Tablet mode in KDE? (auto-rotate, virtual keyboard)

Framework Laptop 12 Linux
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I just installed my Framework 12 (13th Gen Intel® Core™,sage!) with Debian GNU/Linux 13rc2 (“trixie”, release real soon, kernel 6.12.35+deb13-amd64), with a KDE 6 “plasma” desktop. dmidecode says I’m running BIOS 3.3 but I tried running LVFS as per Framework Laptop 12 BIOS and Driver Releases (13th Gen Intel® Core™) but it did not do anything.

I wonder if people have figured out how to make the sensors work for automatic rotation and popping open virtual keyboard as necessary when in “tablet” mode.

So far, I could only find an empty “virtual keyboard” section in the settings, and the screen, well, it just doesn’t auto-rotate by default.

Everything so far is pretty smooth, and those issues are probably software (rather than hardware) related, but still, maybe someone else figured those out?

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So, first thing, I have perhaps posted this before exhausting all avenues here, but I feel it is still useful as I will report what I find!

It seems like, for the virtual keyboard, you need to install maalit-keyboard, then enable it in the “virtual keyboard” settings, found on How to enable virtual keyboard included in KDE? - #11 by Barak_Roberts - Help - KDE Discuss.

So at least that part should be solved! And it works smartly, in that it turns on only when the lid is flipped (and, presumably, because the keyboard disappears).

Also, it looks like there’s a bug affecting Ubuntu (and also Debian), according to What are the Linux system requirements for tablet mode? (which somehow I didn’t find while searching this forum)… I followed this guide and now monitor-sensor --accel works, but KDE doesn’t rotate the display automatically yet.

root@dorothea:~# monitor-sensor --accel
    Waiting for iio-sensor-proxy to appear
+++ iio-sensor-proxy appeared
=== Has accelerometer (orientation: undefined, tilt: undefined)
    Accelerometer orientation changed: normal
    Tilt changed: vertical
    Accelerometer orientation changed: left-up
    Accelerometer orientation changed: normal
    Accelerometer orientation changed: right-up
    Accelerometer orientation changed: normal

so this could be a KDE issue as well?

Looks like this thread might be a duplicate of What are the Linux system requirements for tablet mode?

Final update: rebooting fixed it!

All good, and amazing, that. :slight_smile:

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