How To Learn VoiceOver Gestures On iPad Mini
When VoiceOver is turned on, the standard touchscreen gestures have different effects on iPad. These and some additional gestures let you move around the screen and control individual items when theyre selected. VoiceOver gestures include two- and three-finger gestures to tap or flick. For best results when using two- and three-finger gestures, relax and let your fingers touch the screen with some space between them.
You can use different techniques to enter VoiceOver gestures. For example, you can enter a two-finger tap using two fingers from one hand, or one finger from each hand. You can also use your thumbs. Many find the split-tap gesture especially effective: instead of selecting an item and double-tapping, you can touch and hold an item with one finger, then tap the screen with another finger. Try different techniques to discover which works best for you.
If your gestures dont work, try quicker movements, especially for double-tapping and flicking gestures. To flick, try quickly brushing the screen with your finger or fingers. When VoiceOver is turned on, the VoiceOver Practice button appears, which gives you a chance to practice VoiceOver gestures before proceeding.
Practice VoiceOver gestures: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver, then tap VoiceOver Practice. When you finish practicing, tap Done. If you dont see the VoiceOver Practice button, make sure VoiceOver is turned on.
Heres a summary of key VoiceOver gestures:
Navigate and read
- Tap: Speak the item.
- Swipe right or left: Select the next or previous item.
- Swipe up or down: Depends on the Rotor Control setting.
- 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 (such as the Home screen, Stocks, or Safari).
- 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 iPad 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: 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: Relabel the selected item.
- Two-finger triple-tap: Open the Item Chooser.
- Three-finger double-tap: Mute or unmute VoiceOver.
- Three-finger triple-tap: Turn the screen curtain on or off.
Note: This article will work on all iPads using iOS 6; including iPad Mini, iPad 2, The New iPad (iPad 3), iPad 4 (iPad with Retina display).