Apple Working on iPadOS Shortcuts for Changing iPad Keyboard Brightness

Apple appears to be working on keyboard shortcuts that will allow users who have a Magic Keyboard or other attached keyboard with key brightness settings to adjust the brightness level.

ipadpromagickeyboardtrackpad
Signs of Apple's work on the shortcuts were found in iOS 13.5.5 code by 9to5Mac. The site says the beta has references to keyboard shortcuts that replace some function keys.

We've found evidence in code that suggests the existence of new keyboard shortcuts to change the brightness of the iPad screen or even the backlight of the keyboard. However, we haven't been able to activate these shortcuts yet, and it's unclear if these will be customizable.

One of the negatives of the Magic Keyboard designed for the iPad Pro is that there's no quick way to change the brightness of the backlit keys because the keyboard lacks a function row in an effort to keep it compact.

iPadOS offers an option to remap modifier keys to do things like allow the Caps Lock button to serve as an Escape key, and 9to5Mac suggests that the brightness function keys will be adjustable similar to modifier keys, but with shortcut combinations.

iPad keyboards not designed by Apple that do feature function row keys typically have built-in brightness controls for backlighting, but this would be a welcome change for those that do not such as the Magic Keyboard.

Related Forum: iOS 13

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Apple Intelligence Now Available in New iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia Developer Betas

Monday July 29, 2024 10:07 am PDT by
Apple is today providing developers with the first betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, with the new software introducing an early version of the Apple Intelligence features. These new betas will be in testing alongside the current iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia 15 betas. Developers can choose whether to opt into the new betas with Apple Intelligence, or stay on the ...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Report: Apple Intelligence Delayed to iOS 18.1 in October

Sunday July 28, 2024 11:52 am PDT by
Apple Intelligence will miss its initial expected launch date to give Apple more time to fix bugs, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. According to individuals with knowledge about Apple's plans, the company now plans to start rolling out Apple Intelligence in software updates by October, arriving several weeks after the launch of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. This means that Apple...
T Mobile Generic Feature Pink 1

T-Mobile Sued for Breaking Lifetime Price Guarantees

Friday July 26, 2024 2:44 pm PDT by
T-Mobile customers have filed a lawsuit [PDF] against the carrier, alleging that it failed to honor a guarantee not to raise the prices of select cellular plans. The lawsuit, first spotted by Wired, claims that back in 2017, T-Mobile advertised several of its plans with a price lock, but then went on to increase prices starting in May 2024. "T-Mobile ONE customers keep their price until...

Top Rated Comments

xxray Avatar
54 months ago
They should make the entire numbers key row an alternative function key row paired with another key, like function or option.

Ex: option + 1 = lower brightness
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bluespark Avatar
54 months ago
What would be great would be a bar above the keyboard that you could touch for different functions.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hipnetic Avatar
54 months ago
How about a key combo (like ALT-Globe) that brings up a touchbar-like bar at the bottom of the iPad screen, where it will be easy to reach and adjust several different things?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rp2011 Avatar
54 months ago

How about a key combo (like ALT-Globe) that brings up a touchbar-like bar at the bottom of the iPad screen, where it will be easy to reach and adjust several different things?
Great idea. Or just add it to control center
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rp2011 Avatar
54 months ago
I have never once missed not having the function keys. It’s pretty easy to change any setting as it is.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PlayUltimate Avatar
54 months ago

They should make the entire numbers key row an alternative function key row paired with another key, like function or option.

Ex: option + 1 = lower brightness
Seems silly that they hadn't. IMO, massive oversight.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)