How to Use the Back Tap Function on iPhones
What if you could give your iPhone invisible buttons? Well iPhones let you do that. Introducing to you the “Back Tap”. Back Tap is an accessibility gesture that maps two distinct rear-taps, the Double Tap and Triple Tap, to almost any system control, accessibility function, or Shortcut. Back Tap is available on all iPhones 8 and onwards running iOS 14.
How to enable Back Tap on your iPhone?
- Settings → Accessibility → Touch → Back Tap.
- Choose Double Tap or Triple Tap.
- Pick an action from the list or scroll to Shortcuts to link any automation you’ve built.
- Tap Back to save. Test by tapping in the upper-center of the phone’s back; you’ll feel a subtle haptic and the action fires.
What are some ways to use the Back Tap function?
- Screenshot – capture the screen instantly.
- Flashlight – toggle the torch in dark spaces.
- Control Center – jump straight to brightness, Wi-Fi, etc.
- Magnifier – zoom tiny print without opening the app.
- Scroll Down / Scroll Up – read long pages one-handed.
- App Switcher – flick between recent apps.
- Mute / Unmute – silence your phone in meetings.
- Lock Screen – turn the display off for privacy.
- Reachability – pull the screen lower on big phones.
Once you assign your favourite tasks to “Back Tap”, sit back and tap away and watch the back of your iPhone transform into an automated machine. Want to take some photos? Double tap. Screen shot? Double Tap. Zoom? Triple Tap. The possibilities are endless.
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