How to Use Back Tap on iPhone at Emergency Situations

Have you heard about the Back Tap feature on iPhone? It is one of the best features available on almost all iOS devices. Just by tapping the back of your iPhone (At the Apple Logo) two or three times, you can perform certain functions quickly without the need to go to Settings or perform the actions to do it. As the back tap feature can be configured for any function, it can also be used in emergency situations as well. You can send the live location and other details of your iPhone to the Emergency Contact just by back-tapping your iPhone two or three times. Sounds Interesting! Right! If you are unsure of how to do it, go through this guide below.

Steps to Use Back Tap on iPhone for Safety

1. Connect your iPhone to the WiFi and download the Safety Shortcut from this link.

2. Once done, you will see the Safety Shortcut menu on the screen. Hit the option Set Up Shortcut to proceed further.

3. Hit the Plus icon on the next screen and select the Emergency Contact Name you want to add. Then, select the option Next.

4. Again, hit the Plus icon and add the same Emergency Contact Name. Then, choose the option +Add Shortcut.

5. Now, the Safety Shortcut will be added to the Shortcut app on your iPhone.

6. Go to Settings on your iPhone and select the option Accessibility.

7. Locate the option Touch and navigate to the Back Tap option.

8. To trigger the emergency function, choose the option Double Tap or Triple Tap based on how many times you want to back-tap the iPhone.

9. Once the option is selected, scroll down to the end and click Safety Shortcut.

10. Now, back-tap the iPhone two or three times using the hand to activate the Safety Shortcut feature. Your iPhone or iPad will go into silent mode, and you will see a record-like icon on the iPhone screen, which circles anti-clockwise at frequent intervals. During its rotation, the emergency contact will continuously be notified about your iPhone’s location with your name, an “Emergency Message,” and the battery percentage of your iPhone.

In addition, if someone calls you during these times, the call will be automatically answered. The automatic call-answering feature of Safety Shortcut is highly beneficial when you are in a situation where you can’t manually attend the call and ask for help.

Customize the Safety Shortcut on iPhone

1. Open the Shortcuts app on the iPhone or iPad.

2. Locate the Safety Shortcut on the home screen and tap the three-dotted icon.

3. You will find several factors below to customize the Safety Shortcut Feature.

• Ringtone – By default, the ringtone is muted when this feature is On. You can change it if you want.
• Auto Answer Calls – You can enable or disable this function based on your preference.
• Current Location – Your current location address will be shared with the concerned emergency contact.
• Battery Level – The current battery percentage of your iPhone will be sent to the emergency contact. If you do not want to send this information, you can disable it.
• Message – Type the message you want to send to the emergency contact.
• Repeat – Choose the number of times you want to send the notification to the person you have chosen as the emergency contact name.
• Wait – Choose the time period when you want to send the next notification to the emergency contact person.
• End Repeat – This disables the repeat function.

Steps to Use Back Tap on iPhone to Perform Other Functions

Apart from the options above, you can also use the Back Tap feature on your iPhone to perform several functions by tapping the back of your iPhone two or three times. If you aren’t sure of how to enable the double tap or triple tap function on your iPhone, refer to the steps below.

Go to Settings → Click Accessibility → Tap Touch → Select Back Tap → Hit Double Tap or Triple Tap and pick any of the following functions.

• None – To disable the tap function.
• Accessibility Shortcut – To open the menu with the main Accessibility option.

System:

• App Switcher – To open the App Switcher screen.
• Camera – Open Camera.
• Control Center – Launch Control Center.
• Flashlight – Turn On the flashlight.
• Front Camera – Open the front camera.
• Home – Go to Home.
• Lock Rotation – The rotation feature will be locked.
• Lock Screen – Lock the iPhone.
• Mute – Mute the iPhone.
• Notification Center – To open the Notification Center on the iPhone.
• Reachability – To enable the one-handed mode on iPhone.
• Screenshot – Double-tap or triple-tap the iPhone to take screenshots.
• Shake – Enable the Shake function and undo the action by shaking the phone.
• Siri – To trigger the Siri.
• Spotlight – To search for files and other things on iPhone.
• Volume Down – Decrease Volume.
• Volume Up – Increase Volume.

Accessibility

• AssistiveTouch – Shows the Assistive Touch icon.
• Background Sounds – Play sounds like rain, ocean, white noise, etc.
• Classic Invert – To invert the color on the screen.
• Color Filters – Applies color adjustments to the screen.
• Control Nearby Devices – Control other Apple devices from your iPhone.
• Dim Flashing Lights – To reduce the flashlight’s intensity.
• Hover Typing – Type by hovering over the keyboard.
• Live Captions – It provides real-time captions to the content playing on the iPhone.
• Live Recognition – Use the iPhone’s camera to recognize the objects in front of you.
• Live Speech – It narrates the text you have typed.
• Magnifier – Turns the iPhone to the Magnifying glass
• Music Haptics – It vibrates based on the music’s rhythm
• Smart Invert – This inverts the screen’s color but excludes the color of the media, images, and other elements.
• Speak Screen – Narrates whatever is shown on the iPhone screen.
• Vehicle Motion Cars – This feature will be enabled, and certain settings will be automatically changed while driving.
• Voice Control – Control the device using voice commands.
• VoiceOver – Screenreader
• Zoom – Zoom in or out of the iPhone’s screen

Scroll Gestures

These two options let you navigate content on the page or screen upwards or downwards.

• Scroll Down
• Scroll Up

FAQ