Accessibility - physical and motor
Switch Control
Most people call this driving the phone with one or more external switches.
Switch Control scans through items on screen and lets you select them with an external switch, the screen itself, or head movement detected by the camera.
This setting is present on your iPhone.
- We have this path on file but have not yet confirmed it against an official source.
Where to find it - iOS 13 and later
- Settings
- Accessibility
- Switch Control
What it does
A highlight moves through items automatically or under your control, and activating a switch selects the current item. Switches can be Bluetooth hardware, a tap anywhere on the screen, or a head movement.
What changes
When it is on
The interface is driven by scanning and switch activation.
When it is off
Normal touch behaviour returns.
Should you turn it on?
Good reasons to turn it on
- Full control with a single reliable movement.
- Head tracking needs no hardware at all.
Good reasons to turn it off
- The scanning interface is very different and takes practice.
- Accidental enabling is disorienting.
Battery
Costs you something
Privacy
No real change
Performance
No real change
Cellular data
No real change
Storage
No real change
Out of the box: Off.
Can cause real problems
Questions people actually ask
- How do I turn Switch Control off?
- Triple click the side button if the shortcut is set, or ask Siri to turn Switch Control off.
If it is not working
- Set up the Accessibility Shortcut before enabling it, so you can turn it off again easily.
- Auto Scanning speed should start slow and be increased gradually.