Reaching the top of a big phone
Bring the top of a tall phone down to your thumb, and shift the keyboard to one side, so a phone can be worked with one hand.
A phone from ten years ago fitted a hand. The one you have now is very likely six inches tall, and the top corner of it is out of reach of a thumb unless you shuffle the whole phone up your palm, which is how phones get dropped.
Every phone maker knows this, so every phone has a way of bringing the top half down. On an iPhone it is called Reachability: a short pull down on the very bottom edge of the screen, and the whole top half slides into reach for a few seconds. On Android it is one-handed mode, with the same gesture.
The keyboard has its own version: it can be shifted over to the left or right so every letter is within a thumb’s sweep. It is used most by people carrying shopping, holding a rail, or holding a grandchild.
Key points
- Bring the top half of a tall phone down to your thumb with one short pull
- Make two taps on the back of the phone do something useful
- Shift the keyboard to the left or the right for one-handed typing
- Put all of it back with a single press, because none of it is permanent
What to remember
- Reachability and back tap are both on the Touch page, under Accessibility.
- Reachability is a movement, not a mode. There is nothing to undo afterwards.
- The one-handed keyboard is under General, then Keyboard, and it can be moved back with one press.
Try this
On your own phone, pull down gently on the very bottom edge of the screen — a short tug, not a swipe up. The top half should slide down to meet your thumb. It takes two or three attempts to find the knack, and then you have it for good.
Practice: Reaching the top of a big phone. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.