Smart Keyboard mapping issue (iPad Pro 12.9)

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Smart Keyboard mapping issue (iPad Pro 12.9)

This is so screwy. I recently got a new iPad Pro 12.9 » (yeah, that’s not the inch symbol - more about that in a bit) and Apple’s Smart Keyboard. The problem started a few days after I got them - suddenly, and only within certain apps (Safari, Twitter), certain keys on the keyboard seem to be mapped incorrectly.

For instance, when I attempt to type a hashtag by using Shift+3, I get the British pound sterling symbol (only in Twitter - where it’s *really* inconvenient, and in certain areas of Safari, like the address bar). But within this form, I can easily type out the correct character: #. But, as I found out while typing the title for this post, if I attempt to type the inches/quote symbol by hitting Shift+’, I get this: « . Note that it lets me type the apostrophe correctly, even though it’s on the same key.

Anyone come across this before?

Posted on Jul 10, 2018 2:08 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

122,282 points

Jul 11, 2018 2:29 AM in response to Chappsnet

Go to Settings > General > Keyboard and tell us what you have set in the Hardware keyboards section, both on the left and on the right. Make sure it is not Automatic on the right, but US.

Also in Settings > General > Keyboard turn off the item that mentions Smart Punctuation.

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Answer 2

Chappsnet Author

Level 1

49 points

Jul 11, 2018 4:56 PM in response to Tom Gewecke

Ah, that's the section I missed - hardware keyboards. Somehow, it was set to UK (British), not US. That's still odd, though, that it would replace the # sign with the pound sterling symbol. But only in Twitter and Safari's address field.

I finally figured out how to invoke the virtual keyboard (holding on the down arrow on the bottom strip), but it's very odd that now I can't produce international monetary symbols by tapping and holding the $. Maybe I have to adjust another setting? I used to be able to do this. And I really wish Apple made accessing accented characters possible from the hardware keyboard. But now that I can invoke the virtual keyboard, I can just use that instead.

Thanks very much for helping out!

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Answer 3

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

122,282 points

Jul 12, 2018 2:19 AM in response to Chappsnet

Chappsnet wrote:

That's still odd, though, that it would replace the # sign with the pound sterling symbol.

British keyboards have always done that. They put # at Option 3. Another version, British-PC, puts # over at the right edge of the keyboard.

You can always make accented characters on a hardware keyboard via the standard option key shortcuts:

http://sites.psu.edu/symbolcodes/mac/codemac/

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Answer 4

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

122,282 points

Jul 12, 2018 12:12 PM in response to Chappsnet

Chappsnet wrote:

I do wish that the physical keyboard would support the tap and hold function in some way, presenting the accented options onscreen.

Let Apple know via

http://www.apple.com/feedback

It does seem like something they should add.

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Answer 5

Chappsnet Author

Level 1

49 points

Jul 12, 2018 11:27 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Even though I've used British keyboards, seeing a strange mapping - at odds with the printed value on the physical key - is jarring. And, yeah, I know about option key shortcuts, but memorizing those is a tad unlikely. I do wish that the physical keyboard would support the tap and hold function in some way, presenting the accented options onscreen.

But now that I know about tapping and holding the down arrow on the footer bar - that it invokes the virtual keyboard - I can now easily use that to produce accented characters. Many thanks.

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Smart Keyboard mapping issue (iPad Pro 12.9)

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