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iPadOS 13.4 Mouse Mega(ish)thread

ecschwarz

ecschwarz

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 28, 2010
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I tried to see if anyone else had started something similar (yes, the title is lofty), but with iPadOS 13.4 adding mouse support, it might be nice to see what people are using and what mice are not getting the dreaded "may interfere with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth" warning that seems to happen with older Bluetooth mice and Apple's first-gen Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad (not to mention the broken nature of the original Magic Trackpad/Magic Mouse with 13.4).

I'm using a Magic TrackPad 2 with my personal iPad, but looking for a cheaper Bluetooth mouse for my work iPad Pro—does anyone want to share which ones they're using and what's working well/not well? I feel like there's a lot of good Logitech/Microsoft hardware out there, but subtle differences have led to different levels of support.

I was using the Magic Trackpad 2 with my Mac, but took it for the iPad and used an original Magic Trackpad with the Mac instead...at least then each device gets scrolling/gestures.
 
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I found a Rocketfish mouse from probably about ten years ago that was obviously a knockoff of Apple's design in a drawer and paired it for the heck of it. I get the warning in Settings > Bluetooth, but it's working okay otherwise: right-click works as does the scroll wheel (including rocking it for left/right scrolling). I wonder if many other Bluetooth mice mostly work and it's just something wrong with Apple's original products?
 
Magic Trackpad 1, only works for pointing and single click. Apple's mice don't work because Apple doesn't want them to. They refuse to write the drivers.
 
venom600 said:
Magic Trackpad 1, only works for pointing and single click. Apple's mice don't work because Apple doesn't want them to. They refuse to write the drivers.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm just curious what non-Apple mice people are using...I had to run to work and grabbed my Microsoft Sculpt Comfort Mouse that I was using with my work iPad Pro prior to 13.4. It works, the Windows "key" on the side acts as a Command key, so that and clicking is great for opening things in new tabs on Safari. I do get the "may interfere with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth" warning though.
 
Using the Logitech MX ANywhere 2S mouse and the Trackpad 2 with 2018 12.9 Pro and they both work great. The mouse readily switches between the iPad and a docked Win10 laptop (as does the Logitech K380 keyboard).
 
I’m using the Magic Mouse 1 and having a horrible experience. It barely connects and when it does it‘s just for single click. No scrolling, or anything else. I get frustrated after a couple mins of trying to move the mouse around to get it working and I stop using it. I have replaced the batteries too and still a bad experience. I‘ll wait for the Magic keyboard to come out in May and give it a go.
 
E pow said:
I’m using the Magic Mouse 1 and having a horrible experience. It barely connects and when it does it‘s just for single click. No scrolling, or anything else. I get frustrated after a couple mins of trying to move the mouse around to get it working and I stop using it. I have replaced the batteries too and still a bad experience. I‘ll wait for the Magic keyboard to come out in May and give it a go.
Click to expand...

They may never support the MM1.
 
sparksd said:
Using the Logitech MX ANywhere 2S mouse and the Trackpad 2 with 2018 12.9 Pro and they both work great. The mouse readily switches between the iPad and a docked Win10 laptop (as does the Logitech K380 keyboard).
Click to expand...

I'm thinking of going that route—are you seeing the interference error in Settings > Bluetooth with the MX Anywhere 2S?
 
ecschwarz said:
I'm thinking of going that route—are you seeing the interference error in Settings > Bluetooth with the MX Anywhere 2S?
Click to expand...

Not that I recall but I initially paired it some time ago. My guess it's tied to this warning - 2.4GHz interference -

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201542

I don't worry about it, I've never run into it. Only time I ever had an interference problem was with attaching a USB3 HDD to a router.
 
sparksd said:
Not that I recall but I initially paired it some time ago. My guess it's tied to this warning - 2.4GHz interference -

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201542

I don't worry about it, I've never run into it. Only time I ever had an interference problem was with attaching a USB3 HDD to a router.
Click to expand...

Oh, the message started showing up with 13.4, but only on certain mice/trackpads - it's persistent for a particular device, so I'm wondering if it's Bluetooth 2.0/3.0/etc. I'm not seeing any performance issues, just trying to figure out which devices it does/doesn't appear on:
IMG_0525.jpeg
 
I’ve been using the old Citrix X1 mouse I had lying around, but today my wife reminded me there was an Apple Magic Trackpad in the office which is no longer getting used...

It totally transforms the experience. The cursor, scrolling & gestures all work and are super-smooth. I now have big hopes for the Magic Keyboard when its released.
 
