Voice-over is an accessibility feature on iOS that allows visually impaired users to interact with their devices using gestures. Below is a comprehensive guide to Voice-over gestures in iOS 17:
Basic Voice-over Gestures
Single Tap
Action:
Speaks the item under your finger.
Usage:
Use this to explore the screen and hear descriptions of items.
Double Tap
Action:
Activates the selected item.
Usage:
Once you’ve found the item you want to interact with, a double tap will select or open it.
Triple Tap
Action:
Double-tap while holding down one finger (for a quick action).
Usage:
It can be used for additional Voice-over-specific actions depending on the context.
Flick Left/Right
Action:
Moves the focus to the next or previous item.
Usage:
Navigate through items on the screen without needing to explore by touch.
Flick Up/Down
Action:
Changes the setting or performs an action depending on the context.
Usage:
Use to adjust sliders, move through lists, or change the rotor setting.
Advanced Voice-over Gestures
Two-Finger Single Tap (Magic Tap)
Action:
Performs the most common action available, such as answering a call or playing/pausing media.
Usage:
This is context-sensitive, making it a versatile gesture for common tasks.
Two-Finger Double Tap
Action:
Starts or stops the current action.
Usage:
Can be used to stop or start audio playback, or answer and end phone calls.
Two-Finger Flick Up/Down
Action:
Reads all from the top or current position.
Usage:
Flick down to read all content from the current focus or flick up to read from the top of the screen.
Three-Finger Flick Left/Right
Action:
Scrolls to the next or previous page.
Usage:
Move between pages of apps or settings screens.
Three-Finger Flick Up/Down
Action:
Scrolls through a list one page at a time.
Usage:
Useful for scrolling through long lists without lifting your fingers off the screen.
Three-Finger Single Tap
Action:
Speaks additional information, such as the status bar information.
Usage:
Get details like time, battery level, and network signal.
Three-Finger Double Tap
Action:
Turns the screen curtain on or off.
Usage:
Hides or reveals the display while keeping VoiceOver active, useful for privacy.
Rotor Gestures
The rotor is a unique feature of VoiceOver that allows you to quickly change how VoiceOver works. You rotate through options by using two fingers as if turning a dial.
Rotor Rotation
Action:
Rotate two fingers on the screen, like turning a dial.
Usage:
Adjust settings such as navigating by headings, links, or adjusting text.
Rotor Settings
Navigating by Elements:
Headings, links, form controls, etc.
Text Editing:
Character, word, line selection.
Special Actions:
Volume, speech rate, language, etc.
Text Editing Gestures
VoiceOver provides specific gestures to help with text editing.
Single-Finger Double Tap and Hold
Action:
Starts dragging.
Usage:
Move items around on the home screen or rearrange items within an app.
Two-Finger Double Tap
Action:
Selects the entire paragraph in text editing.
Usage:
Quickly select large blocks of text for copying, cutting, or editing.
Two-Finger Scrub
Action:
Moves focus to a previously spoken item.
Usage:
Move backward through text editing options or undo an action.
Three-Finger Triple Tap
Action:
Announces the number of visible items.
Usage:
Useful for knowing the number of items on the screen at a glance.
Miscellaneous Gestures
Four-Finger Single Tap (Top Half of the Screen)
Action:
Selects the first item on the screen.
Usage:
Quickly jump to the first item on the page.
Four-Finger Single Tap (Bottom Half of the Screen)
Action:
Selects the last item on the screen.
Usage:
Quickly navigate to the end of the list or page.
Four-Finger Double Tap
Action:
Starts or stops the Voice-over help feature.
Usage:
Voice-over will describe what each gesture does without performing the actual action.
Customizing Voice-over Gestures
You can customize the gestures to better fit your needs:
1. Open Settings→ Accessibility → Voice-over.
2. Tap Commands.
3. Choose a gesture you’d like to modify.
4. Assign a different action to the selected gesture.
If you would like to find out more about technology for people with a visual impairment contact us at.
Triple Tap Tech
The Renfield Centre
260 Bath Street Glasgow G2 4JP
0141 353 1567
0780 5353 149
Info@TripleTapTech.org
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