Assistive Touch on iPad and iPhone


To totally unlock this section you need to Log-in


Login

AssistiveTouch is an accessibility feature of the iPad which aims to enable people with physical impairments who may find traditional gestures and commands difficult, the ability to perform these using alternative simplified movements. This can include people who have limited mobility in their hands and fingers or people who use assistive devices such as a stylus or head pointer.

AssistiveTouch is a convenient feature that lets iOS users access buttons and trigger features that require movement without having to push buttons or lift the iPhone or iPad. Assistive Touch is an Accessibility feature that is often used by people with various levels of disability. As it turns out, Assistive Touch is also the perfect solution for an iPhone or iPad with broken buttons.

It can be found under the Settings > General > Accessibility section of the iPad or iPhone. Once turned ON, a small white dot will appear on your screen. This can be moved and docked anywhere on the screen.

Assistive Touch on iPad and iPhone

How to activate AssistiveTouch

Step 1: Tap Settings > General > Accessibility > AssistiveTouch.
Step 2: Toggle the switch to the “On” position.

A transparent icon will appear at the top of the screen. It is dark gray and has a series of circles inside of it. Touch the icon to access the AssistiveTouch features.

Assistive Touch on iPad and iPhone

When you select the transparent white dot you get four options:

  • You can select “Home” which acts like the home button and takes you to the home screen – also an alternative if your physical home button breaks.
  • You can select “Device” which performs actions related to the device such as volume up/down, rotate screen, lock rotation and shake, which “shakes” the device without actually physically doing it. This is great for people who find manipulating the small switches on the side of the device difficult or if the device is mounted on a wheelchair and the buttons are inaccessible.
  • You can select “Gestures” which gives you the option of two, three, four or five finger gestures. Once chosen, the same number of blue dots appears on the screen. You can then perform the multi-touch gestures using one finger or an assistive device such as a stylus. The device actually reads the gesture as a multi-finger gesture, even though only one finger is touching the screen. For example, if I want to swipe across to the previous app I had opened I would usually have to use a four-finger swipe. With AssistiveTouch though, if I was using a head pointer for example, I could perform the same action with the head pointer only.
  • You can select “Favourites” which will give you access to all of the custom gestures that you have programmed. For example, if you are wanting to perform the five finger pinch gesture which returns you to the home screen, you can record this gesture, name it and then perform it by selecting one button. Some apps will also require very specific gestures, and custom gestures can be recorded and selected to perform these actions.

Note that the AssistiveTouch icon can me moved around the screen to a more convenient location. Just tap on the icon and drag it wherever you want on the screen.

How to use AssistiveTouch to activate Siri, simulate the Home button, and access Favorites

Step 1: Open AssistiveTouch.
Step 2: Tap Siri, Home, or Favorites to perform the action.

When you tap “Favorites”, you can access custom gestures that you create for one-tap actions. For example, you can create a custom gesture to scroll down while you are browsing the Internet.

How to create AssistiveTouch custom gestures

Step 1: Open AssistiveTouch > Favorites.
Step 2: Tap an empty gesture box.
Step 3: Tap or swipe to create the custom gesture. Tap Save.
Step 4: Name the New Gesture.
Step 5: Open AssistiveTouch again.
Step 6: Tap Favorites. You will see your new gesture.
Step 7: Tap the gesture to perform it.
Step 8: Tap the menu button to stop using the gesture.

Assistive Touch on iPad and iPhone

Use AssistiveTouch to activate the Sleep/Wake button, volume controls, and screen rotation

Step 1: Open AssistiveTouch > Device.
Step 2: Tap Lock Screen, Rotate Screen, Volume Up, Volume Down, Mute or More to perform the action.

When you tap “More,” it will call up a third menu.

How to use AssistiveTouch to take a screenshot, or open App Switching (Multitasking)


Step 1
: Open AssistiveTouch > Device > More > Gestures.
Step 2: Tap Shake, Multitasking, or Screenshot to perform the action.

You can also perform a swipe or drag that requires two, three, four, or five fingers with the multi-touch gesture feature.

Assistive Touch on iPad and iPhone

How to use AssistiveTouch to activate multi-touch gestures

Step 1: Open AssistiveTouch > Device > More > Gestures.
Step 2: Tap the number of fingers needed for the gesture.
Step 3: When the circles appear on the screen, swipe or drag in the direction required.
Step 4: Tap the menu button to stop using the multi-touch gesture.

Now you know how to access a variety of buttons with AssistiveTouch. If your Sleep/Wake, Home, or volume buttons are broken, you can use this feature instead.

Device shortcuts

When we will tap the Device button, we'll now see shortcuts for enabling a wide range of features, including locking the iPhone, rotating the screen and altering the volume. Tap the More button to see shortcuts for shaking the iPhone, taking a screenshot and accessing the Multitasking bar.

Assistive Touch on iPad and iPhone

Create a gesture

Tap the back button to close the shortcuts window. Let’s now create a gesture. Tap the Create New Gesture button, then in the light grey window that appears, use two fingers to mimic zooming out of an image (see screenshot above). Once you’ve done, tap the Stop button, then tap the Save button at the top of the screen.

Assistive Touch on iPad and iPhone

Save the gesture

Give the gesture a name, in this example we’ve used “Pinch Out”. Then tap the Save button. You’ll now see your new gesture saved in the Custom Gestures panel. It’s also available in the Favourites section of the shortcuts window.

Assistive Touch on iPad and iPhone

Use a gesture

To use a gesture such as pinch-to-zoom, open the shortcuts panel, tap Favourites, then tap the Pinch button. You’ll see two small arrows appear on-screen. Tap on either one of the arrows, then drag it around the screen. This will replicate a Multi-Touch gesture. This is a really great way to zoom into photos, maps or web pages by using only one finger.

Assistive Touch on iPad and iPhone