How to use switches to control your device in iOS 18 on your iPhone or iPad

11. By default, Switch Control uses Auto Scanning, where it moves from one item to the next until a selection is made.  If you would like more control over moving between items, you can choose from:

12. There are different modes for scanning.

The default is Item Scanning. This is where the cursor moves from one item to the next, either automatically or manually by pressing a switch.

There are two other scanning modes:

Gliding Cursor – the gliding cursor enables users to select an item by pinpointing the item using crosshairs. A wide vertical cursor moves across the screen. Use a switch to select a rough position. A slower vertical cursor then enables you to fine-tune the selection point.  Next, a wide horizontal cursor moves up and down the screen. Again, use a switch to select a rough position. A slower horizontal cursor enables you to pinpoint the item.

Head Tracking – Devices with Face ID also have the option to use Head Tracking – your device uses the camera to track head movements to control an on-screen pointer and recognise facial movements (raised eyebrows, smile, etc.) to perform actions.

13. To change the scanning style from the default, Item Scanning, to one of the other options, select Switch Control Mode. On the next page, select the mode you want to use.

14. The Gliding Cursor and Head-tracking can be customised in the Point Scanning section. See steps 24 and 25 below for more information.

Note: You can also switch to one of the other modes from the scanner menu that appears when you make a selection.

15. You can customise the timing of Switch Control. The timing options are different depending on which scanning style you are using.

Note: Not all the options listed above are shown in the next screenshot. This is because some options only apply when a particular scanning mode is active.

A recipe is a set of actions that you can temporarily assign to a switch instead of its normal behaviour. Recipes are very useful for performing repetitive actions, such as turning the pages of an eBook - in fact, Apple has already created a ‘Turn Pages’ recipe for you. The ‘Turn Pages’ recipe performs swipes from right to left, and vice-versa. The recipes you create are added to the Scanner Menu.

16. To create a new recipe, tap Recipes.

17. On the next screen, tap Create New Recipe. Choose which switch to assign the recipe to, then choose the action to perform when triggered.

18. If you would like one of your recipes to launch as soon as Switch Control starts, tap Launch Recipe, then select a recipe.

19. Select Tap Behaviour and choose from:

20. Choose which item is scanned after an item is tapped. Tap Focused Item After Tap and choose from First Item or Current Item.

21. You customise how Switch Control behaves when the keyboard is in focus:

22. You can set Switch Control to only recognise triggers after they have been held for a set amount of time. This is useful for individuals with motor difficulties, for example, a person with a tremor who may press the switch accidentally. Turning on this feature means your device will only respond to slightly longer and more deliberate switch presses.

Tap Hold Duration. On the next screen, set the toggle switch for Hold Duration to on, and set the duration.

23. You set Switch Control to ignore any accidental switch triggers made within a set amount of time. This can be particularly useful for users with fine motor or dexterity impairments. To enable this:

Tap Ignore Repeat. On the next screen, set the toggle switch for Ignore Repeat to on and set the duration within which repeated triggers are ignored.

24. You can change how the Gliding Cursor behaves.  Tap Gliding Cursor. On the next screen, choose from:

25. To adjust the speed the cursors move across the screen, use the + (plus) and – (minus) buttons under Gliding Cursor Speed.

26. Tap Head Tracking. On the next screen, tap the toggle switch for Head Tracking to turn it on.

27. Next, select a facial movement and assign an action to it.

28. Choose how your device tracks your head to move the pointer. Choose from:

29. Set the Pointer Speed to determine how quickly the pointer moves with head movements

30. If you would like to hear a click sound as each item moves into focus, tap the toggle switch for Sound Effects to turn it on.

31. When the scan highlights an item, it reads aloud what the item is. This can be useful for users who are visually impaired or need voice feedback. To enable this:

Tap Speech. On the next screen, tap the toggle switch for Speech to turn it on.

32. You can change the speaking voice. Tap the current voice, shown under Voices.

33. To change the voice, tap the current voice and choose a new one from the options. The enhanced and premium versions are more realistic but use more storage space. You can hear an example of a voice by selecting the play button next to it. Note: You may need to download a voice before using it.

34. You can customise how the voice sounds by adjusting the settings for (speaking) Rate, Pitch, Volume, Timbre, and Sentence Pause duration. Use the Equaliser settings to boost or lower different frequencies.

When you are happy with the Speech settings, tap the back button in the top-left corner labeled Switch Control.

35. If you want to hear an item's attributes, tap the toggle switch for Speak Item Attributes to turn it on.

36. If you want scanning to pause when items are announced, tap the toggle switch for Pause while Speaking to turn it on.

37. To customise which items appear in the Scanner Menu, tap Menu Items.

38. On the next screen, select one of the Menu Items.

39. Untick the items you don’t want to appear in this menu or tick Hide All Items to untick them all.  

40. By default, Switch Control scans related items as a group. This can make scanning quicker when there are a lot of items on a page.  If you would prefer to scan every item on the page individually, tap the toggle switch for Group Items to turn it off.

The Switch Control cursor is the coloured rectangular border that highlights the item currently in focus. To make the cursor easier to see, you can make the border thicker and change the border colour.

41. Tap the toggle switch for Large Cursor to make the border thicker. 

42. To change the border colour, tap Cursor Colour and choose from the options.

You can create your own gestures and add them to the Scanner Menu.

43. Tap Saved Gestures. On the next page, tap Create New Gesture.

44. On the New Gesture screen, perform your gesture in the middle of the screen to record it. If you draw more than one gesture, they will be combined to create a single multi-touch gesture. When you are happy with your gesture, tap Save and name it.

45. On devices with Face ID, you can confirm payments using a switch instead of double-clicking the side button. Tap the toggle switch for Confirm with Switch Control to turn it on. Follow the onscreen instructions for enabling Confirm with Switch Control. You will only need to do this once.

50. 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.