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I recently fractured my left wrist after tripping on the concrete stairs outside my home. (Yes, it was painful.) Beyond learning how to perform everyday tasks without both hands, I had to figure out how to use my iPhone with just my right hand. Luckily, Apple provides several options to help you navigate and control the iPhone in one hand.
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You can turn on a Reachability feature to bring the top of the screen to the bottom. You can activate a one-handed keyboard to type more easily. With the AssistiveTouch option, you can display a virtual home button on the screen. You can also enable a Back Tap feature to perform certain actions by tapping the back of your phone two or three times. And of course, you can turn to Siri and other assistive options to control your phone by voice. Let's see how these all work.
With the Reachability feature enabled, swiping down on the bottom of the screen lowers the top half so you can more easily reach it. To turn this feature on, go to Settings, select Accessibility, and then select Touch. At the Touch screen, flip on the switch for Reachability.
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To try this feature in action, swipe down at the very bottom of any screen, and the top of the screen should move down for easier access. This can be a tricky maneuver, so you may need to try it a few times before you get the hang of it.
Without both hands, typing on the full-sized keyboard can be difficult. Instead, you can shrink the keyboard to the right or left of the screen.
Open an app that accepts text, such as Notes or Mail. Tap in any text-based field or other area to display the keyboard. Press down on the globe icon at the bottom left. You'll see three icons for the keyboard. Tap the one on the left to move the keyboard to the left. Tap the one on the right to move the keyboard to the right.
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You should now find it more comfortable to tap on the virtual keys with just the thumb of one hand. To return to the full-sized keyboard, press the left or right arrow.
I have an iPhone 14 Pro with Face ID and no physical button. But there are times I miss that handy button. Using an iPhone with a physical button is easier with one hand as you can press the button to perform different actions.
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If you have a newer iPhone, you can set up a virtual home button and customize its actions. Head to Settings, select Accessibility, and then select Touch. Tap the option for AssistiveTouch and turn on the switch for AssistiveTouch. The virtual home button appears on the screen. You can drag and drop it to move it wherever you like on the screen, but I prefer it in the familiar spot at the middle bottom.
By default, tapping the button once displays a menu for certain features and actions such as Notification Center, Siri, Control Center, and Home. Depending on your phone's setup, double tapping the button will likely trigger Siri, while long pressing on it will launch the App Switcher. But you can change these actions.
If the menu is open, tap anywhere on the screen to shrink it back into a button. At the AssistiveTouch screen, tap "Customize Top Level Menu" to change the icons and features that appear in the menu. Tap Single-Tap, Double-Tap, and Long Press to customize the actions that occur with these movements. When you no longer need or want the virtual button, turn off the switch for AssistiveTouch.
Another movement you can perform with one hand is Back Tap. With this option, you tap the back of the phone two or three times to trigger certain actions. To set up Back Tap, go to Settings, select Accessibility, and then select Touch. Swipe down to the bottom of the Touch screen and tap "Back Tap". Select "Double Tap" and then choose the action you want to perform by tapping the back of the phone twice. Do the same for "Triple Tap". You can then run those actions by tapping the back of your phone two or three times.
Finally, using your voice can help if one of your hands is out of action. Naturally, you can ask Siri to perform a variety of tasks. However, voice assist features are also available under Accessibility.
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To check these features out, head to Settings, select Accessibility, and then tap "Voice Control." To learn how to use the feature, tap "Open Voice Control Guide" and read the instructions. When you're done, turn on the switch for "Voice Control" and you can now use your voice to dictate and edit text and navigate your phone.
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