iPhone When VoiceOver is on, standard touchscreen gestures have different effects, and additional gestures let you move around the screen and control individual items. VoiceOver gestures include two-, three-, and four-finger taps and swipes. For best results using multi-finger gestures, relax and let your fingers touch the screen with some space between them.
You can use different techniques to perform VoiceOver gestures. For example, you can perform a two-finger tap using two fingers of one hand, or one finger from each hand. You can even use your thumbs. Many use a split-tap gesture: instead of selecting an item and double-tapping, touch and hold an item with one finger, then tap the screen with another finger.
Try different techniques to discover what works best for you. If a gesture doesn’t work, try a quicker movement, especially for a double-tap or swipe gesture. To swipe, try brushing the screen quickly with your finger or fingers.
In VoiceOver settings, you can enter a special area where you can practice VoiceOver gestures without affecting iPhone or its settings.
Practice VoiceOver gestures. Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver, then tap VoiceOver Practice. When you finish practicing, tap Done. If you don’t see the VoiceOver Practice button, make sure VoiceOver is turned on.
Here’s a summary of key VoiceOver gestures:
Navigate and read
Tap: Select and speak the item.
Swipe right or left: Select the next or previous item.
Swipe up or down: Depends on the rotor setting. See Use the VoiceOver rotor.
Two-finger tap: Stop speaking the current item.
Two-finger swipe up: Read all from the top of the screen.
Two-finger swipe down: Read all from the current position.
Two-finger scrub: Move two fingers back and forth three times quickly (making a “z”) to dismiss an alert or go back to the previous screen.
Three-finger swipe up or down: Scroll one page at a time.
Three-finger swipe right or left: Go to the next or previous page (on the Home screen or in Stocks, for example).
Three-finger tap: Speak additional information, such as position within a list or whether text is selected.
Four-finger tap at top of screen: Select the first item on the page.
Four-finger tap at bottom of screen: Select the last item on the page.
Activate
Double-tap: Activate the selected item.
Triple-tap: Double-tap an item.
Split-tap: As an alternative to selecting an item and double-tapping to activate it, touch an item with one finger, and then tap the screen with another.
Double-tap and hold (1 second) + standard gesture: Use a standard gesture. The double-tap and hold gesture tells iPhone to interpret the next gesture as standard. For example, you can double-tap and hold, and then without lifting your finger, drag your finger to slide a switch.
Two-finger double-tap: Answer or end a call. Play or pause in Music, Videos, Voice Memos, or Photos. Take a photo in Camera. Start or pause recording in Camera or Voice Memos. Start or stop the stopwatch.
Two-finger double-tap and hold: Change an item’s label to make it easier to find.
Two-finger triple-tap: Open the Item Chooser.
Three-finger triple-tap: Mute or unmute VoiceOver.
Three-finger quadruple-tap: Turn the screen curtain on or off.