How to Enable Back Tap on iPhone 13 (iOS 15.4.1)
Want a faster way to take a screenshot, open Control Center, or launch your favorite shortcut? With the Back Tap feature on your iPhone 13, you can trigger all kinds of actions just by tapping the back of your phone — no buttons required.
Here’s how to set it up and start using it.
What Is Back Tap?
Back Tap turns the back of your iPhone into a customizable shortcut button. You can assign actions to:
- Double Tap
- Triple Tap
Each can be set to do things like open the camera, mute your phone, launch a shortcut, or take a screenshot — super handy for quick access.
🔄 Available on iPhone 8 and newer models running iOS 14 or later.
How to Turn On Back Tap on iPhone 13
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap Accessibility.
- Under Physical and Motor, tap Touch.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Back Tap.
- Tap Double Tap or Triple Tap — or both.
- Choose an action from the list (like Screenshot, Control Center, or a custom Shortcut).
Now try tapping the back of your iPhone two or three times — the selected action should instantly trigger.
What Actions Can You Assign?
You can assign any of these to double or triple tap:
- System Actions: Home, Lock Screen, Volume Up/Down, Mute, App Switcher, Screenshot, Control Center, and more
- Accessibility Features: Magnifier, VoiceOver, Zoom, AssistiveTouch, and others
- Shortcuts: Any Shortcut from the Shortcuts app
- Scroll Gestures: Scroll up or down automatically
You can mix and match actions for double and triple taps — so you’re not limited to just one.
Want to Turn Off Back Tap?
Here’s how:
- Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap.
- Tap Double Tap or Triple Tap, then select None.
This disables the gesture so it won’t trigger anything.
Troubleshooting: Back Tap Not Working?
If Back Tap doesn’t respond:
- Restart your iPhone – Sometimes a quick reboot clears up minor bugs.
- Remove bulky phone cases – Some cases block the taps from registering.
- Check your iOS version – Make sure you’re running iOS 14 or later.
- Try tapping a bit higher – The top third of the back tends to register taps better.