One of the rumored iOS 13 features was support for mouse input as an Accessibility option. While Apple didn’t mention it on stage, iPadOS 13 does indeed support mouse input as an AssistiveTouch option.
Mouse input in iPadOS 13 works much like you would expect it to, especially when you consider that it is an AssistiveTouch feature. The mouse cursor resembles other Assistive Touch input options, simulating a finger over the interface.
Mouse input on the iPad works with USB mice connected to the iPad’s Lightning or USB-C port. This includes Apple’s Magic Trackpad, allowing you to navigate through iPadOS without actually touching the display. It is enabled via the Accessibility menu in the iPadOS Settings app.
Developer Steve Troughton-Smith shared a video of the feature in action, noting that it works exactly like a finger – and can do anything a finger can do while navigating around the operating system:
Hello mouse support on iOS 13! It’s an AssistiveTouch feature, and works with USB mice. @viticci nailed this pic.twitter.com/nj6xGAKSg0
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) June 3, 2019
At this point, it’s unclear if Apple has any further plans to expand support for mouse input in iPadOS 13. At this point, it’s clearly meant as an Accessibility feature, but you could theoretically use it if you wanted to give the iPad a laptop-like feel.
What do you think of this feature? Let us know down in the comments. Read our news hub to see a full recap of everything Apple announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote this afternoon.
