Apple Activates Assistive Touch in iOS 5 Beta 3

In the latest iOS 5 beta just released today, Apple has activated the new "Assistive Touch" features for the iPad. The Assistive Touch settings were in place in iOS's accessibility settings in previous betas, but is only now active. The new features are meant to provide additional interactivity for those who might have trouble using the traditional gestures and buttons on the iPad.

image 3
image 5
The new settings allow users to activate a menu overlay on the iPad with by pressing on a designated corner. The menu allows one-tap access to all of the iPad's functions including rotation, shaking, volume changes and even gestures. Known gestures such as pinch and swipe can be recalled by a tap, and custom gestures can even be recorded and played back on command.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...

Top Rated Comments

Kahnyl Avatar
180 months ago
I thought the people who needed this type of assistance had problems but then I read about these poor people going without widgets. It's terrible.

Do you guys have a charity I could donate to or something?
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
acslater017 Avatar
180 months ago
Yea Apple is very thoughtful about these kinds of things, but they rarely get credit for it...
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dethmaShine Avatar
180 months ago
Because then it would be called Android.

Or Dashboard?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JAT Avatar
180 months ago
Physical buttons? Whatever do you mean?

Oh you mean the home button that stops working about 9 months after getting your iPhone 4? :mad:

Well, that would suck. But my Touch 1G button never stopped working, had it for over 3 years.

Also: 12 month warranty.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JGowan Avatar
180 months ago
I have no problems with these gestures, but in some instances I think I could use a few of this instead of the gestures. Perhaps could be more handy. Will have to see when it lands.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aeolius Avatar
180 months ago
My 17-year old son has cerebral palsy. Her uses a wheelchair and has stiffness in his muscles but is intellectually on par with his peers. He has been using Mac laptops since he was 2 years old. I am hoping this feature will be of use to him, as he gets by just fine on his MacBook Pro using just his pinky finger for typing and trackpad use. Multi-finger swipes, pinches, and the like are not gestures he can easily manage.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)