iOS 7.1: Deciphering the New Caps Lock

Apple made several interface changes in iOS 7 that left us scratching our collective heads, and one that really stood out was the caps lock button on the on-screen keyboard. The company addressed that with iOS 7.1, but that doesn't mean it's any easier to figure out. Since we can't get inside your iPhone or iPad to do something better, we've made a handy graphic showing what each button state really means.

Here's what each caps button state means:

  • Grey button with a white arrow: Caps off
  • White button with a black arrow: Caps shift for a single character
  • White button with a black arrow and black underline: Caps lock on

Caps off (left), Shift on (center), Caps lock on (right)Caps off (left), Shift on (center), Caps lock on (right)

Apple may be a leader in interface designs, but that doesn't mean they always get it right. Luckily, they can keep making changes to items like on-screen keyboard elements since they're software-based. That's a lot easier than physically replacing the shift key on our keyboards.