# Mini Keyboard: Remote Typing — Remote keyboard, any language

> Use your iOS device as a Mac keyboard with hotkeys and special keys. (iPhone/iPad app by Moaath Othman.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mini-keyboard-remote-typing/id906961378 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Moaath Othman](https://appshunter.io/developer/866641649)
- Category: Utilities, Lifestyle
- Price: Free
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 3 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2014-08-21
- Data updated: 2026-08-30
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mini-keyboard-remote-typing/id906961378/reviews.md

## What is Mini Keyboard?

Your Mac has no printed keys for Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Russian or Hindi. Your iPhone does — and you already type on it all day. Mini Keyboard lets your Mac borrow it.

Type on your phone and the characters appear on your Mac as you type them. Not when you press Enter. Not after a Send button. Switch scripts mid-sentence the way you already do on your phone, and whatever your iPhone keyboard can produce, your Mac receives.

TYPING, IN ANY SCRIPT

• Characters travel as text rather than as key codes, so scripts that need an input method — Japanese, Chinese, Korean — arrive composed and correct, as you type them.
• Right-to-left scripts behave the way they do on your phone.
• Command, Control, Option and Shift chords, plus Tab, Esc, Return, Delete and the arrow keys. Shortcuts land as real shortcuts, resolved through the keyboard layout your Mac is actually set to, so Command-Q is where your layout puts it rather than where a US layout would.
• Emoji and dictation go across too. If your iPhone keyboard can produce it, your Mac receives it.

AND A TRACKPAD, RIGHT WHERE THE KEYS ARE (ONE-TIME PURCHASE)

Pull it up over the keyboard when you need to put the caret somewhere before you can
start typing. The trackpad is a one-time in-app purchase; typing is free forever.

• Tap to click, with left and right buttons always on screen for when you would rather not tap.
• Two-finger scroll, and a two-finger tap for right-click.
• Tap-and-a-half to drag, plus a drag-lock toggle so a long drag does not have to be one stroke.
• A full-screen mode that turns the whole phone into travel.

It is there so the typing works without reaching over to the Mac. There are no volume or playback keys and nothing is mirrored to the phone — this is a keyboard, not a media remote.

PAIRING TAKES ABOUT TEN SECONDS

Open the Mac app, point your phone at the QR code in its menu-bar popover, and you are paired. The code carries a 160-bit secret, the connection is encrypted, and the pairing is bound to that one Mac, so a code scanned on your machine cannot be replayed against someone else's. If you would rather not point a camera at your own screen, the same code can be typed instead.

PRIVATE BECAUSE THERE IS NOWHERE ELSE TO GO

Everything stays on your local Wi-Fi. No account, no sign-up, no server, no cloud. Nothing you type is stored, logged, or sent anywhere except the Mac you paired with. No ads, no subscription, no tracking. Typing is free forever; the trackpad is a single one-time purchase, never a subscription.

TWO THINGS TO KNOW FIRST

1. You need the Mac half. Mini Keyboard for Mac is a separate free download on the Mac App Store. This app cannot type into a Mac without it.
2. Both devices have to be on the same Wi-Fi network. It does not work over the internet or over cellular — nothing is relayed through a server, because there is no server.

The Mac app also needs one permission. macOS files "send key presses" under Privacy & Security › Accessibility, which is a confusing place to find a keyboard. The Mac app asks for that permission, explains it in plain language the first time you open it, and uses it for nothing else. It does not read your screen and it does not record what you type.

Mini Keyboard first shipped in 2014. Version 2.0 is a complete rebuild.

## Key features

- Replace Mac keyboard with iOS device
- Support for Command, Control, Option, Shift hotkeys
- Includes Tab, Esc, and Arrow keys
- Wireless Wi-Fi connectivity
- Simple and easy to use


## Frequently asked questions about Mini Keyboard

### How do I set up Mini Keyboard?

To use Mini Keyboard, you need to install the accompanying Mac-side app from the provided link or website. After installation, access its preferences to set a password for connecting your iOS device. Ensure both your Mac and iOS device are on the same Wi-Fi network.

### What are the system requirements for Mini Keyboard?

Mini Keyboard requires a Mac computer and an iOS device. Both devices must be connected to the same local Wi-Fi network for the app to function. The app is compatible with iOS devices and macOS.

### Does Mini Keyboard support special keys and shortcuts?

Yes, Mini Keyboard supports essential keys like Command, Control, Option, and Shift, enabling you to use common Mac shortcuts. It also includes Tab, Esc, and Arrow keys, which are useful for navigation and presentations.

### Is Mini Keyboard free to use?

Yes, Mini Keyboard is available for free. There are no associated costs to download or use the application.

### What is the age rating for Mini Keyboard?

Mini Keyboard has an age rating of 4+. This indicates it is suitable for users of all ages, with no content restrictions.

### How often is Mini Keyboard updated?

The latest version of Mini Keyboard is 1.3, which was last updated on October 16, 2016. Users can check for future updates through the app store.

### What kind of feedback is the developer looking for?

The developer is actively seeking user feedback to improve the Mini Keyboard application. Users are encouraged to share their experiences and suggestions to help refine its functionality.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.1 — 2026-08-26

The trackpad becomes a one-time purchase. Typing stays free — every script, every
key, the mirror and pairing are unchanged and always will be.

If you bought the trackpad, it is yours forever on every iPhone signed in to your
Apple Account. Restore Purchase is on the unlock screen.

Also in this release:
• The pad no longer refuses to step back down from full screen.
• Clearer messages when the App Store cannot be reached, so a connection problem
  is never reported as "no purchase found".

### 2.0 — 2026-08-19

Ten years is a long time between updates. This is not a maintenance release — it is a new app on the same record, rebuilt from nothing for modern iOS and modern macOS.

WHAT CHANGED

• Text now travels as text. The old version sent key codes, which is why anything outside a Latin keyboard was unreliable or impossible. Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Hindi, Greek, Hebrew and emoji now land on your Mac as you type them — no Send button, no buffering, no pressing Enter to flush what you wrote.
• Pairing is a QR code carrying a 160-bit secret over an encrypted connection, instead of a shared password you had to set in the Mac app's preferences.
• The Mac app is on the Mac App Store. The old one had to be downloaded from a website; that website no longer exists, and this app no longer asks you to visit it. If you still have the 2016 Mac app installed, replace it.
• New: a trackpad you can pull up over the keyboard — tap to click, two-finger scroll and right-click, drag lock, and a full-screen mode — so you can put the caret where you want it without reaching over to the Mac.
• Rebuilt in SwiftUI: modifier chords resolved through your Mac's real keyboard layout, key repeat, and a layout that fits an iPhone SE as well as a Pro Max.

WHAT DID NOT CHANGE

Everything still stays on your local Wi-Fi. Still no account, no server, no ads, no subscription, and nothing you type is stored or logged.

Thank you to everyone who kept downloading this while it sat untouched. This one is for you.

### 1.3 — 2016-10-16

This update from Apple will improve the functionality of this app. No new features are included.

fixes and improvement for iOS 10

### 1.0.1 — 2014-12-17

minor fix

### 1.0 — 2014-08-21

No release notes.

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All apps by Moaath Othman: https://appshunter.io/developer/866641649

## Related topics

[mini keyboard](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/mini-keyboard) · [mac mini keyboard](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/mac-mini-keyboard) · [keyboard shortcuts for mac](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/keyboard-shortcuts-for-mac)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-30.*