You can adjust accessibility settings for the Home button (on an iPad that has one) or top button (on other iPad models). You can choose the click speed, whether Siri responds when you press and hold, and, on an iPad with Touch ID, whether resting your finger opens iPad.

1. Open Settings and tap Accessibility. Then tap Home Button (on an iPad with a Home button) or Top Button (on other iPad models).
2. Set any of the following:
   • Click Speed: Choose the speed required to double-click or triple-click the button—Default, Slow, or Slowest.
   • Press and Hold to Speak: Choose whether Siri responds when you press and hold the button.
   • Rest Finger to Open: On an iPad with Touch ID, you can unlock and open iPad by resting your finger on Touch ID.
   • Top Button Confirmation: Choose AssistiveTouch or Switch Control to confirm payments with Face ID or anytime double-clicking the top button is required.

On an iPad with Face ID, you can also use AssistiveTouch or use Switch Control to confirm payments with Face ID instead of double-clicking the top button.

See also

• Quickly turn accessibility features on or off on iPad
• Accessibility features for mobility on iPad

You can automatically direct the audio of FaceTime calls to the iPad speaker, a Bluetooth® headset, or your hearing device. iPad can also automatically answer calls after a length of time you set.

During a call, the audio switches from your hearing aid to the iPad speaker when you remove the hearing aid from your ear. You can also announce calls and notifications for specific apps, and end calls with Siri.

1. Open Settings, tap Accessibility, tap Touch, tap Call Audio Routing, and then choose an audio destination.
2. Tap Auto-Answer Calls, turn on Auto-Answer Calls, and set the duration of time before the call is answered by tapping the Decrement button or the Increment button.

Removing your hearing aid from your ear during a call moves the audio routing over to the iPad speaker.

See also

• Use hearing devices with iPad
• Announce calls and notifications for specific apps
• End calls with Siri
• Accessibility features for mobility on iPad

You can use MFi hearing aids or sound processors with iPad and adjust their settings. If you have AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods Pro 3, you can use your iPad to take a hearing test, and with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, you can get hearing assistance with the Hearing Aid feature.

You need to pair your devices only once, and after that, they reconnect to iPad automatically. You can also use your hearing devices with more than one device, and stream audio to them.

Pair hearing devices with iPad

If your hearing devices aren’t listed in Settings > Accessibility > Hearing Devices, you need to pair them with iPad.

If your hearing devices are already paired to another nearby device, such as a Mac or iPad, make sure Bluetooth® is turned off on those devices. (When you finish pairing your hearing devices to your iPad, you can turn Bluetooth on again on those devices.)

1. Start the Settings app.
2. Tap Accessibility, tap Hearing Devices, and tap Pair MFi Hearing Device.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions to set up your hearing aids or sound processors.

You only have to pair your devices once. Your audiologist might even do it for you. After that, your hearing devices reconnect to iPad automatically whenever they turn on.

Adjust the settings and view the status of your hearing devices

• In Settings: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Hearing Devices > MFi Hearing Devices.
• By triple-clicking the top or Home button: Use the Accessibility Shortcut if you’ve set it up.
• In Control Center: Tap the Hearing Devices button. (If you don’t see the Hearing Devices button, add it to Control Center.)
• On the Lock Screen: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Hearing Devices > MFi Hearing Devices, then turn on Control on Lock Screen. From the Lock Screen, you can do the following:
  • Check battery status.
  • Adjust ambient microphone volume and equalization.
  • Choose which hearing device (left, right, or both) receives streaming audio.
  • Control Live Listen.
  • Choose whether phone and media audio are routed to the hearing device.

Use your hearing devices with more than one device

If you pair your hearing devices with more than one device, such as both iPhone and iPad, the hearing devices’ connection automatically switches from one to the other when you receive a phone call on iPhone or do something that generates audio on the other device.

Your other devices automatically stay in sync with any changes you make to hearing device settings on one device.

1. Sign in to your Apple Account on all the devices.
2. Connect all the devices to the same Wi-Fi network.

Stream audio to your hearing devices

They’ll stream audio from music, movies, podcasts, Siri, and more.

1. Tap the Playback Destination button in Control Center, on the Lock Screen, or in the Now Playing controls for the app you’re listening to.
2. Choose your hearing device.

You can also route audio calls automatically to a hearing device.

