the support team gave you that as a response, it means they are not technical enough, or smart enough to step out of their box and resolve the issue. It also means that they're missing the point. Actually I think the "send" button on the iphone (which is essentially the MMS application) needs to tie into the " enter/return" button on the keyboard. Say, add the feature that if you press and hold the enter/return button on the keyboard, this is equivalent to the "send" button on the iphone or code the MSS app to accept another iphone key stroke (or combo) to be the equivalent. It's not that hard to code/update their MMS application. --Jason

Oct 8, 2011 5:30 AM in response to YogiMaster

Agreed. I also don't understand why there is not a menu for assigning keys for shortcuts or why the buttons on the top row (music controls etc.) are not assigned to anything and do not work on the iPhone. I cannot speak for the iPad, but I know they should be functional with the iPhone and that the Send key should also be programmable or already have an assigned kay.

Dec 7, 2011 12:51 PM in response to steven.tys

To David's post: it's still not acceptable. Voiceover is very cludgy just to press the send button. I now have to turn on Voiceover then press 3 keys simultaneously to get to (select) the <send> button, and press three keys simultaneously to press the <send> button. Then turn off Voiceover when not txt'ng. Like I said, still not a valid workaround. Certainly not a "fix"!

Jan 2, 2012 5:40 PM in response to Eric Rosenwald

I would really like to see this added to iOS 5 in some way. Despite the fact that the screen isn't very far away from my keyboard, it would still be so much faster to tie the "Send" button so something, even if it was Function/Control/Option/Command/Shift+Return, that would make things so much faster when sending emails, or sending messages on the messages application.


I just recently purchased my Apple Bluetooth Keyboard for my iPad 2 and am very disappointed in the lack of integration of commonly used shortcuts. You can't even use the arrow keys to scroll down on a webpage? It seems that it would satisfy many Apple customers who have purchased the keyboard to tie in to iOS a bit better than it does now.


That being said, typing this post using my keyboard is 100x faster than it would be using the virtual keyboard on the device.

Jan 3, 2012 12:21 PM in response to Eric Rosenwald

Plus one on the comments in this thread from 12 months ago. I was looking up to see if there were ways to map the FN keys to do this same thing - one for 'send' for Messages, one to 'send' for Email, etc.


I do so much texting / email on my phone (and iPad) - it's clearly a design gap they never considered. Rare.


Until they close the gap - I'm still thankful that my phone typing is now 10x faster, more accurate, but not completely streamlined from a productivity standpoint.

Mar 9, 2012 11:02 AM in response to FreedomPirate01

Agreed, this is absolutely ridiculous. I have an iPad setup on my desk that I leave open for e-mail and messaging throughout the day. I have a bluetooth keyboard attached to it and it's MORONIC that I can type messages all day long but have to reach up to the screen and physically hit "send" in the lower-right hand corner to send off a message (and then continue to go back to the keyboard to type more text). Come on Apple, fix this with a simple keystroke, eh?

Mar 19, 2012 6:18 AM in response to Eric Rosenwald

You guys are lucky for receiving some sort of "Reply" from support, I remembered this thread while buying my keyboard, so I decided to start off with the question "Does this keyboard work on iPhones?", and the guys/girls assisting on the store firmly believed, "sir, its not compatible with iphones". So when I got out of the store, I immediately tested it, but still, can't find the send shortcut. And I really need this feature, if you're too busy doing something and you're phone is docked and charging, you won't have the time to pull it from the dock nor reply to messages with the dock connected to it and place it back where it's sitting.

Apr 25, 2012 7:36 PM in response to Siilver777

I'm in the same boat as everyone else...looking all over the internet, newsgroups and Apple forums for a remedy to this lack of a "send" key or combo on my bluetooth keyboard.


It's really a bad oversight that should be remedied. I know it's NOT windows, but in windows you can invoke almost any button or menu or device by using some combination of keystrokes and there's usually an underscore under the ALT activated character. This type of control only makes sense. I don't see how it could not be available in the iPad/Wireless keyboard combo.


I guess I'll head over to the feedback page and ask them to add it the ability to hit the SEND button from an Apple wireless keyboard while using the native iMessage client in iOS and I suggest everyone do likewise.

apple bluetooth keyboard w/iPhone 4 -- SEND text message?

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