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I picked up the Logitech M535 during my last shopping trip to help use my iPad Pro as my primary computing device during this whole CoronaCraziness. It paired super simply and works about as well as I could of hoped.

I will say that using a mouse as opposed to multi-touch trackpad has seems to have downsides, as you don’t get some of the gesture functionality. For instance, I don’t think I can close apps without touching the screen. Overall, non-Apple mouse support to me is like a B+, and I can see how the magic trackpad would be an A+ experience. I’m counting down the days until the Magic Keyboard release.
 
DisraeliGears said:
I will say that using a mouse as opposed to multi-touch trackpad has seems to have downsides, as you don’t get some of the gesture functionality. For instance, I don’t think I can close apps without touching the screen. Overall, non-Apple mouse support to me is like a B+, and I can see how the magic trackpad would be an A+ experience. I’m counting down the days until the Magic Keyboard release.
Click to expand...

I agree it's not as good, but can be usable in some cases. If you mash the pointer all the way to the bottom of the screen, it should go home or bring up multitasking. On the 2018/2020 Pros, you can also click the little home "line."

PortoMavericks said:
I think it has to do with antenna design.
Click to expand...

I'd buy that theory, but it seems to vary based on input device, not iPad—my 10.2" iPad is perfectly happy with a Magic Trackpad 2, while my work 12.9" 2018 iPad Pro has the message for a Microsoft Sculpt mouse. Flipping devices seems to follow, rather than anything paired with a non-Pro iPad. I'll be curious to see when the message appears and with what iPad/input device combos.
 
I use the discontinued swiftpoint GT.
Switfpoint has newer models though. https://www.swiftpoint.com/

One big advantage (beside the small sice and ergonomic advantages) is that it works like a regular mouse in many of the remote desktop apps. I´ve used it in both teamviewer and RD Client , and it works perfectly.

One dissadvantage is that the scrolling sometimes stop working in IpadOS. But hopefully apple will fix that bug.
It also does take some time to get use to, but it´s supposed to be better for you hand than a regular mouse.

3AF280B6-1F9B-4516-B1ED-2B64F04CF1C6.jpeg
 
Does anyone have any performance messages with the Magic Mouse 2? Thinking of picking one up for my 10.2” iPad but I don’t want to buy a mouse that interferes even slightly.
 
Gibson88 said:
Does anyone have any performance messages with the Magic Mouse 2? Thinking of picking one up for my 10.2” iPad but I don’t want to buy a mouse that interferes even slightly.
Click to expand...

I use the Logitech MX Anywhere 2S mouse and have the msg and zero interference issues. Has anyone actually reported any interference issues or is this Apple just taking the easy path of a generic warning about Bluetooth devices and Wi-Fi interference? That seems to be the case -

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211009

This is a generic device issue, not unique to iPads - Bluetooth and Wi-Fi share 2.4GHz frequency and there is the potential for interference. You can avoid it by using 5GHz Wi-Fi. Or just ignore the warnings - I do and have never experienced an issue.
 
I wonder if it’s to do with mice that support 2.4ghz and Bluetooth? Has anyone had this message a mouse that only connects via bluetooth?
 
Gibson88 said:
I wonder if it’s to do with mice that support 2.4ghz and Bluetooth? Has anyone had this message a mouse that only connects via bluetooth?
Click to expand...

Not sure what your question is - Bluetooth operates at 2.4GHz. Mice that use a USB dongle also typically use 2.4GHz.
 
sparksd said:
Not sure what your question is - Bluetooth operates at 2.4GHz. Mice that use a USB dongle also typically use 2.4GHz.
Click to expand...

I think Gibson88 was talking about Bluetooth-only vs Bluetooth and some sort of proprietary USB dongle. The Microsoft Sculpt and old Rocketfish mice I've tested are both Bluetooth-only.
 
ecschwarz said:
I think Gibson88 was talking about Bluetooth-only vs Bluetooth and some sort of proprietary USB dongle. The Microsoft Sculpt and old Rocketfish mice I've tested are both Bluetooth-only.
Click to expand...

ah, got it. But in the end, a Bluetooth signal is a Bluetooth signal.
 
ecschwarz said:
Yeah, that's where I'm wondering if it's more of a Bluetooth version issue (3.x vs. 4.x LE/Smart vs. 5.x, etc.)
Click to expand...

Apple needs to provide an explanation for the warning message. How many people are going to be seeing that and not having a clue as to whether or not their device will actually cause a problem?
 
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