When I was in middle school, I had to write a paper about the brand-new iPad and whether I would use it or not. At the time I drafted the paper, I mentioned that it would be cool if there was a way to make iPad accessible for low vision but wasn’t sure if I would ever use the device myself. Over ten years later, I use my iPad every day for a variety of different tasks and love the rich array of accessibility features and options for how to make iPad accessible for low vision. Here are my favorite iPad and iOS accessibility features for low vision users, and how to enable them. All of these options can be found within the Settings application in the Accessibility section unless otherwise noted.
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is Apple’s screen reader, which is used by people with vision loss and reads information out loud on a webpage or in an application. Screen readers like VoiceOver allow users to navigate their device using a keyboard or a series of gestures, and are typically “always on”- if someone has a screen reader enabled, it is reasonable to assume that the user would be unable to use their device if the screen reader were turned off.
There are a few different options for turning VoiceOver on and off, including:
- In the Accessibility menu of the Settings app, navigate to the Vision section and turn on VoiceOver
- Add VoiceOver to the Accessibility Shortcuts menu in Accessibility settings for quick access (more on this later)
- Ask Siri to turn VoiceOver on/off
Related links
Zoom
Zoom is a digital magnifier tool that enlarges all on-screen content up to 15x, with options for a full screen view, lens view, and docked view. Users can triple tap with three fingers on the screen to turn Zoom on/off, as well as adjust the magnification level, viewing window, and add other color contrast filters.
There are a few different options for opening Zoom on iOS that all lead to the same program, though Zoom must be turned on in accessibility settings before using any of these shortcuts:
- Triple tap with three fingers on the screen
- Turn on Zoom in accessibility settings (in the Settings menu)
- Turn on the Zoom Controller so that there is always a floating icon onscreen that can activate Zoom when pressed.
Related links
Hover Text
In this context, Hover Text is an accessibility feature available for iPad, Mac, and Apple TV devices that enlarges content positioned under the pointer in a separate window and applies a consistent font style, color, and size to selected text. Hover Text essentially is a combination of a simplified reading display and screen magnification tool, and is used to customize the appearance of on-screen text positioned under a pointer. The original page/display is still visible when Hover Text is enabled, so the window does not take up the entire screen.
Hover Text requires users to connect a mouse/trackpad and keyboard for iPad and Mac- I personally use Apple’s Magic keyboard to access Hover Text on iPad. To enable Hover Text for iPad, open Settings > Accessibility > Hover Text, which is located in the Vision sub-section of the Accessibility menu. Users can then turn Hover Text on or off, as well as customize how text is displayed. Hover Text is available for iOS 16 and later.
Hover Typing
Hover Typing is another setting in the Hover Text accessibility menu that enlarges text that is being typed in a textbox using the same display settings as Hover Text. It does not require an external keyboard or cursor, and is automatically activated whenever a user is typing something on their device, like a text message, email, username on a login screen, or similar. Hover Typing is available in iOS 18 and above.
Related links
Display and Text Size
Bold text
Bold text creates larger weighted font that is easier to distinguish. This is especially helpful for people with dyslexia or other print disabilities that benefit from weighted text.
Larger text
Turn on large accessibility sizes and make text even larger! I have it on the largest available which is equivalent to about a size 36 font. This is the most critical setting for learning how to make iPad accessible for low vision.
Button shapes
The button shapes feature puts backgrounds on buttons, so they are high contrast and therefore easier to notice. It can best be described as a subtle, shaded effect with easy to distinguish shapes. The target area is also large, meaning the buttons are easier to press.
On/Off Labels
On/Off labels adds small icons to the sliders as an additional way of labeling if a slider is on or off. A slider that is turned on will have a small line visible on the green background, while a slider turned off will have an O shaped icon on a gray background. This also ties in with the Differentiate Without Color setting, which replaces interfaces that rely solely on color for conveying information with alternative display option.
Reduce Transparency/Increase Contrast
I reduce transparency and darken colors to create a high contrast display, a feature that integrates well with the button shapes. These features reduce transparency and blurring effects on backgrounds, as well as increase color contrast between app foreground and background colors.
Invert Colors
Invert colors (also known as inverted display or invert) is a color mode/color filter that changes a light-colored display with dark text to a dark-colored display with light text. This can be helpful for users with low vision that are sensitive to bright lights or want to improve the contrast of a display without removing any background graphics.
iPad offers two options to invert colors, known as Smart Invert and Classic Invert. Smart Invert does not invert or change the colors of pictures, images, videos, icons, or existing interfaces already in dark mode. Classic Invert will use a full color inversion, changing all display colors for content and displaying “dark mode” content in a light color palette.
