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Apple accessibility features you should know about

Sound Recognition

This surprising hidden feature will listen for sounds you might often miss (like washing machines, door knocks, or kettles) as well as sounds no one should miss (like sirens, fires, and babies crying). The phone can alert you to these sounds with the sound of your choice and a notification.

Back Tap

Like a secret button for your iPhone, Back Tap can provide a speedy shortcut to notifications, or to features and apps you use a lot, like the camera or Mail. After selecting Accessibility and Touch you can choose which apps or features open when you tap the back of your phone two and three times.

AssistiveTouch

This can be used on an Apple Watch to let the wearer control it without actually touching its screen. Pinching the air or making a fist can be used to answer calls or see notifications, for example, with the Watch registering movements using its built-in sensors.

Type to Siri

If Apple’s assistant doesn’t understand you, or if you feel awkward talking to your phone, you can choose the Type to Siri option. When deployed, a text box will appear when you hold down your iPhone’s side button.

Headphone Accommodations

A useful addition for anyone who struggles to hear in noisy environments, this feature can get your AirPods to amplify sounds and certain sound frequencies around you that you find hard to discern. It’s can be used with some Apple and Beats products.

Background Sounds

If you find it hard to concentrate when using your phone or you’d like a soothing soundtrack, this feature may assist. It can be used to play sounds like rain, a stream, the ocean, or bright noise while you use your phone, and can stop when you lock the screen.

Closed Captions

Useful for hearing-impaired iPhone users and those whose phones are always on silent, this option will automatically play subtitles or closed captions on videos when they’re available.

Magnifier

Available as a stand-alone app, Magnifier packs in plenty of features. It can be used to zoom into anything in front of its camera, add a colour filter for easier viewing, and it can even detect people nearby and tell you how far away they are (and whether they’re keeping correct distance).