Here are six accessibility features on iPhones that can be helpful to anyone

Note: This feature was first published on 16 May 2024.

Ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, I dropped by Marina Bay Sands for a Today at Apple session to learn more about how accessibility features can help you get more out of your iPhone. For those of us who casually skim and skip past pop-ups when setting up devices, these features often go forgotten and unused.

From Focus modes to Guided Access, here are six features on your iPhone that you should start using.

1. Screen Time & Screen Distance

Introduced way back in iOS 12, Screen Time is a useful feature which allows individuals and families to take control and monitor their time spent in front of their devices as well as manage their digital interactions. Be it for yourself or your child, setting a Screen Time to limit device usage can be particularly useful, especially for those who spend all night doomscrolling through TikToks.

To set up your Screen Time, go to the Settings app, and scroll down till you see Screen Time. There, you can see a daily average of time spent on your device, schedule downtime so that you can spend more time with your loved ones or for yourself, and enable content and privacy restrictions so only certain content and settings can be accessed.

Speaking of time spent in front of devices, ever gotten up close and personal with your phone? Apple’s new Screen Distance feature gives you a heads-up if you’re too close to your screen for prolonged periods. Applicable to iPhones with Face ID (iPhone X and above) you can set up this feature by going to settings, Screen Time and enabling Screen Distance. The next time you have your eyes glued on your iPhone (30cm or closer), it will remind you to move away from your device to reduce eyestrain and the risk of myopia in children.

2) Background Sounds 

There is this saying that silence is bliss. Well, it is, but it’s difficult to escape from the noise that’s happening all around you. That’s where Background Sounds come in handy. As its name suggests, Background Sounds play… background sounds. To be more specific, it plays white noises such as ocean or rain to minimise environmental noise and this can help reduce distractions so you can focus better or rest. 

There is more to background sounds than just having sounds playing in the background. According to a clinical psychologist, background sounds can help to distract from or avoid unpleasant emotions and thoughts. Furthermore, according to a psychiatrist, those suffering from ADHD can find that background noise can help to increase their focus and aid attention to the tasks at hand. 

To set up Background Sounds, head over to the Settings app, and scroll down till you see accessibility. Under hearing, select audio and visual and click on Background Sounds. Alternatively, you can swipe up and search for Background Sounds in the search bar. 

From there, you can adjust the volume of the sound, choose different sounds, and toggle it to continue playing even when other media is playing. If you use Background Sounds often, you can add it to your Control Centre to have ease of access to the sounds. 

3. Guided Access 

With Guided Access, you can temporarily restrict your iPhone to a single app. This can be useful when letting your child use your iPhone or when you want to stay focused on a task. When Guided Access is activated, you can limit which areas of the screen can be interacted with, set a time limit, as well as disable the physical buttons themselves. This puts you in complete control of what the user can see and interact with on your iPhone.

To enable Guided Access, go to the Settings app, Accessibility, and scroll down till you see "Guided Access". Set a passcode or enable Face ID so that users will not be able to exit Guided Access mode freely. Once you're done, go to any app or webpage and triple-click the power button to start Guided Access.

Guided Access can play a huge role in enabling web accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities. It lets them access websites and use apps in a more focused manner.

4. Journal

Journal debuted in iOS 17.2 as a way for users to log journal entries filled with photos, videos, or even voice memos. According to a study, writing a journal is said to help with the management of anxiety, and reduction of stress and can even help you to prioritise problems, fears, and concerns. 

Getting started is simple, ensure your device is updated to the latest version and look for the Journal app. If it’s not on your home screen, swipe left till you reach the app library and search for Journal. From there, you can choose to turn on Journaling Suggestions which provides a visual picker interface that displays a photo from the library, a song that is constantly on repeat, and reflection statements. 

After you’ve created a new journal entry, you can begin writing or speaking your thoughts and ideas. Dictation mode is particularly useful when coupled with journaling as it helps you save the effort from typing away for long periods especially when the entry is going to be long. Furthermore, dictation enables those who can't type to start journaling with just their voice. 

The next time you’re on the go and have something important to note down use dictation and the Journal app to take note of your thoughts. 

5) Spoken Content

During my session learning about features that strengthen reading and spelling skills, something that piqued my interest was Spoken Content. Text-to-speech (TTS) has been around for a while but on iPhone, instead of hearing the robotic voices of Siri, you can hear your own voice by using Spoken Content.

To get started, you will first need to enable Spoken Content. In the Settings app, head over to Accessibility and select "Spoken Content". This now brings you to a page where you can customise a variety of settings from changing the speech rate to highlighting the content as it speaks.

Once you have Spoken Content enabled, on the same accessibility page, scroll down till you see Personal Voice. You are then guided to speak out around 150 phrases which will take around 15 minutes of your time. Head over to spoken content and select your voice. 

Finally, the last step is to open an article and long press and hold till you see the speak option. Voila, you are now hearing yourself narrate the article.

You can also use Spoken Content to communicate with others by using it to speak what you've written.

6) Focus modes

The last feature is probably the most interesting one. Focus mode lets you choose when and how you want to receive alerts and notifications. This mode can be set up for a variety of uses from work to gaming and even for sleep. 

Focus mode is designed to help you automatically filter out incoming calls and notifications, as well as the use of specific apps so that you can concentrate on the tasks that require your attention.

In Settings, scroll down till you see focus. There are a few modes that you can select from or you can create a new one. When customising the modes, you can choose to silence notifications completely or only allow certain people to contact you. All silenced notifications will be sent to the Notification Centre so you can catch up on them later.

Additionally, Sleep Focus also has a Sleep Screen feature that simplifies your lock screen to remove distractions. If you use the mode often, you can also link the Focus Mode to your wallpaper. Just press and hold your lock screen and select which Focus you would want the wallpaper to link to.

Learn more about accessibility features

If you’re keen on learning more about your Apple devices, Apple will be holding a Today at Apple session, at the Apple store in Marina Bay Sands on 18 May. The session will feature David Niemeijer, the founder and CEO of AssistiveWare. The session aims to showcase useful tools on the iPad that enable digital accessibility. You will need to sign up to attend the session. You can sign up for the session here. 

Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.