Hardware

Why is my iPad keyboard stuck sideways?

iPad keyboard stuck
Key problem: this iPad feature isn't 'magical'

You tap into the search bar on your iPad, wait for the software keyboard to appear and – bam! – it appears alright, just stuck sideways to the edge of the screen!

You can’t move the keyboard. Minimising and reopening the keyboard makes no difference. You’ve either got to learn to type at 90 degrees or forget about searching your iPad.

Judging by internet support forums and feedback on Twitter, this a problem that seems to intermittently afflict iPads running iOS 10. Is there any way to make it stop?

Sometimes, the problem appears to fix itself, but as Dominic Reid noted on Twitter, you can fix the problem by rebooting the iPad. Yes, literally turning it off and on again by holding down the power button at the top of the device for a few seconds, swiping the power slider and then firing the device up again.

Another solution may be to install a third-party keyboard such as the excellent SwiftKey or Swype. We’ve had a quick play with SwiftKey this morning and not suffered any orientation problems, but we’ll let you know if it fails during long-term testing.

About the author

Barry Collins

Barry has scribbled about tech for almost 20 years for The Sunday Times, PC Pro, WebUser, Which? and many others. He was once Deputy Editor of Mail Online and remains in therapy to this day. Email Barry at barry@bigtechquestion.com.

Add Comment

Click here to post a comment

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.