iPad:
Accessibility settings
This short, animated course shows you how to find and manage the iPad's Accessibility settings that can make using your iPad easier.
Watch our animation by pressing the Play button below, or click on the handy Chapters icon in the video playbar to go straight to the information you want to see, such as how to:
- make text appear larger on the screen
- set up and use the Magnifier feature
- use the Dictation feature to convert voice to text.
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Transcript
Welcome to the "iPad: Accessibility settings" course. You'll learn about some of the accessibility features on your iPad, including how to make text easier to read and how the iPad can convert what you say into text.
If your iPad has a physical Home button, some of the steps might be slightly different, but you can still follow along.
Accessibility features are designed to help make your iPad easier and more comfortable to use. This is especially useful if you experience low vision, are hard of hearing, or find it difficult to use the touchscreen.
The accessibility options are controlled from the Settings app, which is found on the Home screen. Tap Settings. Once the Settings menu opens, scroll down the list of options on the left side of the screen and tap Accessibility. The accessibility options will now be visible on the right side of the screen. It's worth exploring this list to see which accessibility options could make your life easier.
For this demonstration, we'll just focus on a few of the main settings.
First, we'll look at how to make text on your iPad easier to read. Tap Display & Text Size. This is where you can edit how text appears in your iPad's menus, emails, and text messages. From the list of options, tap on Larger Text. In the middle of the screen, you'll notice a slider. Using your finger, drag the slider to the right to increase the size of the text and to the left to decrease it. You'll notice that all the text on the screen gets bigger as you drag the slider right and smaller as you drag it left. This is a handy way to know when you've found the right text size for you. If you need even larger text, tap the switch next to Larger Accessibility Sizes at the top of the screen so that the switch turns green. The slider at the bottom will now let you make the text even bigger. Adjust the slider to find a size you're happy with. Tap the back arrow at the top left of the screen to set the text size and return to the Display & Text Size menu.
There are other options here for making text easier to read, including the Bold Text setting. Switching this feature on will make the text darker and thicker, but for this demonstration, we'll leave it switched off.
Now, tap the back arrow at the top left of the screen to return to the main Accessibility menu. From the list of settings options on the left side of the screen, tap on Control Centre. This menu lets you customise your Control Centre so you can add handy shortcuts to the features you commonly use.
We're going to add the Magnifier feature to our Control Centre. Scroll down the list of options on the right side of the screen until you see Magnifier. The Magnifier feature uses the camera on the back of the iPad to help you see things up close. It can be handy for reading fine print on bills or for getting a closer look at small objects. Tap the green plus symbol to add it to the Control Centre.
You can open the Control Centre anytime, whether you're in an app or browsing a website. Let's do that now to see the magnifier in action. Swipe down from the top right of the screen to display the Control Centre. Be careful to start with your finger in the bezel section of your iPad, which is the area that surrounds the screen.
You'll see a few icons here. Your Control Centre might look a bit different to this demonstration, but you'll still be able to follow along.
Here's the magnifying glass icon that we just added to our Control Centre. Tap it to open the iPad's camera app. The screen shows what's called a live view of what the camera sees. Drag your finger right along the slider to zoom in and left to zoom out.
Next, we're going to look at Dictation, another really useful feature of the iPad. By turning what you say into text, Dictation helps you create messages and notes without having to type on the keyboard.
To start, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to go to the Home screen. For this demonstration, we'll use the Dictation feature to send a text message.
Tap the Messages app to open it. Look for the new message icon, which looks like a square with a pencil in it. Tap on it to open a new message. Now, Dictation works in any app where you can see the microphone button on the keyboard. The microphone button sits to the left of the space bar. Tap on it to start your message.
A pop up might appear asking if you want to enable dictation. Tap Enable Dictation. Another pop up might ask you to improve Siri and Dictation. Tap Not Now.
Instead of the keyboard, you'll see a grey area with a line that will flicker when you speak. Say the first name of the person you want to send a message to, and the iPad will search your contacts list for a match. For this demonstration, we'll send a text message to Margaret.
Tap Margaret's name to confirm that she's the contact we want to send this message to.
Next, tap the box where it says iMessage. A vertical line or cursor will appear and start to blink, which means you can start your message. Instead of typing, tap the microphone button on the keyboard. The grey area will appear again, and you can dictate your message. "I have free tickets to the cinemas this Thursday. "Do you want to join me?" You can even dictate punctuation by saying "question mark" or "full stop", for example.
For the best results, you'll want to speak slowly and clearly. You can tap anywhere in the grey area at the bottom to return to your keyboard. Then, just tap the send arrow to send your message.
Swipe up to return to the Home screen.
There are several apps that can convert what you say into text. You can use Dictation to write emails or notes, create reminders or calendar appointments, and even search the internet. Remember, it works wherever you see a microphone button on the keyboard.
You've now reached the end of the course and should know how to use some of your iPad's accessibility features. There are many others too, so it's worth exploring to find those which might help make your life easier.
If you're unsure about any steps, you can rewind the video or click the chapter headings to jump to the start of a chapter. If you're ready to move on, there are many other courses to explore on Be Connected.