People are just realizing why their iPhone screen seemingly randomly drops down halfway.
Do you remember when we were obsessed with our phones getting smaller? After the boom of supersized mobile phones that required whole battery packs to charge them, advancements in technology saw manufacturers shrink things down over the years. Things have gone in reverse these days, and as our phones effectively become portable televisions, we're back to wanting gigantic screens.
Apple is at the forefront of technological marvels with mobiles, making screens bigger with each iteration of the iPhone.
You only have to look at the iPhone 16 Pro Max's 6.9-inch screen and how it struggles to fit in our pockets to see this in action. Thankfully, even as iPhones get bigger, Apple is coming up with handy solutions to make them 'fit' into our everyday lives.
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Have you ever wondered why tapping the home screen several time seems to bring the screen down? Some have questioned how this feature is helpful, with some even going as far as branding it as annoying.
It turns out that this is part of Apple's 'Reachability' feature, and it's actually there to make accessibility easier.
When someone on Reddit asked what the point of the feature is, those in the comments were quick to give the answer. See, you don't need a broken Google search to figure that out.
Answering the OP in a flash, one tech-savvy user wrote: "Look up reachability. It’s to allow you to tap the top of the screen without using two hands or moving up."
For anyone who's tried to use their phone with one hand, they'll know those increasingly large iPhone screens make it hard to reach the top. Reachability has actually been around since the iPhone 6, so you've had plenty of time to learn what it's for. Still, it's surprising to learn a lot of you haven't heard about Reachability.
Despite being a minor quality of life improvement, there was plenty of praise for Reachability. One fan simply said: "I don’t have the biggest hands so it helps me one hand the phone better."
Enabling Reachability is pretty easy, and it can be activated in a few simple steps:
- Head to Settings from your Home screen
- Scroll down and to Accessibility
- Find Touch under the Physical and Motor section
- Make sure Reachability is toggled into the on position
You can also use Reachability using Face ID on the newest models:
- Swipe down toward the bottom edge of you screen
- You can return to a full screen by either swiping up or waiting a few seconds for Reachability to reset
There are plenty of accessibility features hidden in your iPhone, and with iOS 18 boasting the likes of Eye Tracking, Music Haptics, and Vocal Shortcuts, Apple is keen to keep moving with the times.