How to turn off VoiceOver on an iPhone

2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

Short answer

Triple-click the side button, or the Home button on older iPhones, which turns VoiceOver off if the shortcut is set to it. Or ask Siri to turn off VoiceOver. Otherwise open Settings, Accessibility, VoiceOver and switch it off: tap once to select an item, double-tap to activate it, and scroll with three fingers.

VoiceOver is the iPhone's screen reader for people who cannot see the display. It speaks whatever you touch and changes how touch works, which is why a phone with VoiceOver on by accident seems broken: single taps only select, and normal swipes do not scroll. The iPhone is fine.

Menu names are from recent versions of iOS.

Step by step

  1. Triple-click the button

    Press the side button three times quickly. On an iPhone with a Home button, press that three times. If the Accessibility Shortcut is set to VoiceOver, which is usually how it got switched on, this turns it off.

  2. Ask Siri

    Hold the side button, or say Siri, and say Turn off VoiceOver.

  3. Learn the VoiceOver gestures

    If neither works, go through Settings. While VoiceOver is on: tap once to select something, which gets a black frame and is read aloud. Double-tap anywhere to open or press it. Swipe with three fingers to scroll.

  4. Unlock the iPhone

    With Face ID, look at the phone and swipe up from the bottom edge until you feel a tap or hear a tone. To enter the passcode, tap each digit once to select it and then double-tap.

  5. Open the VoiceOver setting

    Tap Settings once, then double-tap. Scroll with three fingers to Accessibility, select it and double-tap. Do the same with VoiceOver at the top of the list.

  6. Switch it off

    Tap the VoiceOver switch once to select it, then double-tap. The voice stops and the phone reacts normally again.

  7. Stop it from happening again

    Open Settings, Accessibility, Accessibility Shortcut, at the bottom of the list, and untick VoiceOver. The triple-click then no longer starts it.

Good to know

If triple-clicking is hard to do, change the speed under Settings, Accessibility, Side Button (or Home Button).

If the screen is enlarged instead of talking, that is Zoom: iPhone screen zoomed in and stuck: how to turn Zoom off.

If the iPhone reads text only when you ask it to, that is a separate feature: how to make your iPhone read text aloud.

The same on Android: how to turn off TalkBack on an Android phone.

In short: Triple-click the side or Home button, or ask Siri to turn off VoiceOver. Otherwise: tap to select, double-tap to activate, three fingers to scroll, Settings, Accessibility, VoiceOver, off.

Sources
  • Apple Support: About the Accessibility Shortcut for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (111771)

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