iOS and iPadOS 26.5 are still in beta testing, but one of their under-the-radar improvements involves using a Mac accessory—Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, or Magic Mouse—with your iPhone or iPad. Here are the details.
Connecting iPad or iPhone to ‘Magic’ accessory with USB-C now initiates Bluetooth pairing, too
If you ever need to connect your iPhone or iPad to one of Apple’s first-party Mac accessories with the ‘Magic’ branding, there’s a convenient improvement coming in iOS and iPadOS 26.5.
Both devices already support connecting a Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, or Magic Mouse via USB-C to establish an immediate connection.
Historically though, after you unplug your accessory, the iPhone or iPad will no longer retain any ongoing connection at all.
With iOS and iPadOS 26.5 though, Bluetooth pairing is automatically established after you make the USB-C connection, that way the device and accessory will stay paired after unplugging the cable.
This change was discovered by Aaron Perris in iOS 26.5 beta 1:
As his post says, this behavior with Apple’s ‘Magic’ accessories mirrors what happens when using a Mac. Making a wired USB-C connection automatically creates a Bluetooth connection that persists after unplugging.
I suspect not many iPhone users regularly connect a Magic Keyboard or Magic Trackpad via USB-C. But on the iPad side, this change could potentially be a much bigger deal.
That said, it could also create confusion if a user prefers that their Magic Keyboard, for example, stays paired with their Mac but iPadOS 26.5 hijacks that connection.
What do you think of this new change in iOS and iPadOS 26.5? Let us know in the comments.
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