We all think we know our iPhones inside and out. We know how to FaceTime, how to organize our Home Screen widgets, and how to take a stunning Portrait Mode photo. But buried deep within the Settings menu is a treasure trove of features that most users completely overlook. It is called the Accessibility menu.
Originally designed to help people with vision, hearing, or motor challenges, Apple’s Accessibility suite has evolved into a powerhouse of productivity hacks and quality-of-life improvements that can benefit absolutely everyone. Whether you want to turn the back of your phone into a secret button, focus better in a noisy coffee shop, or read the fine print on a restaurant menu without squinting, these tools are waiting to be unlocked.
Let’s dive into the hidden superpowers of your iPhone and how you can set them up today to make your digital life smoother, faster, and more comfortable.
1. The "Secret Button" on the Back of Your Phone
If you take nothing else away from this guide, let it be this: the Apple logo on the back of your iPhone isn't just branding—it can be a button. This feature is called Back Tap, and it feels a little bit like magic the first time you use it.
Back Tap allows you to double-tap or triple-tap the back of your device to trigger a specific action. It works even if you have a case on your phone (provided it isn't an incredibly thick, heavy-duty armor case). This is perfect for actions you perform dozens of times a day but hate fumbling through menus to find.
Here are just a few ways you can use Back Tap to speed up your workflow:
- Take a Screenshot: Stop fumbling with the volume and power buttons. Just double-tap the back of your phone.
- Launch the Flashlight: Perfect for when you are walking in the dark and don't want to look at a bright screen to find the flashlight icon.
- Open the Camera: Capture a fleeting moment instantly.
- Scroll Up/Down: Great for reading long articles one-handed while drinking your morning coffee.
Pro Tip: Be careful assigning "Lock Screen" to the double-tap gesture. You might find yourself accidentally locking your phone every time you set it down on a table! Stick to triple-tap for functions that would be annoying if triggered accidentally.
How to set it up:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Select Touch.
- Scroll to the very bottom and tap Back Tap.
- Choose your actions for Double Tap and Triple Tap.
2. Instant Focus with Background Sounds
Whether you are trying to crank out emails in a bustling office, studying for an exam, or just trying to fall asleep, the world can be a noisy place. You might be in the habit of downloading third-party white noise apps or searching for rain sounds on streaming services, but your iPhone has a high-quality sound machine built right into the operating system.
This feature is called Background Sounds. It is designed to mask unwanted environmental noise to help you focus or rest. The audio is continuous, loops seamlessly, and—here is the best part—it can mix in with other audio. This means you can listen to a podcast or music while having a soothing stream or rain sound playing underneath it.
You have a variety of soundscapes to choose from, including:
- Balanced, Bright, or Dark Noise (White noise variations)
- Ocean
- Rain
- Stream
How to set it up:
- Go to Settings > Accessibility.
- Tap Audio & Visual.
- Tap Background Sounds and toggle it on.
- Tap Sound to choose your preferred soundscape.
Quick Access Tip: You don't want to dig into settings every time you need to focus. You can add the "Hearing" icon to your Control Center (Settings > Control Center). Once added, just swipe down from the top-right of your screen, tap the Ear icon, and you can toggle Background Sounds on and off instantly.
3. The Ultimate Super-Zoom: Magnifier
Have you ever been in a dimly lit restaurant trying to read a menu with tiny font? Or perhaps you are trying to read the serial number on the back of a remote control, and it is virtually microscopic. Most people open their Camera app and try to zoom in, but the Camera app is designed for taking pretty pictures, not analyzing fine details.
Enter the Magnifier app. This is a dedicated utility that turns your iPhone into a digital magnifying glass. It offers a much higher level of zoom than the standard camera and includes specific filters to make text more legible.
The Magnifier is incredibly powerful. You can turn on the flashlight within the app to illuminate the object, adjust the contrast, or even invert colors (making black text on white paper appear as white text on a black background), which is often much easier to read. If you have a newer Pro model iPhone with a LiDAR scanner, the Magnifier can even detect how far away people are from you or describe objects in your surroundings.
How to find it:
- The Magnifier is likely already installed on your phone as an app icon. Search your App Library for "Magnifier."
- For faster access, go to Settings > Control Center and add Magnifier.
- Now, whenever you need to read the fine print, just swipe down and tap the magnifying glass icon.
4. Type to Speak with "Live Speech"
This is one of the newer additions to the iPhone’s arsenal, introduced with iOS 17, and it feels incredibly futuristic. Live Speech allows you to type what you want to say and have your iPhone speak it out loud.
While this is vital for those who have lost the ability to speak, it has practical applications for everyone. Imagine you are in a library or a quiet waiting room and need to answer a phone call, but you can't talk. With Live Speech, you can answer the call, type your responses, and the person on the other end will hear Siri (or a voice of your choosing) speak your words.
If you want to take it a step further, you can use a feature called Personal Voice. This allows you to record yourself reading a series of random phrases for about 15 minutes. The iPhone then uses machine learning to recreate your actual voice synthetically. So, when you use Live Speech, it doesn't sound like a robot—it sounds like you.
How to set it up:
- Go to Settings > Accessibility.
- Scroll down to the Speech section and tap Live Speech.
- Toggle it on.
- To use it, triple-click the side button (power button) on your iPhone anytime, and a keyboard will pop up.
5. Customizing Apps Individually
Have you ever wished the text in your email app was larger, but you didn't want to make the text on your Home Screen massive? Or perhaps you want to bold the text in your Notes app but keep your Instagram captions standard. For years, display settings were "all or nothing," but Apple changed that with Per-App Settings.
This feature allows you to create a bespoke visual experience for specific apps without altering the rest of your phone. This is fantastic for apps that have poor design choices, such as low-contrast text or tiny buttons. You can override those design flaws to make the app work for you.
You can customize several attributes for individual apps, including:
- Bold Text: Makes thin fonts thicker and easier to read.
- Larger Text: Increases font size beyond the app's default.
- Button Shapes: Adds underlines or outlines to buttons so you know exactly where to tap.
- Reduce Motion: Stops the "woosh" and parallax effects if an app makes you feel motion sick.
How to set it up:
- Go to Settings > Accessibility.
- Scroll to the very bottom and tap Per-App Settings.
- Tap Add App and search for the app you want to customize (e.g., Mail, Safari, or a news app).
- Tap on the app name in the list and start tweaking the settings to your liking.
Real World Example: If you read a lot of articles in Safari, add Safari to this list and increase the text size. Now, your web browsing is easy on the eyes, but your text messages and menus remain at the standard size.
Accessibility features are often misunderstood as being "only" for those with disabilities. In reality, they are tools that offer customization, shortcuts, and new ways to interact with your device. By exploring these menus, you stop using your iPhone the way Apple thinks you should, and start using it the way you want to.