@jollster101 Nope, ever was what I meant - as on my Raspberry 3B with 2 connected gamepads, each of them can navigate ES and launch items, but only the gamepad for player one can use the configured "hotkey"-features (exit emulator, open libretro-menu, save/load state, etc.).
If that's not possible with your IPac configured as 2 Gamepads, more Info is needed: What IPac (pre or post 2015) and which Firmware/Mode??
How are the controlls detected by ES? What does "configure input" states if you opt for it in the "?? Devices detected... press a button on the one to be configured" window?
Some older (Pre 1.5) Firmware with Gamepad enabled Mode where not "usable" on retropie as such (I think those may have been the old one currently called Mixed-Mode Firmware (which nowadays needs a seperate version of the Winipac tool for configuration)) ... Between the old Firmwares (the times with different firmwares for gamepad and keyboard only setups), may have been in the time around 2019/2020, there where some changes in the naming of firmware-/&modes on Ultimarcs behalve and sadly I haven't archived the "inbetweens" and properly named my old-archive of the tools/firmwares to use the terms in a correct/everyone knows whats meant way :/
