Live Listen is a feature that lets you turn your iPhone into a remote microphone. The catch is that you can only listen to it via your AirPods. Apple meant for this to be an accessibility feature: AirPod hearing aids! However, many worry that this microphone secret will be used nefariously.
Accessibility
How to Use the iPhone’s White Noise Machine
By Rhett Intriago
Did you know that the iPhone has a secret built-in sound machine hidden in Settings? Maybe you like to go to bed just a bit earlier than everyone else, or maybe you’re a big reader in a loud household. In these circumstances, being able to use your iPhone as a sound machine is a great solution. In this tip, we’ll go over how to find your iPad or iPhone’s white noise feature.
How to Turn Off Phone without Power Button
By Rhett Intriago
Having trouble with your iPhone's power button? Luckily, there is an easy way to turn off your phone without the power button. With the accessibility setting, Assistive Touch, you can perform a variety of actions with just a few taps. Let's take a look at how to enable this feature.
How to Toggle iPhone Rotation Lock without Using Control Panel
By Brian Peters
Many people like to keep their iPhone's screen rotation locked so that it doesn't switch into landscape orientation accidentally. When you're watching a video or doing something else where landscape orientation would be helpful, it can be disruptive to need to open the Control Panel to turn the rotation lock off.
How to Turn On Back Tap on the iPhone
By Erin MacPherson
Have Your iPhone or iPad Read to You
By Jim Karpen
If you find it more convenient to listen to some text on your iPhone or iPad rather than read it, you can easily enable that capability. You might, for example, want your device to read a web page, ebook, or another document to you while you perform household chores. Here’s how to use text-to-speech on iPhone or iPad.
Double-Click Side Button Not Working? Check This Setting
By Paula Bostrom
Double-clicking the iPhone side button is something everyone does, whether it's to pull up Apple Pay or confirm that you want to install an app. However, if you have shaky hands or a physical impairment that prevents you from clicking the side button fast enough, you might have trouble using these features. Luckily, if double-clicking the side button is not working for you, your iPhone has an accessibility setting to slow down the click speed.
How to Change Font Size on iPhone for Easier Reading
By Sarah Kingsbury
If your eyesight isn't what it used to be, you may find the small text size on your iPhone or iPad hard to read and wonder, "Why is the font on my iPhone so small? How do I make the text bigger?" There's no need to strain your eyes; here are several tricks you can use to make reading on an iPhone or iPad easier, including changing your iPhone font size.
How to Make Each App More Accessible
By Rhett Intriago
The iPhone has a wide variety of accessibility settings, ensuring that anyone can use the device with ease. But maybe you don’t need to enable accessibility settings system-wide, which is why Apple has added an option to only apply certain accessibility options to specific apps.
iPhone Dictation: How to Use Voice-to-Text
By Conner Carey
These days, hands-free iPhone operations are easier than ever. Siri commands can take care of almost all your iPhone dictation needs. But if you want to mostly dictate text instead of using a keyboard, you can also enable dictation on your iOS device. We'll show you how to send texts and emails via Siri, how to enable dictation, and more.
Easily Answer Calls on Apple Watch with Gestures (watchOS 9)
By Rhett Intriago
Apple Watch Assistive Touch is an accessibility option designed for those with mobility limitations or those who only have the use of one hand. That said, this nifty setting is an awesome shortcut for anyone, as it allows you to quickly answer or decline calls on your Apple Watch without having to touch your display. Sound convenient? We'll show you how to enable Assistive Touch and answer calls on your Apple Watch using these simple gestures!
How to Turn Off RTT (Real Time Text) on an iPhone
By Leanne Hays
RTT on an iPhone is a built-in assistive technology that lets users call and receive phone calls with text instead of voice. If you don't need to make RTT calls, here's how to turn off RTT on your iPhone or iPad.
Adjust Touch Sensitivity to Navigate Your iPhone with Ease
By Conner Carey
Your iPhone has a feature called Haptic Touch that lets you tap and hold certain items to get extra options and open menus quickly. Haptic Touch makes navigating your iPhone faster and more intuitive. However, the default sensitivity can make this feature difficult to trigger or, conversely, too easy to trigger when you're not trying to. Here's how to adjust your iPhone's touch sensitivity.
How to Make Hands-Free Calls on the iPhone
By Abbey Dufoe
Do you find yourself answering the phone and quickly putting it in speakerphone mode so you can use your iPhone hands-free? Do you find it annoying to scroll through contacts, calls, and messages just to make a phone call? Well, there’s an easier way. You can set your iPhone settings to place and receive calls hands-free, automatically, within the Settings app. It’s part of Apple's accessibility and Hey Siri features. Here’s how to use Siri to make calls and have them automatically answer on speaker so you never have to use your hands.
How to Fix Apple Watch Double Tap Gesture Not Working
By Olena Kagui
The Double Tap Apple Watch gesture allows you to use your Apple Watch 9 or Apple Watch Ultra 2 almost entirely hands-free. When it works as it should, it feels almost magical, and it will transform how you use your Apple Watch. In this article, we’ll teach you how to adjust every setting that may prevent the Apple Watch Double Tap Gesture from working.
MacBook Screen Flickering? The Easy Way to Fix It (macOS Sonoma)
By Amy Spitzfaden Both
Why is my MacBook screen flickering? Before you panic and run to an Apple store, there are several easy fixes you can try to get your computer screen steady again. Here's how to fix MacBook or MacBook Pro screen flickering.
How to Customize the Action Button on iPhone 15 Pro (iOS 17)
By Rhett Intriago
If you’ve recently upgraded to an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, you might have noticed that the Ring/Silent switch has been replaced with a button. Apple calls this the Action button. By default, this button toggles Silent mode off and on but can be customized to perform other functions as well.
Have you had the issue where your Apple Watch becomes zoomed in and won't zoom out? If your Apple Watch is seemingly zooming in by itself, it's probably because the Zoom accessibility feature became enabled. Thankfully, you can still navigate your Apple Watch while zoomed by using two fingers to scroll instead of one, but this can make it more difficult to use your watch. Here's how to zoom out on Apple Watch.
How to Add Accessibility Features to the iPhone & iPad Control Center (iOS 13 & iPadOS)
By Leanne Hays
With iOS 13 and iPadOS, Apple offers more accessibility settings than ever before. Beginning with iOS 11, iPhone and iPad users could customize their devices' Control Centers to include the apps they use the most. For those with mobility issues, the deaf and hearing impaired, and the blind and visually impaired, Apple's accessibility features are a great choice to add to the Control Center. There are many settings to choose from, including RTT/TTY phone call access, an LED flash rather than an audible alarm for alerts, assistive touch, braille, a magnifying glass, and much more. Let's get started learning how to add Accessibility Shortcuts to the Control Center on your iPhone and iPad so you can have the features, tools, and settings you need at your disposal.
How to Use iPhone's Auto-Answer Calls Setting in iOS 16
By Conner Carey
Did you know that the iPhone allows your phone to answer calls automatically after a certain number of rings? This is great for when you're using a headset, or you're making dinner but also expecting an important phone call. It's also a great accessibility feature for those who might find swiping to answer calls difficult to do.