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How to make the touchscreen easier to use in iOS 15 for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

How to make the touchscreen easier to use in iOS 15 for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

Short guide:

  1. Open the Settings app. Scroll down and tap Accessibility, then tap Touch.
  2. Tap Touch Accommodations. Tap the toggle switch next to Touch Accommodations to turn it on. 
  3. Tap Hold Duration to adjust how long you need to touch the screen before the touch is recognised. Tap the toggle switch, then adjust the delay using then + (plus) and - (minus) buttons.
  4. Tap the toggle switch for Ignore Repeat to adjust the length of time in which multiple touches are counted as a single touch. Adjust the duration using the + (plus) and - (minus) buttons.
  5. If your finger sometimes moves accidentally after you touch the screen, look under Tap Assistance and tap Initial Touch Location. If you have trouble placing your finger exactly where you want to, tap Use Final Touch Location instead.
  6. Use the Tap Assistant Gesture Delay setting to set a time limit within which you need to lift your finger for a Tap be recognised.

Before and after

Touch Accomodations before and after the settings are enabled

This section gives you step by step instructions on how to enable and use Touch Accommodations in iOS 15, with pictures of the screens to help. 

 

Open the Accessibility settings

1. Open the Settings app. In the Settings app, scroll down and tap Accessibility.

 

Open the Settings and tap Accessibility

Find the Touch settings

2. Scroll down to Physical and Motor and tap Touch.

Scroll down and tap Touch

Enable Touch Accomodations

3. On the Touch screen, tap Touch Accommodations, then tap the toggle switch next to Touch Accommodations to turn it on. 

Tap Touch Accomodations then the Touch Accomodations toggle switch

Adjust the Hold Duration

4. The Hold Duration setting adjusts the amount of time you need to touch the screen for before a touch is recognised. Tap Hold Duration to turn the toggle switch to on. Adjust the time delay using the + (plus) and - (minus) buttons. 

Tap Hold Duration to turn the toggle switch on, then adjust it with the plus and minus buttons

Enable Swipe Gestures

5. To allow swipe gestures to be recognised without waiting for the same delay, tap Swipe Gestures. On the next screen, tap the Swipe Gestures toggle switch to turn it on. Tap one of the Required Movement options to set how far your finger needs to move before iOS begins to register the gesture.

Tap the toggle switch for Swipe Gestures then select a Required Movement option

Enable Ignore Report

6. The Ignore Repeat feature adjusts the length of time in which multiple touches are counted as a single touch. This is useful if you tend to touch the screen a few times in quick succession when attempting a touch gesture. Tap Ignore Repeat to turn the toggle switch on, then adjust the duration using the + (plus) and - (minus) buttons.

Tap the Ignore Repeat toggle switch then adjust the period with the plus and minus buttons

Using Tap Assistance

7. Tap Assistance is useful for users whose fingers tend to move when they touch the screen. If your finger tends to move after you touch the screen, select Initial Touch Location. Your device will recognise your initial touch position rather that the final position.

Scroll down to Tap Assistance and tap Initial Touch Location

Switch to Use Final Touch Location

8. If you have trouble placing your finger exactly where you want to, select Use Final Touch Location. This allows you to touch the screen then move your finger to the required position.

Tap Use Final Touch Location to select it

Set the Tap Assistance Gesture Delay

9. When Tap Assistance is enabled you can set a time limit within which you need to lift your finger from the screen for a tap to be recognised. You can set the Tap Assistant Gesture Delay time using the + (plus) and - (minus) buttons. Note: To perform gestures other than a tap, you'll need to keep touching the screen until the gesture delay times out, then perform the gesture.

Set the Tap Assistant Gesture Delay time using the plus and minus buttons.

Return to the Home screen

10. When you are happy with your settings, you can return to the Home screen by swiping up from the bottom of the screen or pressing the Home button on devices with a Home button.

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