How remotes and controllers work
Panels does not talk to remotes or controllers directly. It responds to keyboard keys. Any Bluetooth device that presents itself to your iPhone, iPad or Mac as a keyboard can turn pages in Panels, including:
- Bluetooth keyboards, including the Magic Keyboard
- Page-turner remotes, such as the Satechi R2 and the Kobo Remote
- Game controllers with a keyboard mode, such as the 8BitDo Micro
If your device can't act as a keyboard, you may still be able to use it through the accessibility features built into iPhone, iPad and Mac. See Accessibility options.
Keys that turn pages
Which keys turn pages depends on the reader's Scroll direction (see Reader configurations).
| Key | Horizontal scroll direction | Vertical scroll direction |
|---|---|---|
| Shift + ← / Shift + → | Turn the page, even when zoomed in | — |
| Shift + ↑ / Shift + ↓ | — | Turn the page, even when zoomed in |
| ← / → | Turn the page, or move around the page when zoomed in | Move around the page when zoomed in |
| ↑ / ↓ | Move around the page when zoomed in | Turn the page, or move around the page when zoomed in |
← and → follow the screen, not the reading direction. When you read right to left (manga), ← goes to the next page.
If you can choose which keys a device sends, use Shift + ← and Shift + → for horizontal reading. They turn the page in every horizontal mode, whether or not you are zoomed in.
Some reader modes use the keys differently:
- Fill screen and Adjust to orientation: ← / → step through the current page section by section, and Shift + ← / Shift + → jump to the previous or next page.
- Panels View: ← / → move between panels, and Shift + ← / Shift + → jump to the previous or next page.
- Page curl (iPhone and iPad): ← / → and Shift + ← / Shift + → all flip the page.
- Continuous page transition: the arrow keys in the scroll direction scroll about three quarters of a screen at a time.
Panels doesn't respond to Page Up / Page Down.
For every other shortcut, see Keyboard shortcuts.
Remotes that only send volume up / volume down won't work. iOS and iPadOS don't let apps use the volume buttons for anything other than volume. This affects many cheap "e-reader page turners" and any remote that only controls media playback.
Check what your device sends
Before you buy a remote, or if one isn't working, find out which keys it actually sends:
- Pair the device with your iPhone, iPad or Mac.
- Open keyboard-tester.com in a browser and press each button. The page highlights the key that each button sends.
- If the device is a game controller rather than a keyboard, use hardwaretester.com/gamepad instead.
If the buttons show up as arrow keys, the device will work in Panels. If they show up as Page Up / Page Down, volume keys, or nothing at all, it won't.
Troubleshooting
- See which shortcuts are active. With a keyboard connected, press and hold ⌘ (Command) while reading. iPadOS shows every shortcut Panels currently accepts. On Mac, the shortcuts are listed in the menu bar.
- The remote stopped responding while I was reading. Tap the page once, or close and reopen the comic. Users have reported that this occasionally brings the remote back.
- Up / down buttons don't do anything. Set the reader's Scroll direction to Vertical (see Kobo Remote), or remap the buttons to ← / → if your device lets you.
- ← / → don't turn the page. You may be zoomed in, or using Fill screen, Adjust to orientation or Panels View. Use Shift + ← / Shift + → instead.
- My remote has several modes. Try each one. Page turners usually have a "presentation" or "keyboard" mode, which is the one Panels needs.
Got a device working that isn't listed here? Tell us on Discord and we'll add it.