Back tap on iPhone makes it easy to access frequently used features by simply double or triple tapping on the back of the phone.
You can set up back tap such that when you double or triple tap on the back of the phone, like an iPhone 14, it will trigger an action. That could be the camera shutter to snap a selfie, for example, magnifier, or other accessibility actions. This can save you time and makes using the phone even more convenient.
The best part? Setting up back tap is easy to do, and each person can use it for a purpose customized to them.
- Go to Settings, Accessibility.
- Scroll down to Touch, then scroll all the way to Back Tap and select.
- You’ll see two options: one for Double Tap and one for Triple Tap.
- Select Double Tap then choose which function from the list you want to trigger with this motion. Options include everything from the Flashlight to Lock Screen, Screenshot, Camera, Siri, Volume Up or Down, and more. Options in the Accessibility category include Assistive Touch, Color Filters, Live Captions, and more. There are also options for Scroll Gestures and Shortcuts. With Shortcuts, you can access different shortcuts you previously set up on the phone, like Shazam to identify a song.
- Once you have selected the back tap feature you want (by tapping it to put a checkmark beside it), tap the back button at the top of the screen. Now select Triple Tap if desired and repeat with a different shortcut.
- Tap Back again or swipe up from the bottom of the screen to exit the menu.
- Now, whenever you double or triple press the back of the phone, it will trigger the action(s) you chose.
You may notice that back tap is sensitive. You might put your phone down on a flat surface like a table, for example, and hear the camera shutter because a screenshot has just been taken mistakenly. Sometimes with triple tap, you may find that it takes some practice to learn to tap quickly enough to register the right action.
But as you get used to it, the back tap feature on iPhone can be handy for accessing certain features quickly with the literal two (or three) taps of a finger.
Most importantly, however, back tap is a useful feature for those with accessibility needs. You could toggle a feature like Live Captions on and off, for example, with a couple taps on the back of the phone instead of having to go back and forth into the Settings menu. Or, you could invert colors on the screen any time you need to read text that is otherwise difficult to read.
The back tap feature for iPhone is one where you might find that, after you set it up, you use it more often than you thought you would.
Apple iPhone 14
The iPhone 14 is the base model of the 2022 iPhone series, offering a balanced set of features for the average user.