How to use the secret key on iPhones? By configuring the back touch on the iPhone we can launch quick commands in a simple and immediate way, but not everyone knows this function: here’s how to use it.
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Among the many exclusive functions of the Apple iPhones, there is one that is quite hidden in the configuration menus, which has existed for several years but which not everyone knows yet. Yet, if used well, it is very comfortable: it is the “secret button” that is activated with the back touch.
Not all iPhones have this hidden key, but recent ones do as long as they have an updated operating system. Once configured, and it won’t take long, the iPhone secret back button can be used to do a huge amount of things (the list is virtually endless), but not everyone will like it 100%: sometimes, in fact, it happens to activate it by mistake and this can be annoying. For this reason, we recommend that you follow our advice, activate and best configure the rear touch on the iPhone and try it for a few days: either you will fall in love with it, or you will not wait to deactivate it. In any case, you should definitely try it out.
Which iPhones have the secret key
The rear touch, i.e. the ability to activate the hidden button, is present on all iPhones from iPhone 8 onwards. Here is the list of compatible models:
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone X
- iPhone XR
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2nd generation)
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (third generation)
However, in order to activate the rear touch, you must have at least iOS 14 installed.
How to activate the back touch
If our iPhone is compatible, both from a hardware and software point of view, then activating the rear touch is very simple. We find it in the Settings> Accessibility> Touch> Back Touch menu.
In this menu we can choose, first of all, whether or not to activate the back touch. Then we can configure two options: double tap or triple tap. In practice, we can choose to execute a command every time we double tap on the back, in correspondence with the logo of the bitten apple, and a command (even different) in the case of a triple tap.
What commands can we execute
The commands that we can assign to the double / triple rear touch on the iPhone are of two types: shortcuts to system commands, or third-party app commands.
In the first case we can use the back touch to take a screenshot, turn on the flashlight, launch Siri, raise or lower the volume etc etc … in the second case, instead, we can launch an app or, better yet, we can execute a specific command of that app (for example, launch Shazam directly to listen).
