Peripheral devices

Citrix X1 Mouse

Citrix X1 Mouse pairing and connection status

This feature lets you have more control over the Citrix X1 Mouse pairing process. On the Settings screen, you can:

• Pair the Citrix X1 Mouse. You can also pair an X1 Mouse when you are in a session.
• View the connection status.

• View the Citrix X1 Mouse properties such as Name, UUID, Firmware Revision, and Battery Level. To do so, tap the Citrix X1 Mouse entry under CONNECTED MOUSE.

Connected mouse properties:

AssistiveTouch

With the AssistiveTouch feature enabled on iOS 13 or later, you can see the AssistiveTouch cursor if you switch between desktop mouse mode and AssistiveTouch mode.

Note:

In desktop mouse mode, the pointer cursor appears. In AssistiveTouch mode, the round cursor appears.

The AssistiveTouch cursor appears in the following cases:

• Leave a session
• Go to the iOS App Switcher screen
• Go to the iOS home screen or another app

Desktop mode resumes when you navigate back to Citrix Workspace app and when you are in a session.

External monitor and toolbar support

You can use the Citrix X1 Mouse to operate the toolbar on an external monitor. You can move the toolbar notch horizontally, while the toolbar is closed. When you connect your iOS device to the external monitor, Citrix Workspace app automatically detects the screen resolution of the external monitor. You can use the Display button on the toolbar to select a particular screen resolution. You can access the Display option without having to add an account or sign in first.

Generic Mouse

Generic mouse and trackpad support

You can use a generic mouse or trackpad to right-click, scroll, and hover in HDX sessions. The actions are similar to the Citrix X1 Mouse. The style of the local mouse cursor changes to match that of the remote cursor.

Notes:

• This feature is available on iPadOS 13.4 and later.
• This feature isn’t supported on iPhones.

Limitation

If you have an external monitor connected while in a session, the generic mouse cursor remains on the native device due to an iOS limitation.

Generic mouse support on external monitors

You can use a generic mouse on external monitors connected to an iPad. Generic mouse is supported on devices running iOS 13.4 or later.

Important:

To use a generic mouse with external monitors, ensure that Presentation mode is turned off in your Citrix Workspace app by navigating to Settings > Display options.

The toolbar on the external monitor is hidden when you use a generic mouse. Also, the mouse pointer is mirrored on the external monitor and appears on both your iPad screen and on the external monitor simultaneously.

Extended multi-monitor support with Generic Mouse for iPad

You can extend the desktop session onto an external monitor when you connect your iPad with a Generic Mouse. This feature supports iPadOS version 14.0 and later.

Note:

• This feature can be partially available in earlier versions. To use the complete feature, upgrade to version 22.1.0.
• Disable AssistiveTouch in iOS Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch for the Citrix Workspace app to receive primary mouse clicks.

Configure Extend mode

To enable the Extend mode:

1. Connect the external monitor to the iPad using the HDMI cable and the required adapters.

   Note:

   The setup works best with an Apple’s USB-C to Digital AV Multiport Adapter or Lightning Digital AV Adapter.

2. Navigate to the application Settings > Display options and toggle ON the External display. Different display modes appear. Mirror and Presentation modes also use Generic Mouse, if the iPadOS version is 14.0 and later.

   

3. Select the Extend option.

   

   You can select one of the following display modes:

   • Mirror: Allows you to mirror the display on the external monitor connected to the iPad.
   • Presentation: Allows you to change your external monitor to trackpad.
   • Extend: Allows you to display different views or screens on each display.

Note:

• Set the Extend mode before you launch and extend the desktop session.
• The Extend mode isn’t supported on the iPhone until announced.

Configure display arrangement

To configure the display arrangement:

1. Select the Extend mode, the Display arrangement option appears.
2. Reposition the External display tile left, top, right, or bottom to the iPad display.

Note:

You can adjust the display arrangement when you’re in a session using the in-session toolbar > Display setting icon.

Note:

The external display resolution depends on:

• adapters
• iPad
• other hardware used

Generic Mouse mode versus Citrix X1 Mouse mode

The Generic Mouse mode automatically takes precedence over the Citrix X1 Mouse mode. If you have an X1 Mouse connected, it’s used as a Generic Mouse instead. So, the X1 Mouse settings page isn’t accessible when the Generic Mouse feature flag is enabled.

