Accessibility - vision
VoiceOver
Most people call this the screen reader that speaks everything you touch.
VoiceOver reads the screen aloud and replaces normal touch with a gesture system designed for people who cannot see the display.
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
- VoiceOver
What it does
Touching an item speaks it. A single tap selects rather than activates, and a double tap activates. Swiping moves between items. Three finger swipes scroll.
Speaking rate, voice, verbosity, braille and rotor controls are all configurable.
What changes
When it is on
The screen is read aloud and touch gestures change completely.
When it is off
Normal touch behaviour returns.
Should you turn it on?
Good reasons to turn it on
- Complete non visual control of the iPhone.
- Works throughout the system, not just in some apps.
Good reasons to turn it off
- The gesture changes are disorienting if you did not intend to enable it.
Battery
No real change
Privacy
No real change
Performance
No real change
Cellular data
No real change
Storage
No real change
Out of the box: Off.
Worth reading first
Questions people actually ask
- How do I turn VoiceOver off?
- Ask Siri to turn VoiceOver off, or triple click the side button. In Settings, select the switch with one tap then double tap it.
If it is not working
- To turn it off when it is on, triple click the side button if the shortcut is set, or ask Siri to turn VoiceOver off.
- With VoiceOver on, tap a switch once to select it then double tap to toggle it.
- Screen Curtain blanks the display while VoiceOver keeps working, which saves battery and hides the screen.