How to simplify your iPhone or iPad's interface using Assistive Access in iOS 18

3. The first time you use Assistive Access, you will be guided through the set-up process. The set-up process covers choosing how apps and text are displayed, which apps to use, and setting a passcode to turn Assistive Access on or off. Tap Set Up Assistive Access to begin.

4. On the next page, tap the Continue button.

5. Assistive Touch assumes the Apple account associated with this device belongs to the person who is going to use Assistive Touch. If a different user is going to use Assistive Touch, tap the Change Apple Account link at the bottom of the screen. On the next page, enter the user's Apple ID username and password. Otherwise, tap the Continue button.

6. In Assistive Access, app icons are much bigger, with large text labels and a white border. This makes them easier to distinguish and tap.  The icons can be displayed in rows or side-by-side in a grid formation. Tap Rows or Grids to choose, then tap the Continue button.

7. At the time of writing, only a few of the default iPhone/iPad apps are optimised for Assistive Access. These are Calls, Camera, Magnifier, Messages, Music, and Photos. You can use other apps with Assistive Access but they may not work quite as expected. Tap on the + (plus) button next to an app to add it to Assistive Access. 

8. When you add an optimised app to Assistive Touch, you'll see a page showing the customisation options for that app. For instance, the Calls app (see screenshot below) allows you to set who the user can receive calls from and who they can make calls to. When done, tap Continue.

9. When you have selected all the apps you want to include, tap the Continue button at the bottom of the screen.

10. The next page details some of the differences you can expect when using Assistive Access compared to the regular iOS interface. Click the Continue button.

11. Face ID and a passcode have been set for the primary user of this iPhone. If you need to change the security details, tap the Change Security Settings link. Follow the onscreen prompts to add new details. Otherwise, tap the Continue button.

12.  On the next screen, add a passcode to use when starting or exiting Assistive Access. Then confirm the passcode.

13.  If the user forgets their Assistive Access passcode, a different Apple account can be used to exit Assistive Touch. To set this up, tap Set Recovery Apple Account. Enter the email or phone number associated with another Apple account. Enter the password associated with that account when prompted. If you don't want to add a recovery Apple ID, tap Not Now.

14. The next page details how to exit* Assistive Access. Tap the Continue button.

*The steps to exit Assistive Access are as follows: Triple-click the side button, then enter the Assistive Access passcode you set up in step 12.

15. To begin using Assistive Access, tap the Start Using Assistive Access button. If you don't want to start Assistive Access right away, tap Enter Later. This will return you to the Assistive Access settings page.

Note: To turn on Assistive Access at other times, triple-click the Side button*, then enter the Assistive Access passcode. *If you have set up other accessibility features that use the triple-click shortcut, select Assistive Access from the list.

16. Depending on which method you chose for displaying apps and text (see step 6 above), apps will appear in rows or a grid formation. Tap an app to start using it.

17. Items you can tap will have large buttons. Pages will have a large Back button at the bottom of the screen.

18. There are several system settings you can change in Assistive Access. The settings you can change are: 

To access these settings, triple-click the Side button. Tap Settings, then enter the Assistive Access passcode.

19. To exit Assistive Access, triple-click the Side button. Tap Exit Assistive Access, then enter the Assistive Access passcode.

20. After you have set up Assistive Access, you can tweak how Assistive Access looks and works. To open the Assistive Access settings page, tap the Settings icon on your Home screen of apps > then choose Accessibility > then scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap Assistive Access (see steps 1-2, above).

You can change which apps to use with Assistive Access and how apps and text are displayed (as covered in steps 6 + 7 above). You can also choose some other features to use while using Assistive Access.

The features you can choose to use are:

Turn the toggle switches on or off, depending on your preferences.

21. If you need to change the passcode, scroll to the bottom of the Settings page and tap Passcode Settings. Follow the onscreen prompts to change the passcode.

22. You start Assistive Access by triple-clicking the Side button*. Enter the Assistive Access passcode when prompted. *If you have set up other accessibility features that use the triple-click shortcut, select Assistive Access from the list.

Alternatively, you can start Assistive Access by tapping Start Assistive Access at the top of the page.