I reply to all emails and support request. If you are facing any issue, please reach out me (tools@toolbunch.com). Help me make KeyPad better.
I get between 10 and 30 installs, and between 1 and 3 purchases a day worldwide. If you like KeyPad please tell your friends/colleagues. If you know an influencer who can help showcase my app please do tell them about it.
How is KeyPad different/Special?
KeyPad does not work with MacOS Ventura
Don’t purchase till you have verified KeyPad works
Not able to use the Mouse on the iPhone
I can’t use enter key to send message in Whatsapp!
Controlling the Apple TV is no longer available with Sonoma
KeyPad was Pick of the Week in “This Week In Tech!”
If you have any suggestions for features, or how I can market my app better do send me email at tools@toolbunch.com.
Do check out our features for Power Users.
- Frequently asked questions
- Bugs and known Issues
- Help us add support for more languages
- Keyboard Shortcuts
- Windows NOT Supported
Frequently asked questions
How is KeyPad different/Special?
Of course I am going to say that KeyPad is the best app you can use. There are primarily three differences between KeyPad and other similar apps.
KeyPad uses only Bluetooth
There is no WIFI/Network access in KeyPad. There is no data that can be shared from the app. See my Privacy Policy for more. The only permission that the app has is Bluetooth.
No application needed on device to control
KeyPad emulates a bluetooth keyboard and mouse. This means that the device you are controlling sees it as a true keyboard and mouse. There is no application that you need to install on the device that is being controlled.
KeyPad is less than 1 Mega bytes in size
When was the last time you saw an app that was less than 1 megabyte in size?
In addition to this, there are very few other apps left that can still do what KeyPad does. Apps like TypeTo and 1keyboard are no longer available.
Keypad does not work in Ventura
Due to a bug in MacOS Ventura (13.x) Keypad does not work. There is no fix for this and this bug has broken a lot of apps out there. If you are technically inclined and want to know what this bug is:
https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/718844
https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/730439
In 1.98+ if you launch the app on ventura I show a message and terminate the app.
Don’t purchase till you have verified it works
Please don’t purchase KeyPad till you have verified that it is working for you. All features of the app are available for a single device. If you are trying out the app and want to verify another device, delete the current device in Preferences and connect to the a new device.
If the app is working for you, please do consider purchasing. It will help me keep developing the app.
If you have already purchased and it is not working.
Not able to use the mouse on the iPhone
The iPhone does not have the Mouse feature available by default. To use the mouse you need to go to:
Settings | Accessibility | Touch | Assistive Touch
And turn on Assistive Touch.
Control Control + Option with the KeyPad window open and the mouse cursor will lock to the botton of the KeyPad window. You will now be able to use the mouse to Control the iPhone.
Controlling the Apple TV is no longer available with Sonoma
From MacOS 12.3 it has been impossible to make a new bluetooth connection from the Apple TV to the Mac. I have not been able to figure this out and have given up on this.
If your TV supports bluetooth keyboards (example Android TV’s) you will be able to connect to the TV instead (and use CEC).
If KeyPad works with your TV do send me email with Brand and Model number so that I can add it to a supported list.
I can’t use enter key to send message in Whatsapp!
This can happen on Android Phones and is a feature of whatsapp. To enable enter key to send a message:
- Go to Whatsapp settings
- Select Chats
- There is a setting for “Enter to send” turn it on
Can I connect to multiple devices?
Yes, KeyPad 0.92 upwords supports multiple devices. This feature requires an in-app purchase.
Not able to setup a new connection on Big Sur (MacOS 11.1)
Some users have been having issues with connecting to iPhone and iPad devices with iOS 14.2 and 14.3. The solution that seems to work is.
- Forget the Mac from the iPad/iPhone and the iPhone/iPad from the Mac
- Reboot both the Mac and the iPad/iPhone
- Launch KeyPad preferences and click on “Launch Bluetooth Settings…”
- Connect to the Mac from the iPhone/iPad
Mouse is not working with iPad
Some customers have faced issues with the mouse not working when connected to the iPad. If you face this, forget the iPad from the Mac Bluetooth Settings, and forget the Mac from the iPad bluetooth settings. Then try to make a new connection. Sometimes you may need to reboot the Mac and iPad before it connects.
Some users find the mouse is too fast on the iPad. When you are connected to the iPad:
- Go to Settings | Mouse & Trackpad
- Set mouse acceleration to 0
- Adjust the Natural Scrolling setting to what you prefer
This should improve the quality of the Mouse experience. Please send me email if you have issues.
