Use AssistiveTouch on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

You can use AssistiveTouch to adjust volume, lock your screen, use multi-finger gestures, restart your device or replace pressing buttons with just a tap.

Turn on AssistiveTouch

When you turn on AssistiveTouch, a button will appear on the screen. You can drag the button to any edge of the screen, where it will stay until you move it again. By default, tapping the button once will open the AssistiveTouch menu. Tapping once anywhere outside the menu will close the AssistiveTouch menu.

There are a few ways to turn on AssistiveTouch. You can:

• Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch, then turn on AssistiveTouch

• Use "Hey Siri" to say "Turn on AssistiveTouch"

• Go to Settings > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut, then turn on AssistiveTouch

AssistiveTouch can also be added to the Accessibility Shortcut for quick access from Control Centre, or you can use the side or Home button. And if you have an Apple Watch Series 4 device or later, you can turn on AssistiveTouch on your Apple Watch.

Use AssistiveTouch instead of gestures

Access menus and controls that require onscreen gestures, such as:

• Control Centre

• Notification Centre

• Spotlight

• Home

• App Switcher

• Speak Screen

Use AssistiveTouch instead of pressing buttons

The AssistiveTouch menu gives you access to functions that you would otherwise control by pressing physical buttons or moving the device. With AssistiveTouch, you can:

• Activate the Accessibility Shortcut

• Lock the screen

• Adjust the volume

• Summon Siri

• Restart the device

• Capture a screenshot

• Simulate shaking the device

Use AssistiveTouch for multi-finger gestures

1. From the AssistiveTouch menu, select Device > More.

2. Select Gestures.

3. Choose between 2-, 3-, 4- or 5-finger input.

After you've made your selection, multiple dots will appear on the screen that indicate where the virtual fingertips are touching the screen. Moving one finger around the screen or performing taps will control all virtual fingertips at the same time. The virtual fingertips will go away automatically after a few moments of inactivity.

Customise the AssistiveTouch menu

To change the order, number and contents of the buttons in the menu:

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch.

2. Tap Customise Top Level Menu, then tap an icon to reassign a different function to its position.

3. Use the + and - buttons to change the number of buttons that appear in the menu.

Use the Reset button to erase your changes and restore the default menu settings.

Use custom actions

To assign an AssistiveTouch function to a single-tap, double-tap or long press of the button:

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch.

2. Under the Custom Actions heading, choose Single-Tap, Double-Tap or Long Press.

3. Choose an action from the list to assign to the gesture.

4. Use the AssistiveTouch button to go back to Settings.

You can adjust the amount of time the actions can perform a double-tap or how long the button must be held for a long press.

Create new gestures

You can record custom taps and swipes using the touchscreen and save them to the AssistiveTouch menu.

To create a new gesture:

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch.

2. Tap AssistiveTouch, then tap Create New Gesture.

3. Recording will start automatically when you touch the screen, so you can tap or swipe whenever you're ready.

4. When you've finished, tap Stop.

To review your recorded gesture, press Play. If you want to re-record your gesture, tap Record. Press Save to name your gesture when you're ready.

If you're unable to perform a multi-finger gesture by using multiple fingers at the same time, you can record individual movements and they'll group together. For example, draw two horizontal dots on the top half of the screen and a semicircle on the bottom of the screen, then press Stop. When you press play, all dots and lines will play at once.

Connect a pointer device with AssistiveTouch

With AssistiveTouch, you can connect an accessory – such as a wired or Bluetooth mouse or trackpad – to control the onscreen pointer on your device. Find out how to connect a pointer device to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

Learn more

Find out more about the accessibility features on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.