See also

• Use iPad as a remote microphone with Live Listen
• Accessibility features for hearing on iPad

iPad comes with built-in tools designed to help you hear better—or stay connected without hearing a sound.

With Live Captions, you can get a transcription of audio from any app, and from live conversations around you. iPad can also listen for your name or for sounds like a doorbell and alert you, and you can make Real-Time Text (RTT) calls. There are transcriptions of audio messages and podcasts, too, and you can pair MFi hearing devices and make audio adjustments. Siri can even announce notifications and calls on your MFi hearing devices.

To explore accessibility features for hearing, go to Settings > Accessibility, then scroll down to the Hearing section.

Use alternatives to sound

• Get real-time captions of spoken audio

  With Live Captions, get a transcription of the audio from any app and from live conversations around you.

  Get live captions of spoken audio

• Customize subtitles and captions

  Change how subtitles look. Or instead of standard subtitles, use closed captions and SDH when available.

  Display subtitles and captions

• Get notified if someone says your name

  With Name Recognition, have iPad listen for your name and alert you when it recognizes it.

  Recognize your name

• Get notified about sounds around you

  With Sound Recognition, have iPad listen for sounds—such as a doorbell or your siren—and alert you when it recognizes them.

  Recognize sounds

• Type to Siri

  Type your Siri requests instead of speaking them.

  Change Siri accessibility settings

• Make Real-Time Text (RTT) calls

  Type to communicate on calls. The person you’re talking to sees your message as you type it.

  Set up and use RTT

• Blink the iPad light for notifications

  If you can’t hear your alerts, get notified visually.

  Flash the iPad screen or indicator light for notifications

You can also get transcriptions of audio messages, HomePod Intercom messages, and podcasts.

Use hearing devices and make audio adjustments

• Hearing devices

  Pair Made for iPad (MFi) hearing aids or sound processors with iPad and adjust their settings.

  Use hearing devices

• Live Listen

  Stream sound from the iPad microphone to your MFi hearing devices or AirPods.

  Use iPad as a remote microphone with Live Listen

• Audio balance

  Play stereo audio as mono, adjust left-right stereo balance, and more.

  Adjust audio settings

• AirPods

  Set accessibility options for AirPods and other Apple headphones paired with your iPad.

  Adjust the accessibility settings for AirPods

• Background sounds

  Have your iPad play ambient sounds—such as ocean waves or rain—to help you focus or rest.

  Play background sounds

You can also have Siri announce notifications and calls on your MFi hearing devices.

Quick tip: The click of a button or Control Center can control your go-to accessibility features and settings; see our guide, Quickly open features with Accessibility Shortcut.

See also

• Get started with accessibility features on iPad

With Guided Access, you can temporarily restrict iPad to a single app. You can set a time limit, and customize which features, hardware buttons, and areas of the screen are available.

If you’re a parent, a teacher, or a caregiver, or are trying to help yourself focus, Guided Access can keep you on a task. You can end a session with a passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID, and play a sound to announce time limits. You can also hear time limits spoken, and set how long it takes iPad to lock automatically.

Set up Guided Access

1. Start the Settings app on your iPad.
2. Tap Accessibility, tap Guided Access, and turn on Guided Access.
3. Do any of the following for Guided Access sessions:
   • End a session with a passcode: Tap Passcode Settings, tap Set Guided Access Passcode, and enter a passcode.
   • End a session with Face ID or Touch ID: Tap Passcode Settings, then turn on Face ID (on an iPad with Face ID) or Touch ID (on other iPad models).
   • Play a sound to announce time limits: Tap Time Limits, tap Sound, and then select a sound or tap Tone Store to browse other options.
   • Hear time limits spoken: Tap Time Limits. Turn on Speak to hear the time remaining before a Guided Access session ends.
   • Allow Accessibility Shortcut during a session: Turn on Accessibility Shortcut.
   • Set how long it takes iPad to lock automatically: Tap Display Auto-Lock, then select an option.

Start a Guided Access session

1. Open the app you want to use.
2. To turn on Guided Access, do one of the following:

   Siri: Ask Siri something like, “Turn on Guided Access.” Learn how to use Siri.

   • Use Control Center if you’ve added Guided Access there.
   • Use the Accessibility Shortcut.
3. Circle any areas of the screen you want to disable. Drag the mask into position or use the handles to adjust its size.
4. Tap Session Settings and then turn on or off any of the following:
   • Top Button
   • Volume Buttons
   • Motion (to prevent iPad from switching from portrait to landscape or from responding to other motions)
   • Software Keyboards
   • Touch
   • Time Limit
5. Tap Done and tap Start.

