4 Accessibility Features on Your iPhone You May Not Know About
Apple is well-known as a leader when it comes to accessibility. In 1985, they introduced MacInTalk, a text-to-speech engine. They opened their first Office of Disability that same year. 40 years later, they continue to innovate in new and exciting ways. Their Apple Fitness+ workouts include modified moves for adaptive fitness. They partnered with Dexcom to bring direct-to-watch blood sugar values to Apple Watch. And the list goes on, especially for the iPhone.
Accessibility features can benefit anyone, not just people with disabilities. Many of these features are useful for everyday users.
There are so many accessibility features available that we can’t cover them all here. If you want to learn about even more, check out the Accessibility Support page on Apple’s website. In the meantime, here are 4 of our favorite features for the iPhone.
1. Back Tap
With this feature, an action happens when you double or triple tap the back of your phone. There are a lot of possible ways to use this to help you! It could turn on the flashlight, take a screenshot, or launch the magnifier. You could even use Back Tap to quickly get to your AppleTV remote, if you have that set up for your system.
Go to this link for more information on setting up and using Back Tap.
2. Assistive Access
This feature is great for people who want to use their iPhone independently, but need things to be a little simpler than the default. With Assistive Access, it’s easier to navigate and use your phone. Plus, onscreen items are larger, too.
Setting up Assistive Access may be easier with a trusted supporter. This person may need access to your Apple Account password or iPhone passcode. Be sure that you fully trust this person to help you if you choose to have them.
You will need to be using iOS 17 or higher to use Assistive Access. For a step-by-step set-up guide, visit this link on Apple’s website.
3. VoiceOver
VoiceOver is Apple’s screen reader technology. It gives audible descriptions of what’s on your screen. It can tell you your battery percentage, the name of who is calling, or read a notification. VoiceOver is controlled using gestures, making it super simple to use. Plus, you can fine-tune the speed at which it speaks to you.
The VoiceOver feature is also available on most models of Mac, iPad, AppleTV, Apple Watch, and more.
Learn how to turn on and use VoiceOver by clicking this link.
4. Display Accommodations
Apple devices may not seem to be as customizable as other devices at first glance. However, there are a lot of ways that they can be changed to suit the user. For example, inverting colors and using Color Filters can be helpful to those with color blindness or other vision challenges. You can also limit the frame rate, change the default text size, increase contrast, and so much more.
Use this link to see all the ways you can change your device’s display settings.
Your iPhone Should Make Your Life Easier
It’s Tim Cook’s mantra that Apple strives to create products that “enrich people’s lives.” As a company that believes in inclusion, we love their approach! Everyone should be able to use their phone to make life easier. Just because a feature was developed for a particular disability, doesn’t mean that it can only be used by people with that disability. If a feature can benefit you, then you should use it!
Don’t forget that there are even more accessibility features than what we covered here. And, a lot of their features work on more devices than just the iPhone. Apple’s website has guides and resources about all of their accessibility features.
by Abby Burch
Marketing & Communications Specialist
