How to use mouse and keyboard on iPhone and iPad

The iPhone has taken the place of a PC in every aspect of our technological life: from it we check emails, social networks and use productivity apps (such as Word or Excel) to be able to carry on with work without having to wait to go home or to the office. Unfortunately, some operations are more immediate with the mouse and keyboard, making the use of the iPhone on productivity work (such as writing an article or filling in tables) quite difficult. To remedy this we will show you in this guide how to use mouse and keyboard on iPhone, so that we can stop for a moment (in a bar, in a public park with Wi-Fi), find a stable foothold (a table for example) and start working with mouse and keyboard as if we were in front of the PC!
This is made possible thanks to the latest iOS (and iPadOS) updates, which allow you to easily use any type of keyboard and mouse (wired and wireless).
READ ALSO: Transform and use the tablet as a portable PC (Android and iPad)

iPhone and iPad with mouse and keyboard

In the following chapters we will show you how to connect a USB keyboard and mouse to our iPhone or iPad and how to connect wireless keyboards and mice via Bluetooth technology.

How to connect Bluetooth mouse and keyboard

Wireless mice and keyboards with Bluetooth technology are compact and easy to carry along with the iPhone, so we decided to treat them first.

To connect a Bluetooth keyboard, first of all turn it on and hold the pairing button to make them forget the last pairing (the control light should flash quickly); now that the keyboard is ready, we take our iPhone, turn on Bluetooth from Settings -> Bluetooth or by pressing the Bluetooth icon from the Control Center (by swiping from the bottom edge or from the top right corner), we wait for the wireless keyboard so we press on his name at the right time; the system may ask us for a security code, which is usually 0000 or 1234. After a few seconds the keyboard will be paired and we will be able to write on the iPhone in apps such as Word, Excel or the like.
The best Bluetooth keyboards that we can use on the iPhone are:

1. SENGBIRCH Bluetooth Italian Keyboard (15 €)
2. OMOTON Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard (16 €)
3. Bluetooth folding keyboard (26 €)
4. IKOS, Foldable Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard (29 €)
5. Logitech K480 Bluetooth keyboard (38 €)

To connect a Bluetooth mouse, prepare the mouse for pairing by holding down the specific button for a few seconds, then turn on our iPhone, turn on Bluetooth as seen for the keyboard, go to the Settings app, press on the Accessibility menu, press on the Touch menu, let's go to the AssistiveTouch menu, activate the homonymous item at the top then scroll until you find the Devices menu.

In the screen that opens we press on Bluetooth devices, then add the wireless mouse in our possession, so that we can use it on our iPhone (basically the cursor is a circle, which in fact simulates the touch of the screen).
If we want to see other types of wireless keyboards and mice, we refer you to our articles on the best PC keyboard to buy: wifi, ergonomic and backlit and on the best PC mouse: wireless, optical, laser or games .

How to connect mouse and USB keyboard

Using a USB keyboard or mouse is slightly more difficult, since we will have to use a special OTG to be able to offer a USB port from the Lightning socket (present on all iPhones) and we will still have to deal with larger keyboards (in fact we can only keep them at home or in the office, ready to be used if necessary). The best OTG for iPhone is undoubtedly the one offered by Amatage, on sale for only € 13.

Other similar OTG adapters are the meloaudio 8 Pin Adapter (€ 10) and the official Apple signed OTG, with a very high cost (over € 40 are needed to take it home).
Once purchased the OTG, connect it to the Lightning socket of our iPhone, then use the USB port obtained from it to connect a wired mouse or keyboard. The keyboards should work automatically without having to configure anything, while to make the mouse work we must make sure to activate AssistiveTouch from the path Settings -> Accessibility -> Touch .
Unfortunately, not all mice and keyboards with cable work due to the limited amount of current that the Lightning port can provide: on paper the more the keyboard and mouse are simple (without lights or additional keys), the higher the chances that they work.
The best USB keyboards and mice that we can use on the iPhone are.

1. AmazonBasics USB Mouse (€ 6)
2. HP X1000 USB Mouse (7 €)
3. Logitech B100 Mouse with USB (7 €)
4. HP 1500 Keyboard with USB connection (10 €)
5. Logitech K120 USB keyboard (12 €)

Conclusions

The new versions of iOS have added many interesting features to the iPhone, including good support for Bluetooth keyboards and mice (the simplest to configure and wirelessly we can use both at the same time) and their wired counterparts (on which we will have to add a USB OTG adapter to use only one device at a time).
If we want to do the same operation on Android, just read our guide on How to use a portable keyboard for Smartphone and Tablet .
To use a keyboard or mouse from a PC to an Android smartphone, we can also read our in-depth analysis Write on Android with a USB keyboard or in wifi from a PC .
If instead we want to use our iPhone as an emergency mouse and keyboard or remotely for our computer, we recommend you read the article Use iPhone or Android as a mouse and keyboard for the computer .