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Accessibility options

iPhone, iPad and Mac have accessibility features that let you turn pages without touching the screen, even with devices Panels doesn't support directly. They're useful if holding the iPad or tapping repeatedly is tiring, or if you read with the iPad on a stand or arm.

iPhone and iPad​

Switch Control​

Switch Control lets you assign a system gesture to a button on almost any Bluetooth controller, such as a Joy-Con, an Xbox or PlayStation controller, or an adaptive switch. For example, you can assign a swipe to the left or right.

  1. Pair the controller in Settings → Bluetooth.
  2. Go to Settings → Accessibility → Switch Control → Switches → Add New Switch → External.
  3. Press the button you want to use, and give it a name.
  4. Choose the gesture for that button, such as a swipe from left to right for one button and from right to left for the other.
  5. Turn on Switch Control.

Apple's guide covers every option: Set up and turn on Switch Control on iPad.

Turn it on and off quickly​

When Switch Control is on, your controller's buttons replace normal touch navigation. To toggle it without going into Settings:

  1. Go to Settings → Accessibility → Accessibility Shortcut.
  2. Select Switch Control, and only Switch Control.
  3. Triple-click the top (or side) button to turn Switch Control on or off.

Voice Control​

Voice Control lets you turn pages by speaking. You don't need any extra hardware.

  1. Go to Settings → Accessibility → Voice Control and turn it on.
  2. Open a comic and say "Swipe left" or "Swipe right" to turn the page.

These commands work in both portrait and landscape.

You can also create a custom command, such as a single word that taps the edge of the screen. Custom commands record fixed screen positions, though, so a command recorded in portrait may not work in landscape. See Customize Voice Control commands.

Apple's guide: Use Voice Control to interact with iPad.

Mac​

On Mac, Panels turns pages with the arrow keys, so anything that can press an arrow key for you works. For a remote or controller, use one that can act as a keyboard. See How remotes and controllers work.

Voice Control​

  1. Choose Apple menu → System Settings → Accessibility → Voice Control and turn it on.
  2. Open a comic and say "Press right arrow" or "Press left arrow" to turn the page.

To turn pages with a shorter phrase, create a custom command:

  1. Go to System Settings → Accessibility → Voice Control → Commands and click Add (+).
  2. In When I say, enter a phrase such as "next page". Apple recommends phrases of at least two words.
  3. In While using, choose Panels.
  4. In Perform, choose Press Keyboard Shortcut and press Shift + →.
  5. Repeat with a phrase such as "previous page" and Shift + ←.

Shift + arrow turns the page even when you are zoomed in. See Keys that turn pages. If you read with a vertical scroll direction, use Shift + ↓ and Shift + ↑ instead.

Apple's guides: Use Voice Control commands on Mac · Customize Voice Control on Mac.

Switch Control​

Switch Control on Mac is designed for adaptive switches. It scans through items on the screen, and you press the switch to choose one. You can't assign swipes to buttons the way you can on iPad, so for turning pages, Voice Control or a keyboard-mode remote is usually simpler. See Use Switch Control on Mac.

Turn features on and off quickly​

Press Option + Command + F5, or quickly press Touch ID three times, to open the Accessibility Shortcuts panel and turn Voice Control or Switch Control on or off. To choose which features appear there, go to System Settings → Accessibility → Shortcut. See Quickly turn accessibility features on or off on Mac.

tip

Voice Control works well for occasional page turns. If you read fast or for long sessions, a page-turner remote is usually less tiring.