Note:

For iPadOS version 14.0 and later, any X1 Mouse that is connected to the iPad behaves as a bluetooth mouse.

Generic Mouse icon

The Mouse settings icon is added on the in-session toolbar next to the Display settings icon. Use the Mouse settings to adjust the tracking speed of the Generic Mouse when you are in a session. You can also toggle using the remote cursor image.

Note:

You can adjust the tracking speed of the native mouse from the iOS settings.

Feature limitations

• To ensure that the Citrix Workspace app receives primary mouse clicks, disable AssistiveTouch in iOS Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch.

• Tracking Speed and Natural Scrolling options from iOS settings doesn’t affect the generic mouse inside the session. However, scrolling speed can be controlled from the iOS Settings. You can access Tracking speed and Natural scrolling options from the Mouse Settings screen inside the session toolbar.

• When an iPad is used in the split mode and the monitor is connected, the generic mouse works only in the mirror mode inside a desktop session.

• If the native cursor is over the multi-tasking menu before the app obtains the pointer lock, that is, before the session launch, the mouse events aren’t received. As a workaround, pull down the Notification Center and move the native pointer to a different location and dismiss the Notification Center.

• Audio redirection fails when you connect an iPad to an external monitor. The audio plays through the iPad speakers. [HDX-39159]

Known issues in the feature

• While the session is active, the desktop image that appears on an iPad or an external monitor gets disturbed when you change the:
  • Display arrangement
  • Resolution
  • Orientation or
  • Display modes

  As a workaround, disconnect and reconnect the monitor. If the issue persists, disconnect, and relaunch the session. [HDX-37038] [HDX-36979] [HDX-36925] [HDX-36924].

• On rare occasions, you can observe a few seconds lag in the audio when the video is played on the external monitor. [HDX-39159]

• On rare occasions, the VDA display is truncated on an iPad and on the external monitor. As a workaround, disconnect, and reconnect the monitor. If the issue persists, disconnect and relaunch the session. [HDX-37100]

• When you maximize the video to full-screen on the external monitor, you might observe video quality issues. [HDX-39159]

• On rare occasions, inside a desktop session, an attempt to move the apps from an iPad to the external monitor fails. As a workaround, disconnect and reconnect the monitor. If the issue persists, disconnect, and relaunch the session. [HDX-36981]

• On rare occasions, when you connect an iPad to an external monitor using third-party adapters, the Display Modes aren’t visible under the Display Options. [HDX-39713]

• Sometimes, a line is observed under the mouse pointer inside the VDA session. [RFIOS-9569]

Keyboard support

Keyboard layout synchronization

Keyboard layout synchronization enables users to switch preferred keyboard layouts on the client device. This feature is disabled by default.

To enable keyboard layout synchronization, go to Settings > Keyboard Options and enable the Keyboard Layout Sync option.

Note:

Using the local keyboard layout option activates the client IME (Input Method Editor). If you are working in Japanese, Chinese, or Korean language and prefer to use the server IME, disable the local keyboard layout option by clearing the option in Preferences > Keyboard.

Prerequisites

• For Linux VDA, enable Client keyboard layout sync and IME improvement policy.
• For Windows VDA, enable Unicode Keyboard Layout Mapping, Client Keyboard Layout Sync, and IME Improvement policies.
• The VDA must be version 7.16 or later.

Keyboard layout support for Windows VDA & Linux VDA

Special key support

Support for the following single keys on an external keyboard of iOS 13.4 and later:

• PageUp
• PageDown
• Home
• End
• F1
• F2
• F3
• F4
• F5
• F6
• F7
• F8
• F9
• F10
• F11
• F12

Special key combinations support

This release adds support for the following key combinations on iOS external keyboards:

• Windows + R
• Windows + D
• Windows + E
• Windows + L
• Windows + M
• Windows + S
• Windows + CTRL+ S
• Windows + T
• Windows + U
• Windows + Number
• Windows + UP
• Windows + Down
• Windows + Left
• Windows + Right
• Windows + X
• Windows + K
• CTRL + ESC

Extended keyboard enhancements

Starting with the 23.5.0 version, extended keyboard functionality is enhanced to provide a better user experience. The following are the enhancements:

• Pin or unpin the extended toolbar UI.
• Rotate the extended toolbar in sync with screen rotation.
• Support Windows icon key and 3-key combination shortcuts.
• Improve experience in multiple monitor use case scenarios.
• Auto open or collapse the extended toolbar UI.
• Improve the experience for Stage Manager mode (on iPad with M1 chip).