Color Filter
Color filters are tools that can help reduce eye strain from screens by reducing the negative effect of blue light and/or adjusting how colors are displayed on a screen for a more comfortable viewing experience. Color filters can change how specific colors are displayed on a screen (helpful for colorblindness or color deficiencies) or apply a subtle tint to a display, similar to computer glasses or a screen protector.
For my iPad, I use the Color Tint setting to configure a red color at 7% intensity, which applies a subtle warm hue to my screen and acts similar to a blue light filter. This does not have any significant impact on color display for the screen, it just softens bright light.
Reduce White Point
Reducing white point lessens the intensity of bright white light, which can be helpful for reducing glare and the intensity of super bright colors. I have mine set at 55%, though users who wish to make their screen brightness even dimmer on the lowest setting may have better results when setting their white point reduction to 75% or more.
Related links
- High Contrast and Low Vision
- How To Use Invert Colors With Low Vision
- Ten Ways To Reduce Eye Strain From Screens With Technology
Motion
Reduce motion
I get motion sickness and vertigo from fast moving animations, so I enable reduce motion and prefer cross-fade transitions to avoid the disorienting parallax effect.
Auto-Play
I turn off auto-play for animated images, message effects, and video previews to avoid surprise flashing lights or strobing content, which can be disorienting with low vision.
Dim flashing lights
Video content that depicts repeated flashing or strobing lights is automatically dimmed, which is super helpful for people with light sensitivity or who are prone to migraines, seizures, or other adverse medical effects from flashing lights.
Related links
Spoken Content
For users that benefit from having text read loud but not necessarily all of the time, text-to-speech tools like Speak Selection/Spoken Content may be a better option. Speak Selection and Speak Screen will read all text that is selected or on the screen, as well as any alt text or other elements of a page that would traditionally be read by VoiceOver. Speak Text and Speak Screen offer the same voice customizations as VoiceOver, though users do not need to know any VoiceOver gestures to interact with content. Settings for Speak Selection can be customized independently from VoiceOver, though the settings for each feature are similar.
How to enable Speak Text and Speak Screen in iOS
- Go to the Settings app
- Go to the Accessibility section
- Go to the Spoken Content option, which is in the Vision section
- Turn on speak selection and/or speak screen
- Activate speak selection/speak screen by long-pressing on text content and selecting the Speak option, or swipe down from the top of the page with two fingers
Related links
Accessibility shortcut
Accessibility Shortcut provides additional accessibility settings that can be turned on/off using either the Control Center or by triple-clicking a button shortcut (either the top button, side button, or home button depending on the device model). These accessibility settings will remain on until the user turns them off, and they will not be turned on/off automatically when opening an application. To customize the features available in the Accessibility Shortcut menu, open Settings > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut, which is located in the General sub-section of the Accessibility section, and then select or drag to rearrange the features the user would want visible in this menu.
iPadOS and iOS currently offer the following options for the Accessibility Shortcut:
- Assistive Access
- Background Sounds
- AssistiveTouch
- Classic Invert
- Color Filters
- Dim Flashing Lights
- Eye Tracking
- Full Keyboard Access
- Guided Access
- Hover Text
- Hover Typing
- Increase Contrast
- Left/Right Balance
- Live Captions
- Live Recognition
- Live Speech
- Magnifier
- Reduce Motion
- Reduce Transparency
- Reduce White Point
- Smart Invert
- Speak Screen
- Switch Control
- Vehicle Motion Controls
- Voice Control
- VoiceOver
- Zoom
If more than one accessibility feature is added, each feature will be displayed in a list when the Accessibility Shortcut is activated, so the user can choose the feature they want to access.
Related links
- Enabling Temporary Accessibility Settings For iPad
- Customize Accessibility Settings For Specific Apps
Per-App Settings
Starting in iOS 15, users can customize accessibility settings for individual apps in the Per-App Settings menu, located in the Settings app. This can be accessed by opening Settings > Accessibility > Per-App Settings, which is located in the General sub-section of the Accessibility menu. These accessibility settings will be enabled automatically when the user opens the application. If no settings are configured, the accessibility settings that are currently enabled on the device will be displayed by default.
iPadOS and iOS currently offer the following options for customizing per-app accessibility settings:
- Bold Text
- Larger Text (font size)
- Button Shapes
- On/Off Labels
- Reduce Transparency
- Increase Contrast
- Differentiate Without Color
- Prefer Horizontal Text
- Smart Invert
- Reduce Motion
- Prefer Cross-Fade Transitions
- Prefer Non-Blinking Cursor
- Auto-Play Animated Images
- Auto-Play Video Previews
Per-App Settings automatically displays several applications in the App Customization menu, and users can configure settings for additional applications by selecting Add App. Alternatively, users can also configure the default settings for the Home Screen & App Library using this menu.
