Mobile Device Accessibility

Smartphones and tablets include a range of built-in accessibility features that can support people with visual, hearing, physical, speech, and cognitive access needs. This page provides a general, platform-neutral educational overview of common mobile accessibility features and does not recommend a specific device or operating system for any individual.

TOUCH ACCOMMODATIONS

Touch accommodation features can adjust how a touchscreen responds to taps, such as ignoring repeated touches, requiring a touch to be held for a certain duration, or adjusting sensitivity, which can help people with tremors or limited fine motor control interact more reliably with a touchscreen.

VOICE ACCESS AND VOICE CONTROL

Voice access and voice control features allow a person to navigate a mobile device and control apps using spoken commands instead of touch, which can benefit people with limited hand or arm mobility. These features often include numbered overlays or labels that can be spoken to select on-screen items.

SWITCH ACCESS ON MOBILE DEVICES

Many mobile operating systems support switch access, allowing a person to navigate and select items on the screen using one or more external switches, similar to switch access used with computers. For more general information on switch-based access, see Switch Access.

SCREEN READERS ON MOBILE DEVICES

Built-in screen readers on mobile devices read aloud on-screen content, including text, buttons, and other interface elements, and support gesture-based navigation for people who are blind or have low vision. For more information on screen readers generally, see Screen Readers.

MAGNIFICATION AND DISPLAY ADJUSTMENTS

Mobile devices often include built-in magnification, text size adjustment, bold text, high-contrast display modes, and color adjustment features that can make on-screen content easier to see for people with low vision. For more information on magnification concepts generally, see Screen Magnification and Visual Access.

ALTERNATIVE INPUT AND EXTERNAL DEVICES

Some mobile devices support external keyboards, alternative pointing devices, and other external input hardware connected wirelessly or through a physical port, which can provide additional access options beyond the touchscreen. For more information, see Alternative Keyboards and Alternative Mice and Pointing Devices.

AAC ON MOBILE DEVICES

Many augmentative and alternative communication apps run on standard smartphones and tablets, allowing a person to use a mobile device as a communication tool. For more information, see Communication & AAC and AAC Basics.

HEARING ACCESS ON MOBILE DEVICES

Mobile devices often include features such as compatibility with hearing aids, adjustable audio balance and volume controls, live or real-time captioning of audio, and connection to assistive listening devices through wireless or Bluetooth connections. For more information on hearing access technology generally, see Hearing Access Technology.

VISUAL AND VIBRATING ALERTS

Mobile devices can typically be set to provide visual alerts, such as flashing lights or on-screen notifications, and vibrating alerts in addition to or instead of sound, which can help ensure a person notices calls, messages, and alarms.

COGNITIVE ACCESSIBILITY

Some mobile devices offer features that can reduce cognitive load, such as simplified home screens or app layouts that show only selected apps or functions, options to reduce visual motion or on-screen clutter, and focus or distraction-limiting modes that temporarily restrict the device to a single app or a set of approved apps. These features can benefit people with intellectual, developmental, learning, or attention-related disabilities, as well as people recovering from a brain injury or experiencing cognitive changes.

MOBILE DEVICES AS ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Because of these built-in accessibility features, a mobile device can function as assistive technology in its own right, and can also serve as an interface for controlling other technology. For example, a smartphone or tablet can be used to operate certain environmental control and smart home systems; for more information, see Environmental Control and Smart Home Accessibility.

Accessible mobile devices can also support communication, education, employment, navigation, and community access, particularly when combined with accessible apps and websites; for more information on digital accessibility generally, see Digital Accessibility. Mobile accessibility features should be selected based on the individual's needs, abilities, environments, tasks, and goals. When individualized assistive technology evaluation is needed, information about evaluation services is available through AssistiveTechnologyEvaluations.org.

CROSS-PLATFORM CONSIDERATIONS

Accessibility features and settings differ across mobile operating systems and device manufacturers, and specific feature names, locations, and capabilities can change with software updates. This page describes accessibility concepts generally rather than instructions for a specific device or operating system version.

FEATURE MATCHING

Selecting mobile accessibility features and any additional external hardware generally involves matching a person's specific visual, hearing, physical, speech, and cognitive access needs, along with their familiarity and comfort with technology, to the features available on a given device and operating system.

PRIVACY AND SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS

Accessible mobile devices often rely on features such as location services, voice recognition, or biometric login, such as a fingerprint or face scan, to provide certain accessibility functions. It can be helpful to review an app's permissions before granting access to a microphone, camera, or location data, and to use general good security practices such as a passcode or biometric lock, keeping the operating system updated, and downloading apps only from official app stores.

AUTHORITATIVE RESOURCES

For general accessibility information about Apple devices, see Apple Accessibility. For general accessibility information about Android devices, see Android Accessibility Help. For an overview of how existing web accessibility standards apply to mobile devices, see Mobile Accessibility at W3C. For information on telecommunications accessibility rights and requirements, see Telecommunications Access for People with Disabilities. For federal guidance on accessible technology, see Section508.gov. For technical accessibility standards, see ICT Accessibility Standards.

ABOUT THIS PAGE

This page is provided for general educational purposes and is maintained by Accessibility Clinic, Inc. Mobile operating systems and their accessibility features change over time as software is updated, so specific feature names, locations, and availability may differ from what is described here. Individual accessibility needs vary widely, and this page is not a substitute for an individualized assistive technology evaluation. For an individualized evaluation, see AssistiveTechnologyEvaluations.org.