How to Take a Screenshot on Your iPhone with Back Tap (New for iOS 14)

If you're looking for a quick and easy way to take a screenshot, give Back Tap a try! This Apple accessibility feature makes taking a screenshot on your iPhone as simple as tapping twice on the back of your phone.

By Leanne Hays Updated 09/28/2021

I take a screenshot on my iPhone several times a day, so I'm happy that Apple has introduced a new way to take a screenshot. One of the new iOS 14 features Apple has rolled out is Back Tap, a set of shortcuts that allow iPhone users to double or triple tap the back of their phones to perform various tasks. Back Tap is a great iPhone accessibility feature for people with reduced dexterity or limited vision, but being able to take a screenshot with a few taps on the back of our iPhones is convenient for everyone. Let's learn how to take a screenshot on your iPhone using Back Tap. Back Tap works with the iPhone 8 and later, including the iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and the new iPhone 12 line.

How to Choose the Screenshot Back Tap Feature & Take a Screenshot with Back Tap on Your iPhone

At this time, you can only select two Shortcuts to enable with Back Tap; one with the double tap and one with the triple tap. You can choose these two Shortcuts from the list provided or create a shortcut in the Shortcuts app. We've written several tips about how to take a screenshot on your iPhone, including how to take a screenshot on any iPhone, and how to screenshot with Siri. For more tutorials about how to use your iPhone features, including Apple's accessibility features, check out our free Tip of the Day. Now, let's go over a new way to take a screenshot, using Back Tap. To begin:

Open the Settings app.
Tap Accessibility.
Tap Touch.
Tap Back Tap at the bottom of the page.
Tap Double Tap or Triple Tap.
Tap Screenshot under Shortcuts.

Now, your screenshot shortcut is paired to Double Tap or Triple Tap, whichever you chose.

You can now double tap the back of your iPhone to take a screenshot.

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Author Details

Leanne Hays

Leanne Hays is a Feature Writer at iPhone Life, and has written hundreds of in-depth how-to and troubleshooting articles. She's a former Associate Editor for iPhone Life magazine, and has written for the Iowa Source, as well as web content for education marketing. Leanne has an associate's degree in education, with a focus on curriculum development, as well as a bachelor's degree in science. She has over nine years of experience with SEO, social media management, and web development and writing. Despite years of web work, Leanne is by no means an early adapter; she's only owned a smartphone for five years, which makes her highly sympathetic to the learning curve of new iPhone owners. She enjoys making reader's lives easier and putting her education experience to work by walking them through the most practical ways to use Apple devices, step-by-step.

In off-work hours, Leanne is a mother of two, homesteader, audiobook fanatic, musician, and learning enthusiast.

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