iPad User Guide

Control iPad with the movement of your head

With Head Tracking, you can control iPad using just your head. An onscreen pointer follows the movement of your head, and when you look at an item and hold your head steady—or dwell—you perform an action, such as a tap.

👁 An iPad with head tracking turned on. The AssistiveTouch menu is visible, showing controls for Notification Center, Scroll, Dwell, Device, Control Center, Home, Siri, and Custom.

Note: Head Tracking is available on iPadOS 26 and later.

Before you begin

Head Tracking uses the built-in, front-facing camera on iPad. For best results, make sure that the camera has a clear view of your face and that your face is adequately lit. iPad should be on a stable surface about 18 inches away from your face.

Turn on Head Tracking

  1. Go to the Settings app 👁 Image
     on your iPad.

  2. Tap Accessibility, tap Head Tracking, then turn on Head Tracking.

Use Head Tracking

After you turn on Head Tracking, an onscreen pointer follows the movement of your head. When your head is pointed toward an item on the screen, an outline appears around the item. The pointer always moves with your head no matter where you face. Moving faster makes the pointer move faster.

When you hold your head steady at a location on the screen, the dwell pointer 👁 Image
appears where you’re looking and the dwell timer begins (the dwell pointer circle starts to fill). When the dwell timer finishes, an action—tap, by default—is performed.

To perform additional onscreen gestures or physical button presses, use the AssistiveTouch menu 👁 Image
. See Use AssistiveTouch.

Set options for Head Tracking

You can customize actions like a Single-Tap or Double Tap to different facial movements, like smiling, blinking, or scrunching your nose. You can also set options for how the Head Tracking pointer responds to your head’s movement.

  1. Go to the Settings app 👁 Image
     on your iPad.

  2. Do any of the following:

    • Actions: Select a facial expression (like Raise Eyebrows or Open Mouth), then choose an action from the list (like Open Menu or Single-Tap).

      Sensitivity: Choose the amount of expressiveness needed to perform the expression.

    • Pointer: Select an option to have the pointer move with face movements, when facing screen edges, or based on head position.

    • Pointer Speed: Select the Increment button or Decrement button to adjust how quickly the pointer moves with head movement.

    • Snap to Item: Have the pointer automatically move to the item on the screen that’s closest to where your head is pointing.

    • Dwell Control: Turn Dwell Control on or off. To adjust settings for Dwell Control, such as the default dwell action and the duration of the dwell timer, see Set up Dwell Control.

To change the size or color of the Head Tracking pointer, go to Settings > Accessibility > Pointer Control. See Make the pointer easier to see.

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