The Accidental Swipe
As iPhones have grown larger, reaching the top corner of the screen with one hand has become difficult. To solve this, Apple created “Reachability.” If you swipe down on the very bottom edge of your screen (near the home bar), the entire user interface slides halfway down the display, bringing the top icons within reach of your thumb. While useful for some, it is incredibly easy to trigger by accident. If you are rapidly scrolling through a web page or playing a fast-paced game, accidentally swiping too low will violently jerk the entire screen downward, completely disrupting your workflow. You can easily disable this gesture.
How to Turn Off Reachability
You can revoke the operating system’s permission to slide the interface via the Accessibility menu.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down the main list and tap on Accessibility.
- Under the “Physical and Motor” section, tap on Touch.
- Look for the toggle switch labeled Reachability.
- Toggle this switch to the Off position (the green background will disappear).
The Locked Interface
The change is absolute and instantaneous. You can now aggressively swipe, scroll, and drag your finger across the very bottom edge of your iPhone screen. The user interface will remain perfectly locked in place, never again sliding halfway down the display and interrupting your interactions.