Connecting a mouse to an iPad without jailbreak. What peripherals can be connected to iPhone, iPad

Greetings to all. My name is Roman Luzanov.

In my first article, I would like to first of all draw your attention to my project related to iOS development, as well as hear your personal opinion on the usability of the mouse manipulator with iOS devices.

Two months ago I recorded and posted a video of my project - a mouse for iPad. The point is simple: iOS devices do not support a mouse, but they perfectly support Bluetooth Low Energy, which means that, if desired, any iOS devices You can connect an external (including one you create yourself) device. I've always been fascinated by the idea of using a mouse with a tablet, particularly an iPad. But iOS does not support a mouse at all, which is not the case with Android. operating room iOS system has always been positioned by Apple in which control should go through touching the screen with your fingers. The entire interface is designed for this. And I find this to be a really great strategy for most tasks that can be done on tablets or phones. At the same time, in my opinion, there are a number of tasks that are much more convenient and faster to perform using a mouse, while remaining within the mobile platform. 

Such tasks include editing large texts - when I first tried to type and edit my resume in mobile version Pages, I realized that I would spend much more effort and time doing it on the iPad. After 5 minutes I decided to continue working on the Mac. In my opinion, the mouse will also the best tool for games, in particular first-person shooter games. All those implementations of character control in games like Dead Trigger 2 or Modern Combat 5 are of course the best that can be for the Touchscreen, but still comparable to the experience desktop platforms where the mouse offers more free control, I think they won’t be able to. 

After I finished my first Arduino project, I realized that I could build my own mouse and keyboard that could be connected to iOS. Of course, you also need to write a library for their easy integration with any iOS project. Which is what I subsequently did. As a demonstration, I chose several Unity engine projects. In my opinion, they demonstrated in the best possible way the ability to play games on a tablet using a mouse.  

The purpose of my project is not to tell in detail how I did it, but to demonstrate the fact that the mouse can be used on iOS as alternative source data entry, which in some cases is more convenient than Touchscreen.  

The video about the project turned out to be longer and more detailed than I initially expected, so I don’t want to write a lot of text here. I also do not include source codes, because this project is based on my first project where all the sources are in open access. I repeat, the goal of the project is different. And lastly - video on English language, I hope this does not cause problems with understanding.

I would like to hear the opinion of the habr community about the prospects for the appearance of a mouse on iOS platform, how realistic this is, and your personal opinion on this issue.
Thank you for your attention.

Tags: iPad, Mouse, iOS, Unity, BLE, bluetooth low energy, Arduino

We continue to introduce you to interesting programs, aimed at interaction between iPad and computer. Last time we talked about remote connection to the computer using the program. And today one of our regular readers just asked the question whether it is possible to use the iPad as a virtual keyboard for a PC. Of course you can, and not only as a keyboard, but also as a huge touchpad for controlling the mouse cursor. All this can be done using the "Mobile Mouse" program.
Working with "Mobile Mouse" is very simple. You only need three things:

1) Opportunity iPad connections and a computer to one Wi-Fi point.

2) PC version of the program for the desired OS. Downloaded from .

3) Version of the program for iPad. It can be downloaded from iTunes using the link at the end of the review or again from.

Having installed both applications, first launch the version for PC, and then the version for iPad, after which it should happen automatic connection between them. If the computer was not found, you can directly specify its IP address through the settings menu. There you can also choose the right computer, if any (with running program) some.

And that's it, you can work. The entire huge area of the tablet screen is used as a touchpad, and even with multi-touch. You can use it in applications that support scaling. For example, in browsers or when viewing images.

You can see shortcuts at the bottom of the screen installed programs like a MacBook.

Of particular interest here is the rightmost shortcut, which allows you to view folders and files located on the remote computer.

At the top, after the settings menu, is the sound control menu.

Following it is a menu for working with the browser (with Google Chrome) and the Home button.

On the right are buttons for calling the extended keyboard and numeric keypad. By the way, the program can work not only in portrait, but also in landscape orientation.

