iOS Accessibility Highlight:
Accessibility Shortcut
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You’ve heard from us before that Apple devices are filled with cool and interesting accessibility features. This week, I wanted to highlight something called the “Accessibility Shortcut.” Ironically, this feature lives way at the bottom of the Accessibility settings, so it is often missed as something that makes using some of the accessibility features quick and readily available.
I’ve written this article from the perspective of a user with an iPhone that has iOS 17 on it. If this article doesn’t match up with your experience, reach out and we can walk you through what’s available on your iOS device! All links will take you to a relevant Apple Support page.
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GIF Description: a hand is holding an iPhone 13. The thumb is clicking the button on the right side of the phone 3 times. This pulls up the accessibility shortcut menu at the bottom of the screen, which displays Guided Access, Live Speech, Magnifier, Switch Control, Voice Control and VoiceOver as options. There is also a Cancel button at the very bottom.
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First things first, let’s find the Accessibility Settings. You’ll need to find the Settings App, and then scroll down beyond General. Tap on Accessibility – there is a blue icon with a stick figure person inside a circle to the left of the word Accessibility. While you’re here, I highly recommend just looking around! There are 5 sections: Vision, Physical and Motor, Hearing, Speech, and General. Today, we’re headed to the General Section.
Under General, we’re going to go to Accessibility Shortcut. At the top of your screen, it will say something like “Configure then triple-click the Side Button to toggle accessibility features on or off.” It might also tell you that it’s the “top button” or “home button” depending on the model of iPhone that you have. Underneath these instructions, you will see a list of 24 items – these are all accessibility features available to you on your iPhone! Tapping on one of these features places a blue check mark to the left of the item. If you select only one item, it will automatically turn on when you triple-click the button that activates the accessibility shortcut. If you select multiple items, a small menu appears when you triple-click the button, and you select which feature you’d like to turn on or off. Here are some examples of ways someone might use the accessibility shortcut:
- If you, or support someone, uses Switch Control, VoiceOver, or Voice Control, it can be an easy way to restart the accessibility feature when it gets glitchy.
- If you are a special educator working with a student and want to use Guided Access to ensure they don’t leave their educational app, it’s an easy way to turn it on.
- If you’ve lost your vocal speech, but can still type on a keyboard, it’s an easy way to turn on Live Speech so that you can have your typed words spoken aloud by your device.
- If you need captions while talking to your friend on the street, it’s an easy way to turn on Live Captions.
If you have a hard time triple-clicking the button, there are settings that allow you to change the speed required to double or triple-click the side, top, or home button! In the Physical and Motor section of the Accessibility Settings, go to “Side Button” or “Home Button” depending on your phone model. At the top it will say “Click Speed.” You can select default (requires the fastest clicking), Slow, or Slowest. This will give you more time to complete the triple-click.
Alternatively, you can set up “Back Tap.” Back Tap allows you to tap the back of your phone either two or three times to perform actions quickly. One of the available actions is the Accessibility Shortcut. To enable Back Tap, go to Touch under the Physical and Motor Section of the Accessibility Settings. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and select Back Tap. Then you can assign either Double Tap or Triple Tap to “Accessibility Shortcut.” One thing to note is that there will be accidental activations when you use this feature, and the case you use might affect how well it works.
Questions about setting up your accessibility settings? Reach out to our program and we can help you learn more.
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The contents of this newsletter were submitted by Tracy Roux; A.T Consultant serving Washington, Orange, Lamoille, Essex, Orleans, and Caledonia Counties.
Contact the Vermont Assistive Technology Program by calling 1-800-750-6355 or by emailing dail.atinfo@vermont.gov. For more information visit our website (www.atp.vermont.gov). And if there is a topic that you'd like to see covered, please feel free to let us know!
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