IME user interface

Generally, IME provides UI components such as candidate window and composition window. The composition window contains the composition characters and composition UI elements, for example, underline and background color. The candidate window displays the candidate list.

The composition window enables you to distinguish between the confirmed characters and the composing characters. The composition window and the candidate window move with the input cursor.

As a result, the feature provides:

• An enhanced input of characters at the cursor location in the composition window.
• An enhanced display in the composition and the candidate window.

Currently, you can use this feature on the sessions hosted on Windows VDAs and supports both soft keyboards and external physical keyboards.

Generic Client IME for East Asian languages

Generic Client Input Method Editor (IME) feature enhances input and display experience with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (CJK) language characters on iOS devices. This feature allows you to compose CJK characters at the cursor position when you are in a session with your client IMEs. The feature is available for the Windows VDA environments. You are recommended to use the client IME instead of the VDA-side IME for a better user experience.

Prerequisites

• Enable the Client keyboard layout synchronization and IME improvement and Enable Unicode keyboard layout mapping on your Windows VDA through the group policy.

  

For more information see, Knowledge Center article CTX312404.

You can also enable the options using the following registries on your Windows VDA:

-  HKLM\Software\Citrix\ICA\IcaIme\DisableKeyboardSync value = DWORD 0
-  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\CtxKlMap\EnableKlMap value = DWORD 1
-  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\CtxKlMap\DisableWindowHook value = DWORD 1

• Enable the Settings > Keyboard Options > Keyboard Layout Sync option from Citrix Workspace app.

  

Support for scancode input mode

Starting with the 24.1.0 release, you can select Scancode as the keyboard input mode while using an external physical keyboard. This feature is helpful when you use iOS devices with an external Windows PC’s standard keyboard. With Scancode, you can use the keyboard layout of the VDA instead of the iOS’s keyboard. In this way, you can completely follow the input style of the external Windows keyboard instead of iOS. It is beneficial when typing in East-Asian languages, as it significantly improves the overall user experience. The end user might find themselves using the keyboard layout of the server instead of the client. For more understanding, see the Use Case section in this article.

To use the Scancode feature, do the following steps:

1. Open Citrix Workspace app for iOS and navigate to Settings > Keyboard Options.
2. Tap Input mode for external keyboards.
3. Select one of the following options:
   • Scancode: Sends the key position from the client-side keyboard to VDA and VDA generates the corresponding character. Applies server-side keyboard layout.
   • Unicode: Sends the key from the client-side keyboard to VDA and VDA generates the same character in VDA. Applies client-side keyboard layout.

   By default, Unicode is selected as the input mode for both software or touch keyboard and external keyboard.

4. Tap Scancode.

   When you are in a session, you can switch the remote, server, or VDA keyboard layout and input with the remote, server, or VDA keyboard layout.

Use case

For example, consider a scenario where you’re using a US international keyboard layout that is connected to your iOS device. When you choose Scancode and type the key next to the CapsLock on your external keyboard, the scancode 1E is sent to the VDA. The VDA then uses 1E to display the character a. If you choose Unicode and type the key next to CapsLock on your external keyboard, the character a is sent to the VDA. So, even if the VDA uses another keyboard layout that has a different character in the same position, the character a appears on the screen.

Note:

Unicode is the preferred mode for typing when you use a touch keyboard on your mobile devices. Because the keys on a touch keyboard generally don’t generate a scancode.

Enhancements to external keyboard shortcut support

Citrix Workspace app for iOS now enables you to use more shortcuts from external keyboards when in a remote desktop or app session. The following are important improvements made to external keyboard shortcuts:

• Support for Windows keyboard specific keys such as Insert, Delete, and number pad.
• When you keep a key pressed down and don’t release it, the remote desktop/app responds correctly.
• Support shortcuts with more than three keys.

