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Any app to replace keyboard with one with arrows?

Has anyone developed an alternate keyboard thatbhas arroe keys? Even my Android phone has arrow keys, and rhey are priceless!


I thought OS 5 was going to add arrows. Was bummed...

Posted on Apr 25, 2012 7:57 PM

Reply
8 replies

Apr 26, 2012 4:50 AM in response to Johnathan Burger

Hi Jonathan,


That is the issue, however. I don't have tiny little Asian fingers, I have big German peasant fingers. Dropping my cursor specifically in one spot between letters is a hit or miss for me. Plus I have to take my attention away from the keyboard to mess with cursor placement.


The external keyboard was purchased just so I had the arrow keys. So I don't see arrow keys as an evolutionary dead end, but a very useful navigation option.


If this makes the iPad too much like a Windows device, I don't see why the Apple world should be vexed at all. Arrow keys are your friend. Two-keyed mice are your friend. Shift-drag is your friend.


Thay all make devices easier to use.

Apr 26, 2012 6:02 AM in response to Fabrique

I agree that in certain apps (word processing, notebooks) an arrow key might be helpful - however, a third-party keyboard app won't solve that, because it would only work in the app itself. What would be required is for the developers of apps that get a lot of typing (Evernote and Documents To Go for me, although it would be helpful in Apple apps such as Safari and Mail) to add such a key to their keyboards. I don't know if the nature of the iOS makes that impossible, if the developers haven't been able to do it, or if they just don't want to. :-)

Apr 26, 2012 3:53 PM in response to PogoPossum

And don't forget webforms. I is VERY tricky to get an iPad to scroll text in a webform? I place one finger to lock the form, then use another to try to scroll the text. Sometimesmit works, most of the time Inget out the ext keyboard and use its arrow keys.


Take the lower left number key and split that into four arrows. They dont have to be large, just be there.

Oct 28, 2013 2:51 PM in response to walts0042

There are apps that have keyboard with arrow keys. I'm a big fan of Drafts (though not because of arrow keys which I never use). It has arrow keys and tons of other features. It allows you to, with two taps, send what you typed to Messages, Mail or lots of other apps. Although it doesn't replace the built in keyboard, it may be helpful.


Best of luck.

Any app to replace keyboard with one with arrows?

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