The iPad is primarily a media consumption device. However, as users have come to realize, it is also a competent device to work on documents using iPad apps such as Pages and Numbers and is also popular with some bloggers. For users who are not comfortable using the virtual keyboard while working on documents, Apple offers an iPad Keyboard dock accessory.
While this is a useful add-on for business users, a drawback in using this accessory or any other Bluetooth keyboard, is the touch-screen based navigation on the iPad.
If you think that an iPad connected to a Bluetooth keyboard may be better operated using the point-and-click navigation feature offered by a mouse, then we’ve some good news.
A new jailbreak tweak called BTC Mouse & Trackpad allows you to do just that. You can follow these steps to pair a mouse with your jailbroken iPad:
Install BTC Mouse & Trackpad:
- Launch Cydia on your jailbroken iPad
- Tap on the Search tab at the bottom and search for BTC Mouse
- Tap on BTC Mouse & Trackpad from the search results
- Tap on Purchase button to buy the jailbreak tweak (BTC Mouse & TrackPad currently available for $4.98 on Cydia, and at a 50% discount if you had purchased BTstack Keyboard)
- After the jailbreak tweak has been purchased, tap on the Install button at the top right corner
- Then tap on the Confirm button
- After it successfully installed, tap on the Restart SpringBoard button when prompted
Pair Bluetooth Mouse with your iPad:
- Launch the Settings app
- Tap on General, then tap on the Bluetooth option, ensure that the Bluetooth is enabled, if it Bluetooth is OFF, tap on the toggle to turn it ON
- You should now see BTC – Bluetooth Companion, tap on Mouse & Trackpad option, this will connect to the server of the developer and thank you for purchasing the jailbreak tweak. Click on Okay and you will notice that the Mouse & Trackpad option is now enabled and it is trying to discover devices
- Power on the Apple Magic Mouse or any other Bluetooth mouse
- You will see the Apple Magic Mouse under Devices (interestingly, it will briefly say Keyboard)
- Tap on it to pair it with your iPad
- The status will change to Connected after the mouse is successfully paired with the iPad
That’s it, you will now be able to use the mouse with your iPad. By default, the right click simulates the press of the Home button, left click simulates a tap, so you can left click on an app to launch it and double clicking on the Home screen will open the multitasking tray/app switcher. If you have a Bluetooth mouse with a middle button or the scroll wheel, it is mapped to pinch/zoom. At this point, gestures don’t work on your Apple Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad.
The jailbreak tweak also offers a feature called presentation mode, that can be enabled for each app. If presentation mode is enabled, left or right click on the mouse will generate a left or right wipe, which can be useful in apps like Keynote. You can configure the jailbreak tweak via the Settings app (Settings -> Mouse).
The cool thing is that most of the touch gestures for things like cut, copy, paste work just fine with the mouse.
It also works with Apple’s Magic Trackpad. The jailbreak tweak should also work with your iPhone, though using the mouse on the iPhone would be quite weird even with iPhone 5’s taller 4-inch display.
Do you fancy the idea of using a mouse with your iPad? Let us know in the comments.
Note: BTC Mouse & Trackpad is currently compatible with iOS 5.1.1 – iOS 4.0.
