Tuesday, October 18, 2011

How To Exploit Accessibility Function on iOS5

Apple through iOS5 has carry on the tradition of allowing the less fortunate (disable) the opportunity to use their product via the accessibility features.
I have found one of the most useful features that is packed into this feature that many might have already missed.
An option NOT to use the dedicated HOME button.
As the iPhone and iPad is minimalist in nature, the Home button is the most used button to exit an apps or to do some there things like getting to the search page or to open the multitasking bar. Home button will fail one day due to repetitive usage though it is supposed to outlast the phone's lifetime (usually 2 years before the battery starts to give show problems in holding charges?).
Here is how you can exploit this features to your advantage.
1. Open SETTINGS-->GENERAL and click on ACCESSIBILITY
2. Look for AssistiveTouch at the bottom and activate it.
3. Suffice to just toggle AssistiveTouch. Leave everything else standard.
4. DONE! Now exit and look for the small little white button on the screen
White Button Of Magic
5. Click on it and you will get the screen below.
 6. Now you can even control these items by pressing the DEVICE icon! The HOME icon will bring you..well..HOME without pressing the physical dedicated button anymore!
 7. Gesture icon - i am yet to exploit it, but suffice to say, the HOME icon alone already more than sufficient to activate this to be used.

 The white round icon will blur out when inactive and will not hinder your other touch function. It will automatically moves itself if the keypad are activated. It is also movable by dragging and placing them at 8 corners of the phone screen; lower and upper left and right, and 1/4 screen location from top and bottom (imagine you draw a square from Control Panel - Photos - Instagram-Super...Pro-Control Panel) of all four corners.
placed at the bottom left.
 After using it for about 2 days, i must say i now feel funny to be pressing the physical HOME button. The icon works for everything iOS5 every build for including double-tapping it in LOCK SCREEN to activate the camera. Double-tapping in any screen activates the multitasking bar, tapping once on home screen brings up the SEARCH.
Try it on your iDevices and see how you like it. I personally love this.

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