When
VoiceOver is on, standard touchscreen gestures have different
effects, and additional gestures let you move around the screen and
control individual items. VoiceOver gestures include two-, three-,
and four-finger taps and swipes. For best results using
multi-finger gestures, relax and let your fingers touch the screen
with some space between them.
You can use different techniques to perform VoiceOver gestures.
For example, you can perform a two-finger tap using two fingers of
one hand, or one finger from each hand. You can even use your
thumbs. Many use a split-tap gesture: instead of selecting an item
and double-tapping, touch and hold an item with one finger, then
tap the screen with another finger.
Try different techniques to discover what works best for you. If
a gesture doesn't work, try a quicker movement, especially for a
double-tap or swipe gesture. To swipe, try brushing the screen
quickly with your finger or fingers.
In VoiceOver settings, you can enter a special area where you
can practice VoiceOver gestures without affecting iPhone or its
settings.
Practice VoiceOver gestures. Go to Settings > General >
Accessibility > VoiceOver, then tap VoiceOver Practice. When you
finish practicing, tap Done. If you don't see the VoiceOver
Practice button, make sure VoiceOver is turned on.
Here's a summary of key VoiceOver gestures:
Navigate and read
- Tap: Select and speak the item.
- Swipe right or left: Select the next or previous
item.
- Swipe up or down: Depends on the rotor setting. See
Use the VoiceOver rotor further down.
- Two-finger tap: Stop speaking the current item.
- Two-finger swipe up: Read all from the top of the
screen.
- Two-finger swipe down: Read all from the current
position.
- Two-finger scrub: Move two fingers back and forth
three times quickly (making a "z") to dismiss an alert or go back
to the previous screen.
- Three-finger swipe up or down: Scroll one page at a
time.
- Three-finger swipe right or left: Go to the next or
previous page (such as the Home screen, Stocks, or Safari).
- Three-finger tap: Speak additional information, such
as position within a list or whether text is selected.
- Four-finger tap at top of screen: Select the first
item on the page.
- Four-finger tap at bottom of screen: Select the last
item on the page.
Activate
- Double-tap: Activate the selected item.
- Triple-tap: Double-tap an item.
- Split-tap: As an alternative to selecting an item and
double-tapping to activate it, touch an item with one finger, and
then tap the screen with another.
- Double-tap and hold (1 second) + standard gesture: Use
a standard gesture. The double-tap and hold gesture tells iPhone to
interpret the next gesture as standard. For example, you can
double-tap and hold, and then without lifting your finger, drag
your finger to slide a switch.
- Two-finger double-tap: Answer or end a call. Play or
pause in Music, Videos, Voice Memos, or Photos. Take a photo in
Camera. Start or pause recording in Camera or Voice Memos. Start or
stop the stopwatch.
- Two-finger double-tap and hold: Change an item's label
to make it easier to find.
- Two-finger triple-tap: Open the Item Chooser.
- Three-finger triple-tap: Mute or unmute
VoiceOver.
- Three-finger quadruple-tap: Turn the screen curtain on
or off.