Apple waited until iOS 5 to add a split keyboard option to the iPad. The new feature meant easier thumb typing in both portrait and landscape and came along with the option to "undock" the keyboard so it could be placed in the middle of the screen. There was also a hidden feature that we weren't aware of until, well, today: "phantom keys." The discovery comes from Finer Things in Tech, which notes that when in split mode you can type Y, H, and B with your left thumb by reaching just across to the dead space adjacent to the T, G, and V. Similarly, reverse those letter combinations to see what you can hit with your right thumb. It may seem like a silly feature, but longtime smartphone users — and especially portrait keyboard aficionados — are often used to sneaking a thumb across the center of the keyboard to hit a key.
iPad tip: ‘phantom’ keys in the middle of the split keyboard
There was also a hidden feature that we weren’t aware of until, well, today: “phantom keys.” The discovery comes from David Chartier, who notes that when in split mode you can type Y, H, and B with your left thumb by reaching just across to the dead space adjacent to the T, G, and V. Similarly, reverse those letter combinations to see what you can hit with your right thumb.
There was also a hidden feature that we weren’t aware of until, well, today: “phantom keys.” The discovery comes from David Chartier, who notes that when in split mode you can type Y, H, and B with your left thumb by reaching just across to the dead space adjacent to the T, G, and V. Similarly, reverse those letter combinations to see what you can hit with your right thumb.
Image: David Chartier