Brightness Key’s in the media toolbar are not working
Brightness support is a new feature introduced in 1.73. If you have been a user of KeyPad before (before 1.73) you may find that they do not work. The only way to fix this is to forget KeyPad from the device you want to control, and create a new connection. It is like disconnecting the bluetooth keyboard, and then reconnecting a new one.
The reason for brightness not working – technical answer
Brightness is a set of new “keys” added in KeyPad 1.73. When you use a physical bluetooth keyboard, you cannot add new keys to it. Most devices (phones, mac’s, tablets) extract the keyboard definition on first connect and save it. That definition tells the device that when they get a keystroke what should it be used as.
KeyPad being software, can add new features, and upgrade the keyboard. In this case, the device does not have the definition of the brightness keys, and when it receives the keystroke it does not know what to do with it. You will notice that the decrease brightness key will work like the home button, and the increase brightness button will do nothing.
There is no way for KeyPad to tell your device to reset, and re-read the keyboard definition table. This is only possible by forgetting KeyPad from the device, and reconnecting, which results in the device reading the keyboard definition again.
I hope this helps. If you have any questions, please send me email at tools@toolbunch.com
Can I change the HotKey for launching KeyPad?
The default hotkey is Command – Option P, and it works only for the first device you setup. You can change the hotkey from Preferences.
When I try to launch KeyPad I see a Flash and nothing happens
Usually this will happen if the KeyPad setup is incomplete. Note that it takes up to 15 seconds to complete setup. Setup is complete only when the KeyPad screen pops up at the last step of the connection.
This issue happens when the Mac has lost the bluetooth connection between the Mac and the connected Phone/TV/Tablet. The best way to get around this is to reconnect the device to KeyPad.
Can I use the volume key to take a photograph?
With 0.90 upwards you can. Thank you to our user who asked for this feature. It was the reason we added Media key support.
Bugs and Known Issues
KeyPad does not work with iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV) on MacOS Catalina (10.15.3) and High Sierra (10.13.6), this is because of a bug in MacOS. Read my blog post for more details. It continues to work with Android phones, TVs, and even MacOS desktops.
This bug has been fixed in MacOS 10.15.4, 10.15.5, and Mojave(10.14.6 Security Update 2020-003) This has not been fixed in High Sierra, completely breaking app support. Please help me push apple to fix this.
KeyPad does not work with Windows PC’s. It connects to the PC but after working for some time it disconnects. I don’t have a fix identified.
August 12 2020 – KeyPad mouse support not working with iPadOS 14 beta 4. I am not able to duplicate this issue, please help me debug this.
June 06 2020 – U.K. English support – I believe it is supported completely by KeyPad. Actually it is not KeyPad but the Phone’s keyboard layouts that need to be changed. Read more. I have heard that other keyboards like French are working correctly with the phone/apple tv. Do let me know if it is not.
June 5 2020 – KeyPad not working correctly for UK English. Not a bug, please see blog post on Internationalization.
June 4 2020 – Windows 10 loses connection after first connect, and does not reconnect thereafter.
May 30 2020 – Keypad does not work with the NVidia SHEILD TV – Need somebody who will be willing to help me debug.
May 20 2020 – BUG – Keypad shows an extra blank entry in menu bar, next to keypad icon – Fixed in version 1.xx
April 6 2020 – Keypad does not work with Sony Playstation 4 – Studying issue. Pending for future review.
April 4 2020 – Keypad works with Playstation 3, but only if the connection is initiated from the Playstation 3 – Pending for future review.
Windows is not supported. Yet!
I have not yet been able to find a good recipe to make KeyPad work with the Windows Desktop. There are user that are able to connect it to windows but it disconnects soon after. In my testing I have not been able to make the connection correctly. The issue is that Windows is not recognizing KeyPad as just a keyboard (it detects all the other bluetooth capabilities of the Mac). I am working on how to fix this.
Please send me email if this is blocking you. tools@toolbunch.com
Complaints, Features, Issues and Feedback
Please send me email at tools@toolbunch.com I am disabling the support form because I am getting a lot of spam.
Help us improve keypad by supporting more languages
I would like help in translating keypad to as many supported languages. I need your help in translating our app. I don’t want to do a Google Translate copy paste and would like your help.
Please help me with translations so that I can update the app.
Help me increase downloads
If you like KeyPad, I could use some help. I get about 30 downloads a day worldwide. This is depressingly low. I need your help in getting KeyPad visible. I would really appreciate it if you would give us a rating, and share it with your friends and family.
If you could send an email to tech websites, bloggers and YouTubers to try the app it would be absolutely awesome.