Float the keyboard and ‘type’ faster: this is how the keyboard of iPadOS 13 works

The keyboard of the iPad is significantly improved in iPadOS. Thanks to the floating keyboard, you save screen space and you can tap messages faster by swiping. This is how the new iPadOS 13 keyboard works.

Using the keyboard in iPadOS 13

Later this year, the iPad will finally get its own operating system. This software is similar to iOS 13 in many ways, but it also adds features specific to the iPad. These are the two main improvements.

1. Float the keyboard

Thanks to the large screen of the iPad, you can easily use two, three or more apps side by side. It’s just a shame that the keyboard then takes up almost half of your screen, and you can’t see anything like that. iPadOS 13 solves this problem by letting the keyboard ‘float’ where you want. This is very simple:

1. Touch the keyboard of your iPad with two fingers;
2. Make a pinch motion moving both fingers together in the same way you zoom a map;
3. Continue to ‘pinch’ until the keyboard has the desired size;
4. Place your finger on the horizontal bar at the bottom to move the keyboard across the screen.

Do you want to reattach the keyboard to the bottom of the screen? Then you have to move two fingers apart, just like you do in Maps to zoom in. You can also press and hold the horizontal bar and move it to the bottom of the screen.

2. Swipe

The second big improvement is that you can now swipe instead of typing. You swipe your finger from one letter after another on the keyboard, without letting go of the screen. Some people like this to work better than having to tap on a single letter each time.

This technique is enabled by default on your iPad. You don’t have to choose between typing or swiping, because both input methods work. This allows you to switch from tapping to swiping and vice versa between sentences.

Release date of iPadOS 13

Currently, the public beta of iPadOS 13 is in full swing, with the final version rolling out for all iPads in September. Read our iPadOS preview for a first impression. Check our iPadOS overview page to see if your iPad will receive the update soon.

Read more about iPadOS

• Major security updates available for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch (26-3)
• Explained: Pair and control an iPad with a mouse or trackpad (20-2)
• Video of the week: Magic Keyboard review (4-9-2020)
• New features in iPadOS 14: Video of the week (8/7/2020)
• Concept: iPadOS 15 with new home screen, better widgets and more (7/21/2020)