AssistiveTouch can be a boon for folks who have physical and motor disabilities. Considering how helpful this Accessibility feature has been on iPhone, Apple has brought it to Apple Vision Pro as well. That means if you find it a bit inconvenient to interact with visionOS or press the buttons on the mixed-reality headset, AssistiveTouch can let you perform actions and gestures with utmost ease. On this very note, follow along to learn how to set up and use AssistiveTouch on your Apple Vision Pro.
Set Up and Use AssistiveTouch on Apple Vision Pro
If you want to further amp up the convenience game, you can even use a supported adaptive accessory like a joystick together with AssistiveTouch to navigate and control your Vision Pro.
What Sort of Actions Can You Perform Using AssistiveTouch on Your Vision Pro?
If you are wondering what sort of actions the AssistiveTouch can let you perform on the AR/VR headset, take a quick look at the following list:
- Lock Apple Vision Pro
- Access Control Center
- Adjust the volume on Apple Vision Pro
- Scroll up or down
- Run a shortcut
- Open the AssistiveTouch menu
- Go to Home View
- Open Capture
- Take a screenshot
Enable AssistiveTouch on Your Apple Vision Pro
- Head over to the Settings app on your Apple Vision Pro -> Accessibility.
- After that, select Interaction -> AssistiveTouch and then turn it on.
Customise AssistiveTouch on Your Apple Vision Pro
Customize Top Level Menu
- To customize the top-level menu of the AssistiveTouch, tap an icon to change its action.
- You can tap on the “+” button or the “-“ button to change the number of icons in the AssistiveTouch menu as per your needs. Keep in mind that the menu can have up to eight icons.
Single-Tap, Double-Tap, or Long Press
- Based on your preference, you can assign custom actions that get activated when you interact with the menu button.
Create New Gesture
- For a more personalized experience, you can also add your favorite gestures.
Adjust Idle Opacity
- Fine-tune the visibility of the menu button when it is not in use.
Confirm with AssistiveTouch
- Make the best use of this feature to confirm payments with the help of AssistiveTouch instead of double-clicking the top button on your Vision Pro.
Enable/Disable AssistiveTouch Using Siri on Your Apple Vision Pro
Siri is always there to help you take control of AssistiveTouch. Just say, “Siri, turn on/off AssistiveTouch”.
Set Up and Use AssistiveTouch Shortcut on Your Apple Vision Pro
AssistiveTouch shortcut is what you should use to take control of AssistiveTouch with utmost ease.
- Launch the Settings app on your Vision Pro -> Accessibility -> Accessibility Shortcut.
- Now, select the features you wish to use.
- From now onwards, you can triple-click the Digital Crown to enable/disable the specific features.
Add a Pointer Device to AssistiveTouch on Your Apple Vision Pro
Notably, the visionOS also offers you the option to connect Bluetooth and USB assistive pointer devices like trackpads to AssistiveTouch.
To get it done, dive into the Settings -> Accessibility -> Interaction -> AssistiveTouch and ensure that it’s turned on.
Under the Pointer Devices section, fine-tune the settings as per your needs.
- Devices: It allows you to pair/unpair devices. Moreover, it also lets you customize buttons to your liking.
- Mouse Keys: You can let the AssistiveTouch pointer be controlled by the keyboard number pad.
- Show virtual keyboard: It lets you show or hide the virtual keyboard.
- Always Show Menu: This lets you always display or hide the AssistiveTouch menu when a pointer device is connected.
- Perform Touch Gestures: It allows you to simulate a finger while performing touch gestures.
- Use Game Controller: Take advantage of this feature to control AssistiveTouch with a game controller.
- Tracking speed: you can drag the slider left/right to fine-tune the tracking speed.
- Drag Lock: You can turn it on to enable dragging.
Move the AssistiveTouch Menu Button on Your Apple Vision Pro
To move the AssistiveTouch menu button on your headset, just drag the window bar below the button to a new location in your view.
Use AssistiveTouch on Your Apple Vision Pro
Using AssistiveTouch on Apple Vision Pro is dead simple.
- To get started, tap on the menu button and then select the desired action or gesture.
- To pinch, you need to first tap on Custom and then select Pinch. When the pinch circles show up, you can tap anywhere in your view to move the pinch circles and swiftly drag them in or out in order to perform a pinch gesture. Tap on the menu button to finish.
- To go back to the previous menu, tap the arrow in the center of the menu.
- To exit the menu without performing a gesture, all you need to do is just tap anywhere outside the menu.
Create Custom Gestures on Your Apple Vision Pro
Aside from letting you add your favorite gestures such as pinch and hold to the AssistiveTouch menu, visionOS also offers you the flexibility to make a number of handy gestures with different degrees of rotation.
- To do so, dive into the Settings app -> Accessibility -> Interaction -> AssistiveTouch.
- Now, tap on Create New Gesture and then perform your custom gesture on the recording screen.
- To create a touch-and-hold gesture, you need to pinch and hold in one spot until the recording progress bar has reached the halfway mark. After that, release your fingers. Do not move your hand while recording. Otherwise, your gesture will be recorded as a drag.
- It’s also important to point out that if you record a sequence of taps or drag gestures, they will be played back at the same time.
- If you are not satisfied with your custom gesture, tap on Cancel and create it from scratch.
- Once you have created a neat gesture, tap on Save and give it a suitable name.
Use Your Custom Gesture on Your Vision Pro
Using your custom gestures on the Vision Pro is as straightforward as it can ever get.
- To get going, tap on the AssistiveTouch menu button
- After that, select Custom.
- Choose the desired gesture.
- Next, tap where you would like to use the gesture.
Signing off…
More than anything else, what has pleased me the most about using AssistiveTouch on visionOS is how neatly it has been implemented. If you have tried this handy feature on your iPhone, you will find it super convenient to use it on the Vision Pro. This is what is called a seamless experience across iDevices. What do you think?
Read more: How to Play Background Sounds on Apple Vision Pro
