VoiceOver

VoiceOver describes aloud what appears onscreen, so you can use iPad without seeing it.

VoiceOver tells you about each item on the screen as you select it. The VoiceOver cursor (a rectangle) encloses the item and VoiceOver speaks its name or describes it.

Touch the screen or drag your finger over it to hear the items on the screen. When you select text, VoiceOver reads the text. If you turn on Speak Hints, VoiceOver may tell you the name of the item and provide instructions-for example, "double-tap to open." To interact with items, such as buttons and links, use the gestures described in Learn VoiceOver gestures.

When you go to a new screen, VoiceOver plays a sound, then selects and speaks the first item on the screen (typically in the upper-left corner). VoiceOver also lets you know when the display changes to landscape or portrait orientation, and when the screen becomes dimmed or locked.

VoiceOver basics

Important: VoiceOver changes the gestures you use to control iPad. When VoiceOver is on, you must use VoiceOver gestures - event to turn VoiceOver off.

Turn VoiceOver on or off. Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver, or use the Accessibility Shortcut.

Explore. Drag your finger over the screen. VoiceOver speaks each item you touch. Lift your finger to leave an item selected.

  • Select an item: Tap it, or lift your finger while dragging over it.
  • Select the next or previous item: Swipe right or left with one finger. Item order is left-to-right, top-to-bottom.
  • Select the item above or below: Set the rotor to Vertical Navigation, then swipe up or down with one finger. For more about the rotor, see Use the VoiceOver rotor.
  • Select the first or last item on the screen: Tap with four fingers at the top or bottom of the screen.
  • Select an item by name: Triple-tap with two fingers anywhere on the screen to open the Item Chooser. Then type a name in the search field, or swipe right or left to move through the list alphabetically, or tap the table of index to the right of the list and swipe up or down to move quickly through the list of items. Or use handwriting to select an item by writing its name; see Write with your finger.
  • Change an item's name so it's easier to find: Select the item, then double-tap and hold with two fingers anywhere on the screen.
  • Speak the text of the selected item: Set the rotor to characters or words, then swipe down or up with one finger.
  • Turn spoken hints on or off. Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Speak Hints.
  • Use phonetic spelling: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Phonetic Feedback.
  • Speak the entire screen from the top: Swipe up with two fingers.
  • Speak from the current item to the bottom of the screen: Swipe down with two fingers.
  • Pause speaking: Tap once with two fingers. Tap again with two fingers to resume. Speaking resumes when you select another item.
  • Mute VoiceOver: Double-tap with three fingers. Repeat to unmute. If you're using an external keyboard, press the Control key.
  • Silence sound effects: Turn off Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Use Sound Effects.

Use a larger VoiceOver cursor. Turn on Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Large Cursor.

Adjust the speaking voice. You can adjust the characteristics of the VoiceOver speaking voice to make it easier for you to understand:

  • Change the speaking volume: Use the volume buttons on iPad. You can also add volume to the rotor and swipe up and down to adjust; see Use the VoiceOver rotor.
  • Change the speaking rate: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver and drag the Speaking Rate slider. You can also add Speech Rate to the rotor, then swipe up or down to adjust.
  • Use pitch change: VoiceOver uses a higher pitch when speaking the first item of a group (such as a list or table) and a lower pitch when speaking the last item of a group. Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Use Pitch Change.
  • Speak punctuation: Set the rotor to Punctuation, then swipe up or down to to select how much you want to hear.
  • Change the language for iPad: Go to Settings > General > International > Language. VoiceOver pronounciation of some languages is affected by Settings > General > International > Region Format.
  • Change pronunciation: Set the rotor to Language, then swipe up or down. Language is available in the rotor only if you select more than one pronunciation at Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Languages & Dialects.
  • Choose which pronunciations are available in the rotor: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Languages & Dialects. To adjust the voice quality or speaking rate for each language, tapnext to the language. To change the order of the languages, drag up or down. To delete a language, tap Edit.
  • Set the default dialect for the current iPad language: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Languages & Dialects.
  • Change the basic reading voice: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Use Compact Voice.

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