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iPhone 6+ Landscape Keyboard

D

dezza85

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 28, 2015
40
24
So after a thread the other day asking advice on as to buy a 6+ now or not, I took the plunge and am so far very happy. I definitely never have to check my pockets with the fear I've lost it.

Anyhow...

I really like using my devices in landscape and that was one of the big benefits for me over the 6. What I'm really struggling with is the landscape keyboard?! What have they made the buttons smaller just to squeeze some extras that are hardly used in?

Can you disable these? If not are we left to a third party keyboard? If that's the case what are people using?

Thanks
 
dezza85 said:
So after a thread the other day asking advice on as to buy a 6+ now or not, I took the plunge and am so far very happy. I definitely never have to check my pockets with the fear I've lost it.

Anyhow...

I really like using my devices in landscape and that was one of the big benefits for me over the 6. What I'm really struggling with is the landscape keyboard?! What have they made the buttons smaller just to squeeze some extras that are hardly used in?

Can you disable these? If not are we left to a third party keyboard? If that's the case what are people using?

Thanks
Click to expand...

You're stuck with it, the same way that you're stuck with the awful period button next to the smaller space bar in the web search portrait keyboard. Terrible choices by Apple!
 
If you use the zoom option in display you do get the bigger keyboard. The draw back is that it zoom mode, many of the special iPhone 6 plus function such as "landscape mode on home screen" or "2 panel style in mail" is replace with the more conventional one found on the iPhone 6.
 
Is it really "smaller" or is it that it just seems smaller because you're using it in landscape.

You can change the keyboard you know.
 
jrswizzle said:
Is it really "smaller" or is it that it just seems smaller because you're using it in landscape.

You can change the keyboard you know.
Click to expand...

Yes it really is smaller and true, he could install a buggy third party keyboard...

 
sunking101 said:
Yes it really is smaller and true, he could install a buggy third party keyboard...

[url=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c336/sunking101/A98999D2-36D4-4404-BFE7-7B9CA3080C2B.png]Image[/URL]
Click to expand...

It's wider but shorter I guess.

SwiftKey just updated their keyboard. Granted I haven't used one since right after they came out - felt the stock keyboard was great. Seems like I dodged a bullet with all the problems recently. I never experienced them while I used SwiftKey and Swype.
 
jrswizzle said:
It's wider but shorter I guess.

SwiftKey just updated their keyboard. Granted I haven't used one since right after they came out - felt the stock keyboard was great. Seems like I dodged a bullet with all the problems recently. I never experienced them while I used SwiftKey and Swype.
Click to expand...

The portrait keyboard has larger keys than the non-zoomed landscape keyboard, which is kinda annoying.

 
They keys aren't actually smaller in width (they are wider and shorter but that has nothing to do with extra keys since none were added vertically); don't take your eyes for it. Measure them physically. All they've done is rotate the portrait keyboard, shorten and fatten the keys a bit and add a bunch of keys, which I agree are rather useless. I can see why people are frustrated, but I can also see why Apple made this decision; they didn't want landscape keyboard taking up even more sxreen real estate. I have no idea why they opted for useless cut and paste keys...I don't use landscape much so I havent decided to go out and search from soemthibg third party. That said, when I tried swtor for a while it worked fine and wasn't buggy. I just personally don't get the hype of one handed texting.
 
Last edited:
Really what Apple ought to do is offer a split keyboard option like the one on the iPad. Would make landscape typing on the plus much easier.
 
Okay well regardless of if the keys are marginally bigger I smaller it definitely feels that way, especially as you have to reach past the new keys.

A split keyboard would be a great option, it could even put the additional keys in the centre with the letters closer to your fingers.

I have considered a third party keyboard on both my iPad and iPhone 5 and I found them to just not have the feel and flow of apples one.
 
I like that idea too, it's really awkward to use the landscape keyboard on the plus since the QWERTY keys are in the middle. Worse than with previous iPhones
 
dezza85 said:
Okay well regardless of if the keys are marginally bigger I smaller it definitely feels that way, especially as you have to reach past the new keys.

A split keyboard would be a great option, it could even put the additional keys in the centre with the letters closer to your fingers.

I have considered a third party keyboard on both my iPad and iPhone 5 and I found them to just not have the feel and flow of apples one.
Click to expand...

I wasn't disagreeing with you :)

I just thought I would point something out that wasn't being quite accurately stated in the thread.

The landscape keyboard is crap. I daresay it is worse than on a smaller device. Try some third party options. For now, that is your only option, really.
 
For me apple is everything that showing simplicity. It should be as simple as possible, no complexity.
 
I'm also concerned about the same thing as dez. Is there a way to force the portrait keyboard to work in landscape as well, even if through a third party? I thought there was some third party keyboard that did that?
 
businezguy said:
I'm also concerned about the same thing as dez. Is there a way to force the portrait keyboard to work in landscape as well, even if through a third party? I thought there was some third party keyboard that did that?
Click to expand...

You can put the phone in zoom mode. That will get you the standard old-style landscape keyboard, but at a price as things change elsewhere.
 
sunking101 said:
You can put the phone in zoom mode. That will get you the standard old-style landscape keyboard, but at a price as things change elsewhere.
Click to expand...

What are the steps to do this? I googled it and didn't find the steps and tried the zoom setting and they didn't make a difference. Thanks!
 
If I put my 6+ in landscape, instead of holding it and typing with my thumbs (which is hard for my reach), I find it better to set the device down on a table and type on it as if I'm on an iPad... But it hurts the eyes.
 
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