5 Easy Ways to Disable VoiceOver Screen Reading on an iPhone

Last Updated: June 21, 2022 Tested

Do you want to disable your iPhone's talk back or screen reading feature? When VoiceOver is enabled, the gestures you use to click and select items on your iPhone are a lot different than usual—this can be frustrating if you're not familiar with VoiceOver and just want to turn it off. This wikiHow will teach you 5 super easy ways to turn off VoiceOver on your iPhone, including using your Home or side button, asking Siri, using the Control Center, and changing your Accessibility settings.

Section 1 of 5:

Pressing the Home Button 3 Times

If your iPhone has a round Home button at the bottom of the screen, press it 3 times rapidly. Triple-clicking the Home button will deactivate VoiceOver.^{[1]
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- If you have multiple options assigned to triple-click (such as Voice Over, Assistive Touch, etc.), you'll need to select VoiceOver to disable the feature.
- When you hear "VoiceOver off," you’ll know that VoiceOver is disabled.
- To turn VoiceOver back on, triple-click the Home button once more. You will hear “VoiceOver is on.”

Section 2 of 5:

Pressing the Side Button 3 Times

If your iPhone doesn't have a round Home button, quickly press the side button three times. Pressing the button at the top-left corner of your iPhone 3 times will disable VoiceOver and other Accessibility features.
- If you have multiple options assigned to triple-click (such as Voice Over, Assistive Touch, etc.), you'll need to select VoiceOver to disable the feature.
- When you hear "VoiceOver off," you’ll know that VoiceOver is disabled.
- To turn VoiceOver back on, triple-click the Home button once more. You will hear “VoiceOver is on.”

Section 3 of 5:

Asking Siri

1
Activate Siri. You can activate Siri by pressing and holding the Home button (if your phone has a Home button) or by pressing and holding the side button (on phones without a Home button). If Siri is voice-activated, you can also say "Hey Siri."
2
Say "Turn off VoiceOver." You may have to wait a moment for Siri to process your command. When Siri says "OK, I turned off VoiceOver,” the feature will turn off.
- To turn VoiceOver back on, activate Siri again and say “Turn on VoiceOver.”

Section 4 of 5:

Using the Control Center

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Open your iPhone's Control Center. If you've added VoiceOver to the Control Center, you can disable the feature there easily. To open Control Center with VoiceOver on, touch and hold the bottom of the screen until you hear a tone, then swipe up.^{[2]
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- You can also open Control Center by tapping any item in the status bar and then swiping up with three fingers.
- If your iPhone has Face ID, another way to open Control Center is to drag one finger down from the top edge of the screen until you feel a vibration or hear the second tone.
2
Tap the Accessibility icon once to select it, then double-tap to open. It's the round icon with a person inside.
3
Tap VoiceOver once to select it, then double-tap to disable. This instantly disables VoiceOver.

Section 5 of 5:

Use the Settings App

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Tap the Settings app once to select it, then double-tap to open it. You can also disable VoiceOver using the Settings app (the gear icon) on your Home screen.^{[3]
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2
Tap Accessibility once to select it, then double-tap to open it. If your iPhone has a smaller screen, you'll first have to scroll down using three fingers to find the Accessibility feature.
3
Tap VoiceOver once to select it, then double-tap to open it. This option is at the top of the "Accessibility" page.
4
Tap the "VoiceOver" switch once to select it, then double-tap to slide it off. You will hear the message "VoiceOver off" and regular control will be returned to your iPhone.

Community Q&A

Question

VoiceOver off? Did VoiceOver say that when VoiceOver is already off?

Community Answer

VoiceOver announce that it has turned off, but it will not continue to read the screen unless re-enabled.
Question

What do I do if VoiceOver is on and I can't unlock the phone?

Community Answer

When VoiceOver is enabled, unlocking the phone is a little different. Tap the "Slide to Unlock" slider once, and then tap it twice quickly. If it's necessary to enter a passcode, tap the first number of the passcode once, then double-tap it to select it. Then do that with the next number in the passcode.
Question

What if I can't get the settings to work?

Community Answer

Turn your phone off then back on. If that doesn't work, visit your phone provider store and see if they can help.