Get started with accessibility features on iPad

iPad provides many accessibility features and settings to support your vision, mobility, hearing, speech, and cognitive needs.

These features make your iPad easier to use, whether you need them temporarily or on an ongoing basis.

You can set many of these up when you turn on your iPad for the first time (see Turn on accessibility features to set up your iPad), or you can turn them on later.

A list in Notes, with bolder text using larger accessibility sizes and with button shapes turned on.

Vision

You can change screen colors and text size, zoom in, reduce transparency, and more. You can also hear what’s onscreen, or use VoiceOver to interact with your iPad.

Learn more about vision-related accessibility features

An iPad showing the AssistiveTouch menu visible, showing controls for Notification Center, Device, Control Center, Home, Siri, and Custom.

Mobility

You can navigate your iPad hands-free, or you can use your voice or connect a switch, mouse, or other input. You can also control other devices, customize gestures and alerts, and adjust how sensitively iPad responds to your tap or touch.

Learn more about mobility-related accessibility features

An iPad with the microphone for Live Captions on and listening for input.

Hearing

You can adjust audio for noisier contexts or turn speech into text. You can also change how iPad alerts you, or have it recognize sounds.

Learn more about hearing-related accessibility features

Speech

You can communicate with family, friends, and colleagues in the way that works best for you, whether you’re nonspeaking, at risk of speech loss, or someone with a speech disability.

Learn more about speech-related accessibility features

An iPad screen showing Guided Access being set up.

Cognitive

You can reduce distraction and sensory stimulus, get help with everyday tasks, like signing into accounts and typing, and make it easier to identify people and things around you.

Learn more about cognitive-related accessibility features

You can also set up Assistive Access, which gives those with cognitive disabilities the option to perform the most common tasks, such as taking photos and communicating with their inner circle of family and friends, while reducing cognitive load and offering more focused choices. See the Assistive Access User Guide.

Siri is often the easiest way to start using accessibility features with iPad.

Siri: Say something like: “Turn on VoiceOver” or “Turn off VoiceOver.” Learn how to use Siri.

You can also use Control Center or Accessibility Shortcut to turn on accessibility features quickly.

Helpful?

iPad User Guide