In addition, you can now configure the specific key for Alt by using the following options via Settings > Keyboard Options > Assign Specific Key for Alt:

• Option or Alt (left): Sends Alt using Option (left) or Alt (left).
• Command or Windows (left): Sends Alt using Command (left) or Windows (left) keys.
• Option or Alt (left and right): Sends Alt using the Option or Alt (left and right) key.

Assigning specific key for Alt option helps to avoid conflict between the macOS Option key and the Windows Alt key.

Limitations

The following iOS system shortcuts are currently not supported:

• Command (Windows)-H: Go to the Home screen.
• Command (Windows)-Space bar: Show or hide the Search field.
• Command (Windows)-Tab: Switch to the next most recently used app among your open apps.
• Command (Windows)-Shift-3: Take a screenshot.
• Command (Windows)-Shift-4: Take a screenshot and immediately open Markup to view or edit it.
• Command (Windows)-Option (Alt)-D: Show or hide the Dock.
• Command (Windows)-Ctrl-Q: Lock the device.
• AltGr in the Europe keyboard is not supported. If you want to enter special characters with AltGr, use the following shortcuts instead:
  • macOS Option+* shortcut or
  • Windows OS Alt + number pad shortcut.

Microphone and camera access

You can now access your microphone and camera for audio-video conferencing through a VDA session. Citrix Workspace app requires your permission to access microphone or camera which can be provided by navigating to Settings on your device and enabling the camera or microphone.

Also, microphone and camera access per store as a part of the client-selective trust security feature has been included to allow Citrix Workspace app to trust access from a VDA session.

Citrix Workspace app requires the user’s permission to access the microphone or camera.

You can configure the access levels by navigating to Settings > Store Settings. In the Store Settings menu, click a store to enable the required microphone or camera access. The selected setting for microphone or camera access is applied on a per store basis.

Rear camera support

Citrix Workspace app for iOS now allows you to switch the camera position from front to rear and conversely, within the VDA session.

A floating button appears when you invoke the camera. Single tap on the floating button to switch between the front and rear camera positions.

You can also move the floating button freely around the screen and place it anywhere.

Known issues:

The floating button is partially or fully obstructed when the Casting feature or the Document Scan feature is enabled.

Graphics and Display

Improved graphics performance

Starting with the 24.1.0 version, Citrix Workspace app for iOS supports hardware accelerated H.264 video encoding or decoding. The multimedia engine of Citrix HDX now uses Apple’s Video Toolbox framework for encoding and decoding. This framework compresses and decompresses video faster and in real time. This enhancement reduces the load on the CPU during multimedia usage.

Client Drive Mapping (CDM)

You can select a specific device storage access for every configured store. Device storage access has the following options.

• No access
• Read-only access
• Read and write access
• Ask me every time

If you select Ask me every time, a prompt appears, asking you to select the type of device storage access at every launch. By default the No access option is selected.

Note:

This feature applies only on direct ICA launches and Citrix Gateway configured stores. Stores without end-to-end SSL setup aren’t supported.

The Device Storage settings are available under a new section in the settings called Store Settings. To view Device Storage, navigate to Settings > Store Settings.

Citrix Ready workspace hub

The Citrix Ready workspace hub combines digital and physical environments to deliver apps and data within a secure smart space. The complete system connects devices (or things), like mobile apps and sensors, to create an intelligent and responsive environment.

Citrix Ready workspace hub is built on the Raspberry Pi 3 platform. The device running Citrix Workspace app connects to the Citrix Ready workspace hub and casts the apps or desktops on a larger display.

For more information about the Citrix Ready workspace hub, see the Citrix Ready workspace hub documentation.

Citrix Ready workspace hub supports a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connection between mobile devices and the hub for security purposes. Set a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) either manually or automatically to uniquely identify each device. For more information, see the Security connection in the Citrix Ready workspace hub documentation.

Citrix Ready workspace hub is enabled on Citrix Workspace app when all the following system requirements are met:

• Citrix Workspace app 1810.1 for iOS or later
• Bluetooth enabled
• Mobile device and workspace hub using the same Wi-Fi network

Configure Citrix Ready workspace hub

To turn on Citrix Ready workspace hub features, go to Settings and tap Citrix Casting to enable the feature on your device. For more information, see the help documentation for the iOS devices.

Citrix Workspace app integrates a new procedure to add or to remove a workspace hub from the trusted list on iOS devices. For more information, see Security Connection.