Increase icon size
iPad uses a grid layout, where icons are arranged in horizontal rows. By default, the grid size of the home screen displays six icons in a row, with five rows on each page in a landscape orientation (6 x 5). For a portrait orientation, five icons are displayed in a row with six rows on each page (5 x 6). Users can increase the size of icons without affecting the grid size by opening Settings > Home Screen & App Library > Use Large App Icons.
Related links
Additional iPad accessibility settings for low vision
While these aren’t configured in the Settings menu, there are several other accessibility settings available for iPad that can make the display easier to see, which include:
Magnifier
Previously part of the Accessibility menu, Magnifier is a built-in application that allows users to turn their device’s camera into a video magnifier- this does not magnify on-screen text. Like most video magnifying devices, Magnifier allows users to customize contrast, color filters, magnification levels, and even freeze an image without saving it to the camera roll. This is different than Zoom, which is a screen magnifier that enlarges content on the device itself.
Before using Magnifier for the first time, users will need to download the official Magnifier app from the App Store if it is not already on their device. Magnifier is developed by Apple and is 100% free to use. Magnifier can then be added to the home screen or as part of the Accessibility Shortcuts menu.
Safari Reading View
Safari Reading View is a built-in simplified reading display that is built into the Safari web browser. With a simplified reading display, text content is displayed with a consistent font size, font style, and background color, regardless of how the content is displayed on the original website. This can help to eliminate visual clutter such as ads, multi-column layouts, decorative photos, and animations, as well as provide users with the option to have text read out loud. Reading View in Safari can be launched automatically for specific websites or blog posts/articles from websites, and text can be further enlarged with pinch-to-zoom as well.
To enable Reading View in Safari, select the Reading View icon in the address bar, which looks like a lowercase and uppercase A. Long-press on the icon to customize the font size, font, and background color. Select Listen to Page to hear the content read out loud in a synthesized voice.
Reading View offers twelve font sizes, nine fonts (with a mix of sans serif and serif), and four background colors (white, sepia, dark gray, and black). Listen to Page has more limited customization options, supporting a reading rate of up to 2x speed, increased/decreased in increments of 0.25x.
Siri
Another option for opening applications or quickly turning accessibility features on/off while connected to internet/cellular data is to use Siri. For example, if I wanted to turn on VoiceOver, I could say “Hey Siri, VoiceOver on” and VoiceOver would automatically turn on with the settings I had previously configured in the Accessibility menu. Alternatively, if users would prefer to type when talking to Siri, this can also be configured in Settings > Accessibility > Siri, which is located in the General sub-section of the Accessibility menu by turning on Type to Siri. Siri can also be configured to respond silently instead of speaking out loud in this menu as well.
Related links
Summary of how to make iPad accessible for low vision
- Accessibility settings can be configured in the Accessibility menu in settings
- VoiceOver is the built-in iOS screen reader for people who cannot read print
- For users who benefit having text read out loud but don’t need a screen reader, Spoken Content reads text when prompted by a gesture
- Zoom is a screen magnifier that makes everything on the screen larger
- Users can enable large and bold print text on their device
- Button Shapes and Increase Contrast make backgrounds of shapes sharper and easier to see
- Invert Colors reverses the colors on a display
- Color filters and reducing the white point can help users with recognizing colors more easily
- Reduce motion disables animations that may be disorienting, such as fast scrolling, and the Motion menu also has options for reducing flashing lights
- The Accessibility shortcut allows users to quickly enable Zoom, VoiceOver, or other accessibility settings
- The icon size for the home screen can be increased in “Home Screen & Dock”
- Users can configure select accessibility settings for individual apps/per-app settings, such as font size and color display
- Magnifier turns the device camera into a video magnifier to make environmental text easier to read
- Reading View simplifies the display of text in the web browser and applies consistent font sizes, styles, and background colors
- Siri can be used to open applications, turn accessibility settings on or off, and look up information. Siri can also be configured to respond silently with text notifications
More resources on how to make iPad accessible for low vision
- Looking for more ideas on how to use iPhone and iPad accessibility features for vision loss? I share additional settings in iPhone Accessibility Settings For Occipital Stroke
All of these features can also be used to make iPhone accessible for low vision, and many are available for MacBooks as well. Learn more about MacBook accessibility in Low Vision Accessibility Settings For MacBooks - Need help choosing a new iPad for low vision? Read Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Tablets
- Want to learn more about using an iPad with low vision? View my Apple and iOS post category, which also includes links to free apps- Apple And iOS Archives | Veronica With Four Eyes (veroniiiica.com)
- Learn more about other accessibility features for mainstream technology by reading Low Vision Accessibility Settings For Android Phones and Low Vision Accessibility Settings For Windows 10
Published November 14, 2016. Updated December 2024