iOS Accessibility
iOS Accessibility
For detailed instructions on how to access and configure all of the accessibility features available on iOS, visit https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204390.
To download these gestures as Microsoft Word Doc, visit https://vitalsourcesupport.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/360025221114/VitalSource_iOS_Accessibility.docx
iOS VoiceOver Gestures
One-Finger Gestures
Summary: List of gestures with one finger
Gesture |
Action |
Touch or move around the screen |
Speaks and select the item under your finger |
Tap two times fast |
Activates the selected item (open app, press button) |
Tap two times and hold |
Activates "drag-mode" (move icons, swipe delete) |
Tap three times fast |
Double press a button (see tip below) |
Swipe left or right |
Selects the previous or next item |
Swipe up or down |
Performs or moves to the selected rotor option |
Note: Tap two times on the clock in the status bar to scroll to the top in any app.
Two-Finger Gestures
Summary: List of gestures with two fingers
Gesture |
Action |
Hold one finger and tap with another |
Select when dragging, activate with tap (aka split tap) |
Tap once |
Pause/resume speech |
Tap two times fast |
Perform special action |
Tap two times and hold |
Add a label to a selected item |
Tap three times |
Open Item Chooser for the current area |
Swipe up |
Read all from the first object in a selected area |
Swipe down |
Read all from a selected item |
Scrub back and forth |
Go back, cancel, close pop-up |
Pinch out/in |
Select/deselect |
Hold and twist left or right |
Select the next or previous rotor item |
Note: You can use the scrub gesture to split/merge the keyboard when it's selected.
Three-Finger Gestures
Summary: List of gestures with three fingers
Gesture |
Action |
Tap once |
Speaks the current page number and position |
Tap two times fast |
Toggle speech on/off (good for braille use) |
Tap three times fast |
Toggle screen curtain on/off (VO works, but the screen is off) |
Swipe left or right |
Move to the previous or next horizontal screen/page |
Swipe up or down |
Move/scroll down or up (like moving a paper) |
Note: To open the notification center, select the status bar and swipe three fingers down. Three fingers up/down also works for pulling down to refresh in many apps (can be an issue in some, like the Facebook sidebar).
Four- and Five-Finger Gestures
Summary: List of gestures with four and five fingers
Gesture |
Action |
Tap the upper half with four fingers |
Select the first item in the area |
Tap the lower half with four fingers |
Select the last item in the area |
Swipe left or right |
When in an app, switch to the next or previous app |
Swipe up or down |
Open or close multitask pane |
Pinch in |
Go to the home screen |
Bluetooth Keyboard Shortcut Commands
- The Alt key is also known as Option or Alternative
- VoiceOver VO keys = Control+Alt
- On a Windows keyboard, the Windows key = Command key
- Apple keyboard layout from Space to outside: Command, Alt, Control, then only Function on the left side
General Navigation
Summary: List of keyboard commands
Keys |
Action |
VO + Left or Right |
Select the previous or next item |
VO + Up or Down |
Performs or move to the selected rotor option |
VO+Space |
Activate the selected item (open the app, and press the button) |
VO+H |
Go to the home screen |
VO+H two times |
Open/close multitask pane |
Escape |
Go back, cancel, close pop-up |
Command+Tab |
Switch to the next app or hold Shift for previous |
VO+A |
Read all from the first object in a selected area |
VO+B |
Read all from a selected item |
VO+M |
Move to the status bar |
VO+I |
Open Item Chooser for the current area |
VO+F |
Search and go to match with Enter |
VO+G |
Next search match, hold Shift for previous |
Handling VoiceOver
Summary: List of keyboard commands to handle VoiceOver-specific tasks
Keys |
Action |
Control |
Pause/resume speech |
VO+S |
Toggle speech off/on |
VO+Shift+S |
Toggle Screen Curtain on/off |
VO + Command + Up or Down |
Adjust the selected speech rotor option |
VO + Command + Left or Right |
Change the speech rotor setting |
VO+/ |
Add a label to a selected item |
VO+K |
Start VoiceOver training (Escape to exit) |
Quick Nav Commands
Turn on "Quick Nav" to use these commands by pressing the Left and Right Arrow keys simultaneously
Summary: List of keyboard quick nav commands
Keys |
Action |
Up+Down |
Activate the selected item (open the app, and press the button) |
Left or Right |
Selects the previous or next item |
Up or Down |
Performs or move to the selected rotor option |
Up + Left or Right |
Change to the next or previous rotor setting |
Alt + Left or Right |
Move to the next or previous horizontal screen/page |
Alt + Up or Down |
Move/scroll up or down the screen/page |
Control + Up or Down |
Select the first or last item in the area |
Control + Left or Right |
Go to the next or previous container/area |
Safari Web Shortcuts
Hold Shift for previous
Summary: List of keyboard safari commands
Keys |
Action |
H |
Next heading |
1 to 6 |
Next respective heading levels 1–6 |
L |
Next link |
S |
Next text element |
W |
Next landmark |
R |
Next text field |
X |
Next list |
T |
Next table |
M |
Next element of the same type |
I |
Next image |
B |
Next button |
C |
Next form element |
Text Field Commands
- You must have "Quick Nav" off to use these commands
- When moving your cursor, hold Shift to select/deselect the text
Summary: List of keyboard commands for manipulating text
Keys |
Action |
Left or Right |
Move cursor by character |
Up or Down |
Move cursor by row |
Alt + Left or Right |
Move cursor by word |
Control or Command + Left or Right |
Move cursor by phrase |
Command+A |
Select all |
Command+C |
Copy selection |
Command+X |
Cut selection |
Command+V |
Paste |
Command+Z |
Undo (Note: You can also shake the device) |
Command+Shift+Z |
Redo (Note: You can also shake the device) |
Eject |
Show/hide screen keyboard |
Other Keyboard Actions
Summary: List of miscellaneous keyboard commands
Keys |
Action |
VO+- |
Performs special action |
Command+Space |
Change language keyboard layout |
F1 |
Decrease screen brightness |
F2 |
Increase screen brightness |
F7 |
Previous song |
F8 |
Pause/resume the song |
F9 |
Next song |
F10 |
Mute sound |
F11 |
Decrease volume |
F12 |
Increase volume |