Call our helpline
0300 180 0028As part of AssistiveTouch, you can make sounds to perform a wide variety of actions such as taps, pinches, and scrolling, open features such as the Control Centre and the Camera, adjust the volume, and turn accessibility features on and off.
This guide covers setting up Sound Actions. To learn more about AssistiveTouch in general, see our guide How to control your device using AssistiveTouch in iOS 18 on your iPhone or iPad.
Short guide:
- Open the Settings app
and tap Accessibility. - Tap the Touch option.
- Tap AssistiveTouch.
- On the next screen, scroll down to the bottom and tap Sound Actions.
- Tap each of the sounds you wish to use and assign the action it will perform.
- To begin using Sound Actions, go back to the main AssistiveTouch page and turn on AssistiveTouch.
Before and after
This section gives you step by step instructions on how to enable Sound Actions in iOS 18, with pictures of the screens to help.
Find the Accessibility settings
1. Tap the Settings icon on your Home screen to open the Settings app. Scroll down and tap Accessibility.
Open the Touch settings screen
2. On the Accessibility screen, tap the Touch option.
Open the AssistiveTouch settings
3. On the Touch settings screen, tap AssistiveTouch.
Open Sound Actions
4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap Sound Actions.
Practice making the sounds
6. Before assigning an action to a sound, you can practice making the available sounds to see which ones work for you. Tap Practice.
7. On the next screen, make one of the sounds shown. Your device will confirm it has detected the sound by showing a tick and highlighting the sound's button in the list of sounds
8. If your device doesn't detect the sound you have made, tap that sound's button to hear an example of what you're device is listening for.
9. When you have finished practicing, tap Done in the top-right corner.
Assigning an action to a sound
10. Tap a sound that you wish to use. On the next page, choose the action you want this sound to perform.
Start using Sound Actions
11. Tap the Back button in the top-left corner to return to the main AssistiveTouch page. Scroll to the top of the page and tap the toggle switch for AssitiveTouch to turn it on. You can now start using the sounds you have set up to perform actions.
Return to the Home screen
12. When you are happy with your settings, you can return to the Home screen by swiping up from the bottom of the screen or by pressing the Home button on devices with a physical Home button.
Need some more help?
Call our helpline 0300 180 0028 or email enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk
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