How to Connect a MIDI Keyboard to an iPad or iPhone

Apple’s page on the USB-C port on iPad lists “audio interfaces and MIDI devices” among the USB devices you can connect. Most digital pianos and keyboards at home talk to iPad and iPhone apps through this system, MIDI.

When you connect over MIDI, the app receives information about the keys you press. It is not the sound itself. It is a signal that says which key went down and when it was released. The app uses that signal to check whether the right note was played, or to move the music forward.

This post is for parents who want to use a piano app with the keyboard they already have. It covers what to check before connecting, the steps for USB and for Bluetooth, and what to look at when it does not work. The Apple steps come from Apple’s own support pages. Settings on the keyboard side differ from model to model, so please keep your keyboard’s manual at hand too.

First, check the keyboard’s ports

Start by finding out how your keyboard can send MIDI. Look at the ports on the back or side, or read the “Connections” or “MIDI” section of the manual. Most keyboards fall into one of four groups.

• It has a USB port. A square USB-B port, a USB-C port, and so on. Some makers label it something like “USB TO HOST”. I think this is the most common case.
• It supports Bluetooth MIDI. If the manual says “Bluetooth MIDI” or “Bluetooth LE MIDI”, you can connect without a cable. This is different from Bluetooth audio, where the keyboard works as a speaker, so check that the manual says MIDI.
• It only has round 5-pin MIDI ports. This is common on older models. You need a device called a MIDI interface in between. Apple’s Logic Pro for iPad guide describes connecting a MIDI interface to the iPad, then connecting the keyboard’s MIDI Out to a MIDI In on the interface with a MIDI cable.
• It has none of these. A keyboard with only a headphone jack cannot connect over MIDI. A sound output and MIDI are two different things.

Connecting with USB

What you need for USB depends on the port on your iPad or iPhone and the port on your keyboard.

iPad or iPhone with USB-C. According to Apple, if the other device has a USB-C port, a cable with USB-C on both ends is all you need. A device with a USB-A connector plugs into the Apple USB-C to USB Adapter, which then plugs into the iPad’s USB-C port. If your keyboard has a square USB-B port, whether you need the adapter depends on whether the other end of the USB-B cable is USB-A or USB-C.

iPad or iPhone with Lightning. Apple’s page on USB-A camera adapters says the Lightning to USB Camera Adapter and the Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter work with USB-A devices including audio and MIDI interfaces and devices. The name says “camera”, but it is not only for cameras.

Once the cable is in, unlock the iPad or iPhone. As Apple explains in Allow USB and other accessories to connect, by default the device will not communicate with a USB accessory until it is unlocked. If you have set Settings > Privacy & Security > Wired Accessories to ask every time, you will need to answer that prompt.

Connecting with Bluetooth

People often expect Bluetooth MIDI to connect from the Bluetooth screen in the Settings app, like earphones. In many cases, though, you connect from inside the app. Apple’s own GarageBand works this way: you open Settings in the app, tap Advanced, then Bluetooth MIDI Devices, and turn on Connect.

The usual flow looks like this.

1. Turn the keyboard on and make Bluetooth MIDI available, following its manual
2. Open the app you want to use and open its connection screen
3. The first time, the app asks for permission to use Bluetooth. Allow it
4. Choose your keyboard’s name from the list

If you choose not to allow Bluetooth, the app cannot search for the keyboard. You can change that permission for the app later in the Settings app.

USB or Bluetooth

If the keyboard and iPad stay in one place, I would suggest USB. It does not depend on batteries or pairing. Once it is plugged in, it is connected. If you set things up and put them away each time, or the cable will not reach, Bluetooth is convenient.

On latency, the time between pressing a key and the app reacting, I do not have measured numbers to share. If the response feels slow, I think the surest test is to try a cable and compare.

What to check when it does not connect

• Is the keyboard on, and is MIDI enabled? Some models need Bluetooth MIDI turned on each time.
• Is it still connected to another device? If it is connected to another phone, tablet or computer, it may not show up.
• Is there enough power? Apple’s camera adapter page says a device that needs more power than the iPhone or iPad can supply may show an “attached accessory uses too much power” alert, and suggests a self-powered USB-A hub or the Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter with its power adapter connected. Running the keyboard on its own power is the safe choice.
• Is the cable charge-only? Some cables charge but do not carry data. Trying another cable will tell you.
• Unplug, unlock, and plug back in. Apple’s accessories page suggests this when an accessory is not recognised.
• Does the app support MIDI? Some apps do not accept MIDI input at all.

Connecting with Kinder Piano

Kinder Piano is a piano app for iPhone and iPad for children from about age 3 to the early years of primary school. I made it for my 4-year-old daughter. It supports Bluetooth and USB MIDI keyboards, and MIDI connection is part of the free version.

A MIDI banner sits above the song cards on the song list. When no keyboard is connected it reads “No MIDI keyboard found (the screen works too)”. A USB keyboard connects automatically when you open the app with the cable already plugged in. If it does not, or if you use Bluetooth, tap “Connect” next to the banner. “Choose a MIDI keyboard” opens, shows “Searching…” and looks for keyboards for a short while. Tap a name to connect. If nothing is found, check that the keyboard is on and in pairing mode, then tap “Search again”.

Once connected, the banner shows the keyboard’s name and the button changes to “Change”. On the practice screen and the Free play screen, the plug icon in the top bar gets a green check.

One thing worth knowing is where the sound comes from. When a keyboard is connected, the sound of the keys you press comes from the keyboard’s own speakers. The app plays its own piano sound only for taps on the on-screen keyboard. The Demo and the accompaniment, on the other hand, play from the iPad or iPhone, so it helps to balance the volume on both.

Everything works with the on-screen keyboard alone, so I think it is fine to connect a keyboard only when you want to. All 21 nursery songs are free, and the first classical piece and the first ear training level are free. A one-time purchase opens the rest of the classical pieces and every ear training level. There are no ads and no subscription.

Where to place the keyboard and the iPad is covered in Practical Tips for Using Kinder Piano Every Day, and finger numbers in sheet music in Piano Finger Numbers.