End a Guided Access session

You end a Guided Access session by entering your Guided Access passcode or using Face ID, depending on the passcode options you chose when setting up Guided Access.

• Use the passcode: Triple-click the top button (on an iPad with Face ID) or Home button (on other iPad models), then enter your Guided Access passcode.
• Use Face ID or Touch ID: If you turned on the Face ID or Touch ID option in Guided Access Passcode Settings, triple-click the top button or Home button, then unlock your iPad with Face ID or Touch ID (depending on your iPad model).

See also

• Set up a Focus on iPad
• Hide distractions when reading articles in Safari on iPad
• Customize onscreen motion on iPad
• Cognitive accessibility features on iPad

iPad comes with built-in options to suit your cognitive needs—or those of someone you care for. You can set up an iPad with a simplified interface, or limit a child’s access to a single app. You can also reduce sensory stimulus from the screen, reformat content for easier reading, and summarize text.

Features like Focus, Dictation, Read & Speak, and Live Captions can also help you focus, enter text more easily, or follow along with what you’re reading or hearing.

To explore accessibility features on iPad, go to Settings > Accessibility.

Adapt iPad for someone you care for

• Keep iPad simple

  If someone you care for has a cognitive disability, set up an iPad with a simplified interface. Choose and customize core features that work best for them.

• Lock iPad to one app

  When you let a child use your iPad, limit their access to a single app.

  Lock iPad to one app with Guided Access

You can also reduce sensory stimulus from the screen. For example, you can have the display dim automatically for content that depicts flashing or strobing lights, and pause rapid animated images like GIFs. See our article, Stop or reduce onscreen motion. To reformat content for easier reading and summarize text, read our guide, Read or listen to text in apps with Accessibility Reader.

iPad offers many additional tools to help you focus, make it easier to enter text, or follow along with what you’re reading or listening to with features like Focus, Dictation, Read & Speak, and Live Captions.

Quick tip: Control Center or the click of a button can control your go-to accessibility features and settings. Read our guide, Quickly open features with Accessibility Shortcut.

See also

• Get started with accessibility features on iPad

Customize iPad in ways that work best for you with features for vision, hearing, mobility, speech, and cognitive accessibility—whether you need them temporarily or on an ongoing basis. You can hear what’s on the screen with the built-in screen reader, make text bigger, or control iPad using just your eyes or spoken commands. You can also get real-time captioning of spoken audio, create a custom voice that sounds like you, and set up a simplified interface for someone with a cognitive disability.

You can turn on accessibility features when you set up your iPad for the first time, or at any time in Settings > Accessibility.

Note: Not all features are available in all countries, regions, or languages.

Vision

The built-in screen reader lets you hear what’s on the screen and navigate iPad with gestures. You can also adjust display colors, make text bigger, zoom in on the screen, and more.

Your iPad can even work as a magnifying glass. Hold it up, and you’ll get descriptions of your surroundings.

Learn more about accessibility features for vision

Mobility

Your eyes or spoken commands are all you need to navigate and perform actions on iPad. Or connect an assistive device or an external keyboard to control iPad with it.

You can also make it easier to use gestures and set other options so iPad responds best to your touch.

Learn more about accessibility features for mobility

Hearing

You can get real-time captions of spoken audio from an app or live conversation, have iPad recognize sounds, turn on flash notifications, and more.

You can also pair hearing devices with your iPad, and adjust headphone audio so it’s right for you.

Learn more about accessibility features for hearing

Speech

To have what you type spoken out loud, pick one of dozens of system voices or create a custom voice that sounds like you.

Siri can also recognize a wider range of speech patterns, and you can teach iPad to perform an action when you say a word or make a sound you choose.

Learn more about accessibility features for speech

Cognitive

With iPadOS accessibility features, you or someone you care for can use iPad with greater independence. Someone with a cognitive disability might use an iPad set up with a simplified interface, for example, or you can temporarily lock iPad to one app when a child is using it.

Learn more about cognitive accessibility features

Quick tip: You can use Siri, the click of a button, or Control Center to control your go-to accessibility features and settings. To learn how, see our guide, Quickly turn accessibility features on or off.

See also

• Setup basics