Custom Keyguard for iPad

Suction Cups

One of the earliest attachment keyguard methods was suction cups. A keyhole is drilled in each corner of the keyguard. The ball of the cup is inserted in the big opening and then slid into the smaller, locking it into place. Then the cups are pressed onto the screen to attach the keyguard.

Suction cups hold tight for a long time, but they can be difficult to move if you don’t get them lined up, so always turn on the iPad and open the app before mounting them so you can be sure the keyguard is lined up. The flattened cups take up a lot of room, so they can’t be used at all on a case that has a small screen opening, and on the cases that provide minimum room, the suction cups may obscure a small portion of the screen. Fortunately, they’re clear.

On foam cases, to get enough room for suction cups, sometimes they have to be placed so they will extend slightly under the edge of the foam. After placing the suction cups peel back the foam a little and wiggle the keyguard so the cups spread out a little under the case, which will then help to hold the cups tight.

Suction Tape (Suction Cup Tape)

When the case provides enough of an opening, suction tape, a black rubber tape with a strong adhesive on the back to stick on the keyguard and thousands of microscopic suction cups on the front. You can’t even see them without magnification! And the stuff works great. If you never pull it off, it sticks indefinitely, but you can remove and reattach it over and over without loss of suction.

The tape will lose its grip as it gets dirty, but it’s washable with a mild detergent like soft soap or dish soap. Just be sure you rinse it well under warm water. It takes forever to evaporate dry, so you can help it along by squeezing it hard against the glass. Every time you do that you’ll see a little amount of moisture on the screen where the tape was attached, until eventually you get it dry and it sticks like new.

Like suction cups, suction tape takes up room, so is unusable on cases with small screen openings. Though it takes up less room than suction cups, it needs flat areas on the keyguard where it can be attached. It works well with most cases.

Straps

Straps work with every kind of case except a few of the foam cases where the thickness of the foam holds the straps too high off the screen. They attach to the right and left edges of the keyguard and stretch around the back of the case. They are a good choice if the keyguard needs to be removed and replaced often, though to swap out several different keyguards, you’re going to want a set of straps for each keyguard, since it would take too long to move the straps from one to the other.

The standard strap mounts hold the keyguard off the screen 1/8” (~3 mm), perfect for heavy droolers. Also possible is flush-mount straps so they sit on or slightly above the screen.

The feedback our keyguard supplier gets is that people don’t like to use straps in a couple circumstances. First, if you use the iPad flat on a table, it can rock on the strap buckles a little. Second, if a user is prone to distraction, the straps and their attachments can provide tempting targets for fidgeters to grab.

Snap-In Attachment

The most popular attachment, and the least expensive, is the snap-in attachment. A small flange, or ledge, is cut into the edges of the keyguard which slips under the edge of the case, holding the keyguard securely against the screen. It’s a semi-permanent installation, so it’s best for users who use a single app and don’t need to change it often. On rigid cases that are secured with screws, it actually becomes a permanent installation and can only be removed by loosening the screws.

The snap-in tabs require that the seal on a case’s with screen protectors to be broken to insert it. That means the case can no longer be waterproof. It’s easy enough to do, though.

This is also a great attachment for an easily distracted user, because there are no visible attachments with which to fiddle. The snap-in attachment works with almost every case we’ve ever tried, the exceptions being cases with too small a rim surrounding the iPad, or too-flexible material surrounding the screen.

Velcro Attachment

The Velcro attachment is an extra acrylic flange that is bonded to the top of the keyguard and extends over the bezel of the case. It provides a flat area for mounting with Velcro, though you could replace the Velcro with putty or mounting tape. It only works on a limited number of cases that have a wide bezel surrounding the screen. If the bezel is perfectly smooth and flat, it can even be mounted with suction tape. Don’t try suction tape on a textured or angled bezel. It won’ t work.

Though it only works on certain cases, the Velcro attachment is a great attachment if you need to remove and reattach the keyguard often. It’s great for users of multiple apps. Unless the keyguard is made with a thicker plastic, the Velcro attachment does hold the keyguard a bit off the screen.

Magnetic Attachment

The Magnetic attachment uses the same extra flange that extends over the bezel of the case.  However, instead of Velcro or tape, strong magnets are embedded in the flange.  It only works on a limited number of cases that have a wide and flat bezel surrounding the screen, and like the Velcro attachment, it holds the keyguard up off the screen.

Though it only works on certain cases, the magnetic attachment is the absolute best attachment if you need to remove and reattach the keyguard often.  Unlike Velcro or tape, the magnets ensure that the keyguard snaps into the exact same position every time it is attached.  In fact, the keyguard supplier reverses the polarity on two of the magnets so it’s impossible to attach upside down!  Great for blind users.