🖱️ Picking a Mouse for the iPad Air M1 – Not as Easy as You Think

“The iPad is a touch-first device, but once you add a mouse—welcome to a whole new world of quirks.”

Let’s get one thing clear: the iPad is a touch-first device. But over the years, there’s been a growing push to turn it into a proper “computer” for serious work.

Coming from a Windows background, picking a mouse was once easy—wired or wireless, comfort, DPI, extra buttons, done.

But with an iPad, things get unexpectedly tricky—and I’m here to help you avoid wasting hours of trial and error.

My Choice: A Wireless Bluetooth Mouse

Given the mobile nature of using an iPad, I chose a Bluetooth wireless mouse. In this case, the Ugreen M751 Multi-Mode Wireless Mouse, which supports connection to three devices and has fast switching.

(More on that mouse in another post.)

Setting Up Your Mouse – Not as Plug-and-Play as You’d Expect

Here’s what might go wrong after pairing:

• Your pointer is a circle, not an arrow.
• Scrolling feels inverted.
• Clicking and selecting text is frustrating.
• Extra mouse buttons don’t work.

Let’s fix that, step-by-step.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Fixes for Mouse Setup on iPadOS

1. Fix Text Selection & Pointer Behavior

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch
2. Turn AssistiveTouch ON
3. Tap AssistiveTouch
4. Find “Perform Touch Gestures” and turn it OFF

“Now your pointer changes shape dynamically when hovering over text—just like it should.”

2. Fix Inverted Mouse Scrolling

1. Go to Settings > General > Trackpad & Mouse
2. Turn “Natural Scrolling” OFF

“It finally scrolls like you remember from Windows.”

3. Set Up Mouse Buttons

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch > Devices
2. Tap your mouse name
3. Assign buttons:
   • Button 1 → Single Tap (left click)
   • Button 2 → Secondary Click (right click)
4. Under Mouse Keys:
   • Turn Mouse Keys OFF
   • Turn Use Primary Keyboard ON
5. Hide the AssistiveTouch icon: Turn Always Show Menu OFF

🧰 Final Touches

• Turn Onscreen Keyboard OFF
• Optional: Turn Sound on Click OFF
• Tracking Sensitivity: I use 40%
• Turn Dwell Control OFF
• Turn Fallback Action OFF
• Leave Movement Tolerance as is
• Turn Extended Predictions OFF

✅ Done. Your mouse now works just like it did on Windows or Mac.

Written by KopiByte