How to make a large iPhone easier to use with one hand
Every year, iPhones get bigger screens. This is not always a good thing, especially for small hands.
For several years now, iPhones have been big, very big. Most except for the mini versions iPhone it is difficult to use with one hand, sometimes even with two hands. If you’ve recently upgraded to a larger iPhone and are struggling to adjust to that size, here are some tips to make your life easier.
Change iPhone grip
Smaller iPhones are easier to use with one hand than larger models. If you’re used to holding your iPhone with one hand, you’ll probably get more out of it if you switch to holding it with two hands. If you can’t get rid of this single handed habit, you can try the following trick.
Enjoy Siri more often
Instead of trying to reach for your fingers for everything you do on your iPhone, delegate some tasks to Siri. Siri can be frustrating to use, but Apple’s voice assistant works well for basic operations like setting reminders and controlling music or alarms. You can even answer calls or share your screen with an assistant. Going silent when you can is an easy way to accommodate a larger iPhone.
Make keyboard typing easier
To do this, the iPhone keyboard has two features. For longer messages, use Voice Dictation to say what you want to write. Tap the microphone icon in the lower right corner of the keyboard. With iOS 16, you can quickly switch between voice and text while keeping Voice Dictation enabled to correct a misunderstanding on your phone.
If you want to type with one hand, use the one-handed keyboard on iPhone. When the keyboard is displayed, press and hold the globe icon in the lower left corner and select the left or right keyboard, it will switch to the corresponding side.
Rearrange apps on the home screen
The arrangement of your apps on the home screen is not necessarily suitable for the big screen. Therefore, it is in your best interest to rearrange them. On larger screens, the apps you use most should be either in the dock or near the bottom of the screen for easier one-handed access. If you want to increase the screen area of your home screen, place large widgets at the top of the screen to push your apps down.
Make the top of the screen more accessible
Accessibility is one of the best features for large iPhones. For example, you can pull down the top half of the screen with a simple swipe to easily access the control center, notifications and apps, and other items that are usually at the top of the screen.
You can enable the feature by going to Settings > Accessibility > Touch and enabling Ease of Access. Now if you swipe to the bottom of the screen, the top half will drop down.
Try shortcuts for certain actions
Larger iPhones make it difficult to perform some common actions, such as taking a screenshot, turning off the device, or changing the volume. The physical buttons are difficult to reach, especially for small hands. You can simplify the operation using built-in shortcuts in iOS. One of these is offered by AssistiveTouch, a virtual Home button that stays on the screen that lets you open the control center, activate Siri, take a screenshot, and more. provides access to many operations such as You can enable AssistiveTouch in Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch. On the same page, you can also select “Customize Parent Menu” and tap on different icons to change the shortcuts that can be accessed via the virtual Home button.
You can also use iPhone’s Touch Back feature to set up a similar shortcut. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Touch the back of the device and set actions related to double and triple taps. Now you can simply double or triple tap the back of your iPhone to perform the actions you want.
Use the screen scale
Finally, you can use screen zoom to make everything look bigger and make it easier to reach items. To take advantage of this, go to Settings > Brightness & Display > Enlarge screen and select “Larger font”.
