iOS 14 Insanely Cool Feature - Back Tap
iOS 14 is launching this fall across Apple’s entire iPhone product line, and there have been a few “wow” features that have popped out to me. From the new home screen widgets, to a native translation app that works completely offline, to picture in picture video to enhance consuming content with multi-tasking, and messaging app tweaks to make us a bit more organized and productive; there is a lot to look forward to.
I will say the one feature that really struck me as a classic Apple move is buried deep in the Accessibility Settings, and is called “Back Tap.” This gives users the ability to double or triple tap the back of your iPhone to execute an action. Yes that is right! You can actually perform an action on your iPhone by tapping the back of the phone with your finger. No, there are no buttons on the back of the phone. Yes I have tested this, and can confirm that it works with and without a case. It’s going to be one of those moments when consumers discover that their phone is capable of something they never thought was possible. I predict people are really going to love it!. Let’s take a look at this in action.
On iOS 14 on your iPhone navigate to:
Settings -- Accessibility -- Touch -- Back Tap
From here you will see two options. You can set an action for a Double Tap or Triple Tap.
You can perform a multitude of actions displayed in the list. I also noticed the ability for this area of the Settings App to integrate with the “Shortcuts” App which is now incorporated into iOS. This means iOS 14 will give you the ability to take double and triple tapping to an entirely new level on your iPhone! One example is you can double tap to activate Google Assistant. Yeah, crazy right? What about a custom shortcut for your home to turn your lights on? The possibilities are endless. I feel this feature, like many Apple features, will be such a big hit that in later builds of iOS they bring this out of the Accessibility section and place it in a main area of the Settings App.
The sky’s the limit my friends. With 2020 being a year like no other, I feel this free over the air software update launching to everyone this fall will be a much welcomed addition to the Apple ecosystem. With screen time reaching an all time high, some of these features will enhance our workflow, and allow us to further communicate with our family, friends, and colleagues on a daily basis.
Be well! 🚀
-Joe
