Help with iOS remote desktop tools

By Rich, 27 November, 2025

Forum
iOS and iPadOS

Hello.
Not sure if this is the right room, so please move if in the wrong place.
I recently switched to a desktop PC, and I'm using NVDA Remote and Jump Desktop to control from my phone.
I'm able to connect through NVDA Remote and Jump Desktop no problem, but I don't have an insert key.
Pressing insert on the numpad always sends a 0 even if number lock is off, and the insert on my 6 pack in the middle of the board is treated like it doesn't exist.
I've tried changing my NVDA key to Caps Lock, but iOS intercepts it.
For those of you that use your iOS devices to control a PC, how do you approach this? Any way to get an NVDA key?
Thanks.

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Comments

By sebno on Thursday, November 27, 2025 - 21:44

Hi,
have you tried the laptop layout? with it you should be able to move by object. laptop shortcut is nvda+shift and arrows.. more infos about laptop layout in the user guide.

By Rich on Thursday, November 27, 2025 - 22:00

Thing is, iOS intercepts Caps Lock, so that won't work. I've already tried adding Caps Lock as an NVDA key with no success.

By sebno on Friday, November 28, 2025 - 11:55

Hi,
for my iphone and nvda remote, i use a little bluetooth keyboard iClever and capslock works as expected. I can use object navigation without any problems, as well as mouse clicks, etc... you should try a different keyboard with laptop layout in nvda.
But I don't use NVDA Remote for complex operations; most often it's just for audio monitoring a pc or for simple commands. I don't think this app is really designed for full remote PC access due to the problem with external keyboards and iOS

By Doll Eye on Friday, November 28, 2025 - 18:58

As IOS is so locked down, I don't think there is anything phone side you can change to simulate this. The only thing I can suggest is using sharp keys or a similar mapping tool on the host machine to remap a seldom used key.

I also wonder if a windows keyboard, like the iclever, which I believe is designed for windows, treats caps differently.

By Rich on Friday, November 28, 2025 - 19:31

I'm using a BlackWidow V3 Pro. When I use at home with my desktop or with any other machine for that matter it works just fine. Things work fine with the iPhone as well apart from the NVDA key.
Looks like I'm just gonna have to use the Insert key on the screen in Jump when performing NVDA commands.

By sebno on Friday, November 28, 2025 - 20:54

I dug out my old Apple Magic Keyboard, and the Caps Lock key works normally as an nvda key there too, and navigating in windows with NVDA is much smoother than with the iClever.

with the Laptop Layout, there's no need for a numeric keypad.

Thanks for reviving the discussion; it made me realize that the Magic Keyboard is a good solution for nvda remote:)
it doesn't resolve your nvda key problem, but could help other users.

By Rich on Friday, November 28, 2025 - 21:01

Maybe I'll have to pick one of those up. Would make a good travel board anyway. Not everyone would appreciate me breaking that Razer out. It's a clicky mechanical.

By Khomus on Saturday, November 29, 2025 - 01:50

I've got an iPhone, a VM running NVDA, and an Apple Magic keyboard and an iClever something or other with a numpad. I'd be happy to do some testing if you can hit me with the very basics. Obviously set up an NVDA remote session so NVDA can be controlled. But then what am I doing on the phone to connect to it and all? I've never used anything like that, but I'm curious anyway. So I'm happy to do a bit of testing, if it would help. Well, unless I have to pay a bunch of money I guess.

By Rich on Saturday, November 29, 2025 - 02:32

There is an NVDA Remote app on the AppStore. I'm also using Jump Desktop in cases where full PC sound is needed, but that's a $15.00 app.

By Doll Eye on Saturday, November 29, 2025 - 02:56

I used to use jump to remote back into my mac from my iPad and iPhone and it was a great solution... Until it wasn't. Something has broken in recent versions of mac OS which doesn't allow voiceover speech to pass even though the system sounds and every other piece of audio does. I don't know what has happened and have tried many many solves. I am left in the belief it is simply broken and requires some fix from the apple end... Which won't happen.

I'm just putting this here in case anyone thinks it is also a solution for remote into Mac as, far as I know, it doesn't work.

By Khomus on Saturday, November 29, 2025 - 05:13

So the kind of thing you're trying to do, you could just use the NVDA Remote app? I ask because you did mention Jump Desktop in your initial post. But I mean, in theory if you figured a keyboard workaround/fix for NVDA Remote on the phone by itself, that would also work with Jump Desktop?

I just want to make sure I'm tinkering with the right stuff, in case by some miracle I stumble across something that actually might help.

By Rich on Saturday, November 29, 2025 - 06:51

Yeah, unless there's something I need direct PC sound for or NVDA Remote is giving me issues.

By Khomus on Saturday, November 29, 2025 - 18:27

I'm curious to see what happens. I'm also trying to think of a key that doesn't get used much for potential remapping, and I'm not readily coming up with something, so I'll have to play around and see if anything comes up. I'm surprised the app doesn't cover something like this though. How does it want you to use it, if iOS intercepts the caps lock key? Obvious question I guess, have you tried turning Voiceover off? Or does it need VO for voice feedback from NVDA?

By Doll Eye on Saturday, November 29, 2025 - 20:02

I can't remember the last time I used that.

By Rich on Saturday, November 29, 2025 - 21:16

No, you have the choice to use system TTS or VO.

By Brian on Sunday, November 30, 2025 - 00:25

Admittedly I am unaware of all of the changes MacBooks have undergone between intel models and M series models. I, do, know that you can go into KB settings and select whether the FN key is needed for special functions (volume, media controls, etc) or not.

Mac actually has an Insert key, or at least my intel model does. It is Insert + Enter.

So my question, could you not lock the FN key and use that insert key for a screen reader key?
I realize it would be awkward, but I haven't seen anyone else mention this function so I thought I'd ask. ๐Ÿ˜‡