How to Set Up a Simple Family Member iPad Using Apple Assistive Access

Issue #9

If you have an older family member who gets frustrated with all those icons on their iPad home screen, I have a solution for you. Apple released a new feature called Assistive Access for both the iPad(iPadOS 17) and iPhone(iOS 17) that significantly simplifies the home screen, adds a prominent “BACK” button, and allows some restrictions on call and messaging communication that may be necessary for those with vision loss or memory impairment.

While Assistive Access doesn’t provide all the curated control of a “Senior Tablet” such as GrandPad, it is expected to improve over time, given Apple’s dedication to accessibility.

Wait- why can’t I just remove the unused icons?

Well, you could, but the icons would still all be the same size, could cause confusion due to their similar colors, and exiting from an app is not always obvious. Assistive Access offers an easy way to set up this minimal home screen and quickly revert to the original if needed.

While Assistive Access can be used on an iPhone, I will show it being used on an iPad as that may be a better device for those with low vision and physical dexterity issues.

Here is a YouTube video of it being set up.

Suppose you are familiar with Apple Guided Access, an accessibility tool to lock the iPad into a single app for children or a full-screen Day-Date Clock app for those with memory issues. In that case, you will note that Assistive Access works similarly, requiring the triple-click of a button and a PIN code to exit.

I assume you will be setting up the iPad for a family member, and then giving it to them in the locked configuration. You can only make changes to the app by exiting, so there is no need to worry about them misconfiguring it.

In addition to large icons and locked screens, Assistive Access offers apps that Apple modifies to include accessibility features.

For example, in Calls and Messaging, you can select which Contacts they can interact with. You can also enable a feature for the message to be read aloud.

Siri can be enabled or disabled during setup, depending on the family member’s needs.

Suggestions:

·      Use Dark Mode for those family members having vision issues with the normal black text on a white background.

·      You could turn the iPad into a Day-Date Clock by adding this free app when the family member clicks the icon.

o   It can also speak the time and date by touching anywhere on the screen

o   Just be sure to set Settings- Display & Brightness- Auto-Lock to “NEVER” or the screen will time out

Sounds Perfect- what are the downsides?

·      While the apps Apple modified for Assistive Access are great, the user interface for mail and calendar are usable but not up to the same standards.

·      Although Siri can be used, it can’t invoke Apple Shortcuts, nor can icons be created for Apple Shortcuts.

o   Shortcuts will run if you have Apple Automation controlling Apple Shortcuts, such as a message received or a time-of-day event

§  See Issue #7 about using Automation with Shortcuts in iOS 17 for details on how to set up similar automation

·      Apple Widgets, which provide useful real-time information such as weather or calendar, can’t be added

o   Note that your family member can still get weather or calendar information by touching an icon

·      Email can’t be restricted to just Contacts

·      Browser Access can be enabled/disabled, but there aren’t any site restrictions

Notes:

·      You MUST turn off any PIN code set for the iPad, as that will still take effect when the iPad goes into locked mode.

·      You can arrange icon display order in the “Manage apps” section during setup.

·      When playing, the on-screen volume control is only available for a few seconds when you touch the screen, which may cause confusion.

o   It doesn’t currently (iPadOS 17.0.3) work in Apple Music

·      There is no on-screen brightness control, so be sure to set the brightness before entering Assistive Access

o   There is a way to adjust brightness while still in Assistive Access, but you must use the triple-click and PIN code to get into Settings

§  You can also adjust the volume and text size there

I recently received a request to add Microsoft Word to an iPad running Assistive Access. The good news is that Office 365 works in this mode, and you can even add a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.