Where to find and disable accessibility settings
Accessibility features on iPhone live in one place: the Settings app. Open Settings, tap Accessibility, and you'll see every feature you've turned on. Each one has a toggle switch next to it — tap the switch to turn it off. The feature stops working immediately.
If you've turned on multiple features and want to disable them all at once, you don't have to do them one by one. You can turn off each category (Vision, Hearing, Motor, General) and then go back to individual settings if you want to keep some features on.
Some accessibility features also have shortcuts. For example, if you've set up a triple-tap gesture to turn on Screen Reader, you can disable it either in Settings or by using that same gesture. Disabling it in Settings is the clearest way to make sure it stays off.
Key Takeaways
- All accessibility features are controlled from Settings > Accessibility, where each one has a toggle switch you can turn off.
- Turning off a feature in Settings stops it immediately — you don't need to restart your phone.
- If you've created custom shortcuts or gestures to control accessibility features, disabling the feature in Settings will disable those shortcuts too.
- You can turn off features one at a time or disable entire categories like Vision or Hearing at once.
- Some accessibility features like Guided Access require you to disable them in Settings before you can exit them on your home screen.
Turning off vision accessibility features
Vision features include Screen Reader (VoiceOver), Magnifier, Display & Text Size, and Motion. To turn off Screen Reader, go to Settings > Accessibility > Vision > VoiceOver and tap the toggle. If VoiceOver is currently on, your phone will ask you to confirm — tap Disable to proceed.
Display & Text Size controls bold text, larger fonts, and color filters. If you've turned on any of these, you can turn them off individually in the same menu. For example, if you've enabled Bold Text, tap the toggle next to it to turn it off. Your display will return to standard size and contrast immediately.
Motion settings control whether your phone reduces animations and parallax effects. If you've turned on Reduce Motion, tap the toggle to turn it off and animations will play normally again.
Turning off hearing accessibility features
Hearing features include Hearing Devices, Mono Audio, and Sound Recognition. If you've paired hearing aids or cochlear implants to your iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Hearing Devices and tap Forget Device next to the device name. Your phone will no longer try to connect to it.
Mono Audio combines left and right audio channels into one. To turn it off, go to Settings > Accessibility > Hearing > Mono Audio and tap the toggle. Stereo sound will return to normal.
Sound Recognition listens for specific sounds like doorbells or smoke alarms and sends you notifications. To turn it off, go to Settings > Accessibility > Hearing > Sound Recognition and tap the toggle.
Turning off motor and interaction features
Motor features help people who have difficulty with touch gestures. They include Switch Control, Voice Control, and AssistiveTouch. If you've turned on AssistiveTouch (the floating button on your screen), go to Settings > Accessibility > Motor > AssistiveTouch and tap the toggle. The button will disappear immediately.
Switch Control lets you navigate your phone using external switches or head movements. To turn it off, go to Settings > Accessibility > Motor > Switch Control and tap the toggle. You'll return to standard touch controls.
Voice Control lets you speak commands to your phone. To turn it off, go to Settings > Accessibility > Motor > Voice Control and tap the toggle. Your phone will no longer listen for voice commands.
Disabling Guided Access and app restrictions
Guided Access locks your phone to a single app and disables certain features while you're using it. If Guided Access is currently active, you need to exit it before you can turn it off in Settings. Triple-tap the side button (or home button on older iPhones) to bring up the Guided Access menu, then tap End.
Once you've exited Guided Access, go to Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access and tap the toggle to turn it off completely. You can also set a passcode for Guided Access in this menu — if you've done that and forgotten the code, you'll need to reset your iPhone to remove it.
What happens when you turn off accessibility features
When you disable a feature, your phone stops using it right away. Screen Reader stops speaking, magnification stops enlarging text, and custom gestures stop working. You don't need to restart your phone or sign out and back in.
If you've customized how a feature works — for example, adjusting text size or changing the speed of VoiceOver — those settings stay saved in case you turn the feature back on later. You can change them anytime by going back to Settings > Accessibility.
Some features interact with each other. For example, if you turn off Reduce Motion, animations will play normally even if you have other vision features on. Turning off one feature doesn't automatically turn off others.
Turning off accessibility shortcuts
Accessibility shortcuts let you turn features on and off quickly using button combinations or gestures. If you've set up a shortcut to toggle a feature, disabling the feature in Settings will disable the shortcut too. But the shortcut itself stays in your Settings — if you turn the feature back on, the shortcut will work again.
To see which shortcuts you've created, go to Settings > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut. You'll see a list of features you can toggle using a triple-tap of the side button (or home button). You can remove individual shortcuts from this list by tapping them to uncheck them, or you can leave them there — they only work if the feature is turned on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to restart my iPhone after turning off an accessibility feature?
No. Turning off a feature in Settings stops it immediately. Your phone doesn't need to restart, and you don't need to sign out or do anything else. The change takes effect as soon as you tap the toggle.
What if I can't find a specific accessibility feature in Settings?
Some features are nested inside categories. For example, Mono Audio is under Settings > Accessibility > Hearing, not at the top level. If you're looking for a specific feature, use the search bar at the top of the Settings app and type the feature name — Settings will take you directly to it.
Can I turn off multiple accessibility features at once?
You can turn off entire categories at once by disabling Vision, Hearing, Motor, or General. But each individual feature has its own toggle, so you'll need to tap each one separately if you want to disable only some features in a category.
If I turn off an accessibility feature, will my custom settings be saved?
Yes. If you've adjusted text size, VoiceOver speed, or any other setting within a feature, those adjustments stay saved even after you turn the feature off. If you turn it back on later, your custom settings will still be there.
What if I'm stuck in Guided Access and can't exit?
Triple-tap the side button (or home button on older models) to bring up the Guided Access menu, then tap End. If you've set a passcode and forgotten it, you'll need to reset your iPhone through Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings, or use a computer with Finder or iTunes.