The one iPhone 13 Pro Max setting you need to know

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

If you own an iPhone 13 Pro Max, or any of Apple's recent big-screen iPhones, then you likely know the pain of trying to navigate your handset with one hand. Swiping from the top of the screen to show the notifications shade or the Control Center options requires you to shuffle the phone around in your hands like you're trying to play a piano scale on the back panel.

Of course if you happen to have small hands or find it hard to move your fingers around, even Apple's best small phones can still run into this problem. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be this way.

How to enable Reachability on your iPhone

As is often the case, you will need to start out in the iPhone Settings app (the one with the gears icon) to turn on this feature.

1. In the Settings app, navigate to Accessibility, a little way down from the top of the page.

A screenshot of the iOS Settings menu, showing the Accessibility option highlighted — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

2. Now select the Touch heading.

A screenshot of the iOS Settings Accessibility menu, showing the Touch section highlighted — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

3. And there's the Reachability toggle, second option down from the top. Toggle it on (so the button goes green) by sliding the button to right.

A screenshot of the iOS Settings Accessibility menu, inside the Touch subsection — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

So now we've got Reachability enabled, how do you use it?

On an iPhone with Face ID (with no home button), swipe downwards from the bottom edge of the screen, as indicated by the red arrow. Your screen will then slide down so the top half of whatever you're looking at is within easy reach. It's great for accessing your top row of apps, your notifications, or Control Center, but this works in any app so you can use it to access whatever you need to.

An illustration of how to make a Face ID iPhone activate Reachability — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

On an iPhone with Touch ID (with a home button), double-tap the Home button to enable Reachability. The trick is to tap without pressing the button in, in the same way that you'd tap the screen to open an app. Otherwise you may find you open up the recent apps interface instead.

An illustration of how to make a Touch ID iPhone activate Reachability — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

We've got a lot more iPhone how-tos and tips if you want to get the most out of your phone. We can show you how to switch from HEIF to JPEG photos on iPhone for easier sharing, or how to save camera settings on iPhone if you don't want to sort out your camera settings every time you open the app.

If you need some iPhone tips outside of photography, then we recommending checking out how to organize your iPhone apps for the most efficient way to get your apps where you want them.

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.

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How to enable Reachability on your iPhone