As for the program running on the computer, there are also some options. For example, here you can find out the computer’s IP, set a password for access, and also adjust the speed of the mouse cursor, scrolling, set hot keys, etc.

In this article we will talk about how to connect a mouse and keyboard to the iPad.

The main difference between a tablet and a laptop lies in the areas of their use. If a laptop is designed to make content, then a tablet is needed to consume it. But why not make a laptop out of an iPad? For this you need a keyboard and mouse. Although to connect the mouse you will need to install jailbreak and paid Cidya. So how to make iPad full laptop?

Connecting a keyboard

One of the main cons of iPad is that it is inconvenient to type on. Although standard keyboard It will be quite enough for communication on social networks. But if you want to write voluminous text It will already be inconvenient. In this case, that’s exactly what you need external keyboard. You can buy the official one from Apple or another one that you like better.

Turn on the accessory and turn on Bluetooth on the device. Wait a moment while the keyboard name is found
Click on its name and wait. The iPad will try to connect to the accessory, and if the operation is successful, you will see a message that you need a key to establish the connection. Enter this combination and press Enter. As a rule, there are no difficulties here, but if the connection fails, then reboot the accessory

The keyboard is connected and you can use it. But the layout may be inconvenient for you. For example, a period and a comma are located on numeric keypad, and not where usual. Although its layout can be changed.

Go to main settings and select "Keyboard"
You will be taken to a menu where 2 or more languages will be written
Select any one and you will be shown standard layout physical keyboard
In general, you need the Russian-PC layout. Select it and go back
Now the layout will be almost as usual

Connecting a mouse

Let us remind you once again that to connect you will need a jailbreak and BTC Mouse & Trackpad, which costs $4.98. You can buy the application in Cydia.

Install it and go to iPad settings
Connect your mouse to see the new device appear in the settings
Click on it and connect to the mouse
In the settings on the left side, find Extensions and click on the mouse. Here you can also adjust the switching speed, you can swap the buttons or turn off the scroll wheel. You can configure presentation mode and simulate two-finger clicks for some applications
The left key has a single tap function, and when pressed for a long time, it is recognized as a long click on the display. Concerning right button, then it works like Home. Use the scroll wheel to scroll through screens on your desktop

As you can see, there is nothing complicated here either, but some preparation is needed. So, you got an iPad with a mouse and keyboard. So even if you leave your laptop at home, you can still use your tablet. But, to obtain this opportunity, some investments are required.

Video: How to connect a mouse and keyboard for ipad or iphone IOS7?

So unusual and familiar to everyone iOS user devices with the only data connector on our iPhone, iPad and iPod touch combines several, different, ports at once.

Initially, the only data port was considered regular USB, but after opening some firmware people found that it is also Ethernet port, that is? so hated Apple network port.

The evolution of music devices for iPhone and iPad was made by the 5th version of the iOS operating system, which included support for the Midi interface. From now on you can connect to your iOS device great amount equipment In principle, this can be seen from the large number of accessories available in many online stores. We will now talk about various peripherals for iPhone and iPad.

Standard peripherals for iPhone, iPad

Probably everyone, having bought a tablet, after half a year is faced with the fact that with any printing speed on virtual keyboard I can't help but look at the screen. Touch typing will not work. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that Apple company practically in no way provided for an accurate system feedback(tactile sensations), on the other hand, the text selection system is not very convenient on all tablets yet. After this, the hasty selection of a keyboard begins. In principle, being a stripped down version of FreeBSD or MacOS, whichever you prefer, operating system iOS already supports HID profile ( Human Interface Device) devices, so the keyboard is supported out of the box. Methods connect the keyboard to iPhone, iPad two – via Bluetooth and via Camera Connection Kit.

It’s also more pleasant to connect the speakers to the “dock”. And docking stations for iPhone and iPad are different. There is a huge variety of them in online stores - with additional HDMI ports, a fork for composite cables, or even with a remote control for remote control playback This class of devices is quite widely represented on the market in a variety of price categories. At the same time, no one forbids simply connecting speakers to the headphone jack.

