A Cheat Sheet to Essential Gestures for VoiceOver and TalkBack
This is a Part 2 to my cheat sheet for screen reader keyboard shortcuts.
Just like how you use familiar gestures on your phone for everyday tasks, screen readers employ specific gestures to navigate the mobile content. Here’s how you can unlock their full potential with the most powerful gesture commands:
VoiceOver for iOS devices:
- One-finger tap: Announce the item under your finger.
- Double-tap: Activate the focussed item.
- Swipe Up/Down with one finger: Scroll through content.
Navigation gestures:
- Swipe Right/Left with two fingers: Move between elements on the screen
- Three-fingered tap: Announce additional information about the focussed item.
- Triple-tap with two fingers: Open VoiceOver rotor to navigate to specific elements or adjust speech settings
Advanced gestures:
- Flick Up/Down with three fingers: Speak the entire screen or the current item in detail.
- Four-finger swipe gesture: Perform complex actions, like scrubbing through media or activating system features.
TalkBack on Android
- One-finger tap: Announce the item under your finger.
- Double-tap: Activate the focussed item.
- Swipe Up/Down with two fingers: Scroll through content.
Navigation gestures:
- Swipe Right/Left with two fingers: Move between elements.
- Explore by touch: Slide your finger across the screen to hear item descriptions — double tap to activate.
- Menu button+t: Open TalkBack settings menu.
Advanced:
- Swipe Up/Down with three fingers: Adjust speech rate and volume.
- Swipe Left with three fingers: Go back one step.
- Pinch In/Out with three fingers: Zoom in or out.
For more, you can review your device’s user guide or online resources for a full list of gestures and functionality.
