Apple’s USB-C chargers have caused significant confusion over what they can and can’t power. For example, the 29W power brick can’t charge the MagSafe Duo, despite it drawing only 15W. Similarly, the 18W charger supplied with last year’s iPhone 11 Pro couldn’t – initially – charge the HomePod mini …
Yes, the new Magic keyboard works just fine (the 2017 wireless extended one that is) with the supplied USB/lightning cable. In fact I'm using a third-party PUR braided cable, typing on the Apple keyboard right now. There's a tiny On/Off switch on the back right edge, that needs to be on even if you are plugged into USB.
Apple solved the latter problem last week with a software update, in version 14.3.
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Part of the issue is whether or not a charger supports a protocol known as USB-C Power Delivery, usually abbreviated to USB-C PD – and if so, which version? This is a method by which a charger and the device connected to it negotiate the power that will be supplied in terms of both volts and amps.
That was the issue with the 29W power brick: it didn’t support USB-C PD 2.0 or 3.0, so although the charger was capable of delivering enough power, it wasn’t able to respond to the MagSafe charger’s request.
With Apple’s 18W charger, the issue again wasn’t lack of power, but the inability of the two devices to negotiate the exact voltage and amperage required. Apple has apparently fixed this by allowing the HomePod to request a suitable combination which the charger can provide.
Daring Fireball has a good explanation of how this sort of issue arises by looking back at the 29W versus 30W charger situation with the Magic Keyboard for iPad.
I originally wrote that passthrough charging via the Smart Connector was slow. But other reviewers saw passthrough charging speeds that were as fast or nearly as fast as connecting the iPad directly to the charger. I checked with Apple and they confirmed that passthrough charging should not be slow, and I should make sure I was using the power adapter that came with the iPad Pro.
My mistake was using Apple’s slightly older 29W USB-C power adapter, which looks exactly like Apple’s more recent 30W USB-C power adapter. We’ve had that adapter plugged into our kitchen island for years, and it’s never before mattered. But with the Magic Keyboard, it did.
Turns out Apple’s 29W USB-C adapter is weird and limited. It only outputs two configurations: 14.5V × 2A = 29W (the maximum), or 5.2V × 2.4A = 12.48W. The iPad Magic Keyboard accepts for high-power input 9V × 3A = 27W, but Apple’s 29W adapter can’t supply that. Apple’s 30W USB-C adapter, on the other hand, supplies a slew of output options:
20V × 1.5A = 30W
15V × 2A = 30W
9V × 3A = 27W (bingo for the Magic Keyboard)
5V × 3A = 15W
Gruber notes that even this explanation is somewhat simplified: the amperage is a maximum, so a charger will work fine with a device that requests a supported voltage at less than the available amperage. But if it can’t provide the voltage requested, or cannot understand the message asking for it, then it won’t work.
Apple Ipad Keyboard
The mess with Apple’s USB-C chargers also applies to third-party ones, and power banks: the safest bet is to ensure they support the latest Power Delivery standard, which is currently USB-C PD 3.0.
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What you need
- An iPad Air (4th generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd or 4th generation), or iPad Pro 11-inch (1st or 2nd generation)
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Connect your Magic Keyboard to your iPad
- Place your Magic Keyboard on a flat surface with the hinge away from you and the Apple logo on top.
- Open the lid. The top portion of the lid will tilt away from you.
- Keep tilting the lid until it's at the angle you want, or until it resists further opening.
- Place your iPad on your Magic Keyboard. The rear lenses should be in the top left corner, so that they'll go through the cutout in your Magic Keyboard.
Learn what to do if you can't connect your Magic Keyboard to your iPad.
How to use your Magic Keyboard
After you've connected your iPad to your Magic Keyboard, you don't need to pair, turn on, or charge your Magic Keyboard. Here's how to open and use your Magic Keyboard.
Open Magic Keyboard with your iPad attached
Apple Keyboard Model A1644
- Place your Magic Keyboard on a flat surface with the hinge away from you and the Apple logo on top.
- Open the lid until it's at the angle you want, or until it resists further opening.
Wake your iPad with your Magic Keyboard
To wake your iPad, press any key on your Magic Keyboard. Another keypress will bring up the Lock screen. Unlock your iPad with Face ID or Touch ID, or you can enter a passcode with your Magic Keyboard or by tapping on the screen as usual.
Adjust your viewing angle
You can tilt your iPad up or down to find your ideal viewing angle.
Adjust trackpad settings and keyboard brightness
To adjust your trackpad, go to Settings > General > Trackpad. You can change the tracking speed—the speed that the pointer moves—as well as the scrolling direction. And you can turn on or off Tap to Click and Two Finger Secondary Click.
Like an iPad, the brightness of the Magic Keyboard adjusts automatically to match the light in your environment. To manually adjust the brightness of the keys on your Magic Keyboard, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Hardware Keyboard. Then drag the Keyboard Brightness slider to the right or left to make the keys brighter or dimmer.
Charge your iPad
You can charge your iPad as usual by connecting your USB-C cable to the USB-C port on your iPad. Or you can connect your USB-C cable to the USB-C port on your Magic Keyboard. Your Magic Keyboard doesn't need to be charged.
Find out what to do if your iPad Pro doesn’t charge when it’s connected to your Magic Keyboard.
The USB-C port on Magic Keyboard provides power, but it doesn't transmit data. This means you can't use this port with an input device such as a USB-C mouse. Never connect one end of a USB-C cable to the USB-C port on your iPad and the other end to the USB-C port on your Magic Keyboard.
Switch to the onscreen keyboard
You might need to use your onscreen keyboard instead of the Magic Keyboard to do things like type accented characters or use dictation.
To show the onscreen keyboard, tap a text field, then touch and hold on the lower-right corner of your iPad screen until the onscreen keyboard appears. To hide the keyboard again, tap on your iPad screen.
Learn more
- Learn about keyboard shortcuts that you can use with your Magic Keyboard.
- Learn how to use the trackpad with your Magic Keyboard.
The Magic Keyboard for iPad contains magnets that hold your iPad securely in place. Avoid placing cards that store information on a magnetic strip—such as credit cards or hotel key cards—on the inside of the Magic Keyboard or between your iPad and the Magic Keyboard. Such contact might demagnetize the card.