Thanks to MIDI support for iOS devices, guitar adapters like iRig, a variety of DJ tables and sequencers that only work with their special software located in App Store. Each device is unique, so it’s simply pointless to talk about each of this group.

External displays for iPhone, iPad

The most pressing topic is displays that can be connected to iPhone and iPad. To do this, you must first select the purpose of use - simple home viewing, for games or for screen capture. The connection method in each of these cases is different. As well as the purposes, there are three interfaces – Wi-Fi Airplay, HDMI and AV.

To watch video on old TVs, we need an AV cable, simply tulips. The connection is absolutely identical to other devices by type game console or DVD player. I won’t write much about this, I’ll just note that there is a limitation - you can’t show absolutely everything that happens on the device, but only video and photos.

To view video in 720p resolution, an HDMI cable is required.

And finally, the third way to output images from iPhone, iPad to external screen- through AirPlay. Here we need AirPort Express or AppleTV to connect your device to simple TV. And for those who are going to use connections for screen video capture, you will need a PC/MAC with Wi-Fi network. For proper operation we will need third party software, such as AirServer or Mirroring. Each of these programs, unfortunately, has a fairly high price, which is why it is recommended to use it only for work purposes.

But in addition to the above, we should not forget about portable projectors. I expect that portable projectors with brightness from 13 to 20 lumens and resolution from VGA to WVGA, coupled with a price of about 4 thousand rubles, will soon become popular, which will make them attractive for purchase. The connection also occurs through a regular i-port.

Non-standard devices for iPhone, iPad

Everyone can clearly see that the iPad is great tool for creativity, especially for drawing. iPad does not support a stylus due to its display technology. However, now special styluses are sold that calculate pressure and change colors and line thickness. They only work with their own special software and are only on the shelves of online stores.

Stylus for iPhone, iPad. Another strange accessory is an electronic pen that remembers everything you write. And if you want to have lectures or drawings in a digital version, you can buy one for yourself. The only one available in Russia is a pen from the Ritmix company. Everything written can be viewed on the iPad, and automatically recognized by one of the programs for handwriting recognition, which I have not yet seen in the App Store for the Russian language.

Well, probably the last in this review of available accessories will be transmitters. And they come in two types: FM and IR.

The first is for transmitting audio from a device to radio frequencies, and are quite common, given that they do not require any additional software.

The second ones are for emulating remote controls. Not so long ago, programs began to appear in the App Store - universal remote controls– they are designed specifically for this type of accessory. With their help, you can train your iPhone to change channels on your TV or tracks on your media system. That is, control household appliances.

Expanding space - external drives for iPhone, iPad

Anyone who buys a device with even 64 gigabytes of memory will eventually need additional space. And even in this case, there are two options. First - wireless wifi hard disks. They connect quickly and are easy to work with, thanks to additional applications from the App Store - but they greatly limit the speed of working with data. One of the reference devices of this kind is the Seagate GoFlex.

On the other hand, there is always the opportunity to insert a card into (what is the Cam-era Connection Kit), but then you will be limited to only two types of information - video and photo. All files must be placed in the DCIM folder in the root of the card, and the video must be converted to MOV format.

The same complex method– external HDD. The downside is that it requires a large number of energy - that is, it will be required external source power supply in the form of a portable power supply or a powered USB hub. All information will be available only to owners of devices with jailback and latest version iFile programs with automatic connection of external memory.

You should also forget about external online storage, but in Russia this is still inconvenient. Too much high prices on Mobile Internet With pitfalls in the tariff schedule and bad signal, which accelerates battery drain by 40% for any operator, deprives us of such joy as constant communication with the cloud.

Design and correction of text: Acht

P.S. I tried to tell everyone useful devices , which can be used with iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. I missed external batteries , because their role is known to everyone, as well as especially exotic devices. Hope you liked this one short review

accessories. Write below about additions. If you haven’t found the answer to your question or something didn’t work out for you and there’s no answer in the comments below suitable solution