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How to use Touch Accommodations on iPhone and iPad

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How to use Touch Accommodations on iPhone and iPad
How to use Touch Accommodations on iPhone and iPad (Image credit: Bryan M. Wolfe/iMore)

For people with motor skill impairments, Touch Accommodations is a useful and convenient accessibility feature that helps make using a touchscreen much more comfortable and much less frustrating.

Here's how to set things up to work for you.

How to enable Touch Accommodations

  1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Tap Accessibility.
  3. Choose Touch under Physical and Motor.

To enable Touch Accommodations, launch the Settings app on your device, tap Accessibility, then choose Touch under Physical and Motor (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap Touch Accommodations.
  2. Toggle on Touch Accommodations.

To enable Touch Accommodations, tap Touch Accommodations, toggle on Touch Accommodations (Image credit: iMore)

How to enable and change Hold Duration

If you have tremors or tics that might cause you to tap your iPhone or iPads screen repeatedly, you can enable a Hold Duration so that you must hold an on-screen button for a certain length of time before it is activated.

  1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Tap Accessibility.
  3. Choose Touch under Physical and Motor.

To enable Touch Accommodations, launch the Settings app on your device, tap Accessibility, then choose Touch under Physical and Motor (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap Touch Accommodations.
  2. Toggle on Hold Duration. Confirm your selection.
  3. Tap the plus or minus button to increase or decrease the Hold Duration.

To enable and change Hold Duration, tap Touch Accommodations, toggle on Hold Duration, then tap the plus or minus button to change the Hold Duration (Image credit: iMore)

How to enable and change the duration for Ignore Repeat

Ignore Repeat works similarly to Hold Duration in that you can set a duration during which multiple taps will be recognized as only one tap. This is particularly useful if you're trying to enable settings or type a text or email.

  1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Tap Accessibility.
  3. Choose Touch under Physical and Motor.

To enable Touch Accommodations, launch the Settings app on your device, tap Accessibility, then choose Touch under Physical and Motor (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap Touch Accommodations.
  2. Toggle on Ignore Repeat. Confirm your selection.
  3. Tap the plus or minus button to increase or decrease the Ignore Repeat setting.

To enable and change Ignore Repeat, tap Touch Accommodations, toggle on Ignore Repeat, then tap the plus or minus button to change the Ignore Repeat setting (Image credit: iMore)

How to enable Tap Assistance

Enabling Tap Assistance will allow any single finger gesture to perform a tap.

  1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Tap Accessibility.
  3. Choose Touch under Physical and Motor.

To enable Touch Accommodations, launch the Settings app on your device, tap Accessibility, then choose Touch under Physical and Motor (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap Touch Accommodations.
  2. Choose Use Initial Touch Location or Use Final Touch Location under Tap Assistance.

To enable and change Tap Assistance, tap Touch Accommodations, choose Use Initial Touch Location or Use Final Touch Location under Tap Assistance (Image credit: iMore)

Questions?

Got a question about using Touch Accommodations? Let us know in the comments below!

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Bryan M Wolfe
Bryan M Wolfe
Staff Writer

Bryan M. Wolfe has written about technology for over a decade on various websites, including TechRadar, AppAdvice, and many more. Before this, he worked in the technology field across different industries, including healthcare and education. He’s currently iMore’s lead on all things Mac and macOS, although he also loves covering iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Bryan enjoys watching his favorite sports teams, traveling, and driving around his teenage daughter to her latest stage show, audition, or school event in his spare time. He also keeps busy walking his black and white cocker spaniel, Izzy, and trying new coffees and liquid grapes.