iPad Pro Smart Keyboard not working

I have had my iPad Pro 12.9 for over a year with said keyboard. Started glitching about a month ago. Most ridiculous thing ever. I am in a meeting and everything comes to a standstill while I trouble shoot the whole mess.

Apple is letting us down with their failure to get this under control. 😮

Logitech will now get my business.

Bought mine with my 12.9 iPad Pro almost two years ago (so it’s a month from applecare ending). Had a nice chat through the support app just now with rosemary from applecare. I described how it often disconnects, most recently for a few days until it randomly started working today... and how it often starts working again when i disconnect and reconnect, but that didn’t help this week, nor did restarting my ipad. Seems i said all the right things (i.e. i had tried everything she would have told me to try) because she said it’ll need to be replaced under a replacement program, and she can send one to me or set up an appointment at a store! She did need me to tell her the serial number which was really hard because it’s engraved ultra tiny in the soft grey material. I’m really happy they’re giving me a new one, though! I realized the past several days that i really hate using my iPad Pro without the keyboard! 😉

adam

I was having this problem and most recently, even after cleaning the contacts with rubbing alcohol and rebooting, my iPad would not recognize my smart keyboard. I saw the mention of having more than one keyboard for the keyboard so went to my General settings and keyboard and found that I indeed did have two keyboards - the Smart Keyboard and Emoji. I deleted the Emoji keyboard then shutdowned my iPad and rebooted. It’s now working and hoping not to run into future problems.

My keyboard worked fine for two years until the iOs 11 update, then it stopped working. Up until a month ago I could finaggle it but not it does not work at all. Plus now having battery issues when there were none two weeks ago before iOs 11.4.

I solved this, at least for now, by spraying IPA alcohol onto a soft cloth and cleaning the keyboard contacts throughly.

Then I also did the same to the iPad contacts which mate with the keyboard.

All is now OK so I assume that the contacts, being small are susceptible to tiny grains of dirt.

I have experienced similar with lightning cables - they often come back to life with a little cleaning...

This keyboard used to be a bit unresponsive - now it won’t “recognize“ it at all. Not at all what one expects from Apple. I would rather a hard keyboard that works. Now I have a needlessly bulky cover.

This did not work for me. Seems to be a software glitch. Ipad works fine; keyboard worked fine up until the iOS update (10) now my keyboard doesn’t work. Keep getting device is not supported which is fallacy because it worked just fine until iOS update. What to do?

I had this problem with two different keyboards, and have figured out a quick, consistent solution—if you detach the keyboard and flip it around so that back of the iPad is facing you, and try to force it into position and then flip it back, they keyobard will connect.

The keyboard and iPad won’t attach in the reverse position because it seems that the magnets in the keyboard and in the iPad alternate (positive-negative) so that it only connects in the forward position. But if you try to match the top and bottom (so that the central connector in the iPad and the keyboard match up), that’s should do the trick.

I tried using a magnet (as suggested in the comments above) and that worked for a while, but not consistently. I’d have to run the magnet all over the area above the numbers, finally stopping at the number (above the 1 and 2) before the keyboard would connect, but, more often over time, it would disconnect befoe I could set the iPad in the keyboard gutter.

It seems that turning the iPad around in the gutter precisely lines up the positive magnets in the iPad and in the keyboard of exactly the right size and in exactly the right places, and the negative magnets with the negative magnets so that it pushes whatever magetic switch is responsible for this problem back in place so that we you match positive and negative it’s ready to connect again.

I found this thread because I have this problem too with my 2 yr old Smart Keyboard, so I noted that several people recently have said that their keyboards were replaced in Apple stores. I contacted apple support chat and after a very short conversation which consisted of switch it off/switch it on again, wipe the connections, give me your serial no. I was offered a replacement. which has just arrived 2 days later. So far so good, it seems to be working fine.

I am somewhat suspicious that there is a known problem because as soon as the 2 obvious things were checked I get a replacement with no further questions.

As I said earlier, I got my new keyboard with suspiciously little trouble, and well outside the warranty (nearly 2 years old), and I have had absolutely no problems since then. Or did I just get lucky with who I spoke to?

I wonder what the new iOS release will bring.

Hey BobBurns,

It may sound kind of a stupid thing to check, but I would disconnect the smart key board and look at the connecting strip. My reason for saying this is because my keyboard was having the same issues and it looked to me as though it was making a perfect connection, but when I checked the strip was bent. I unbent it and low and behold I am now typing this response on it. Again to summarize, CHECK to see if the connector strip is bent and if it is unbend it. Keep in mind that I thought my connector was making perfect connection, but it wasn’t.

Hopefully Helpful,

DBMax1

I know what you mean. I have experienced the pop up “accessory not supported” to the connection is not making proper contact. But when the “ding” kept going off incessently, I had enough.

So, my resolution is to use the standard Bluetooth keyboard. It only costs $69. and is small enough to fit in a small carrying case with my iPad. I found a protective cover that will prop up the iPad while typing.

I had the same issue and then I discovered that Apple extended the warranty on these keyboard covers from the normal one year to three. I made an appointment with the Genius Bar and after showing them the issue they replaced it on the spot.

If people are having this problem I recommend trying to return the cover.

Hi

I also have the same problem, from last few upgrades of ios, the smart keyboard is not working. Tried all recommended options but still the same issue. Only for once it worked for few mins post restart but after that it has not been working. Its so bad, why do we get such IOS updates.

I may have found a solution to this. I went into setting and deleted all the keyboards installed save for the English one (or whatever country your language is. Also this keyboard was not able to be deleted anyway.). The only other one I had in there was the emoji one. After deleting it I have had no issues for 2 days now. Before I could not go 15 min without it disconnecting. Clearly software issue in my case and I hope this helps someone else.