Technologies

The Back of Your iPhone Has a Secret Button. Here’s What It Can Do

You can activate it simply by tapping the back of your iPhone (and yes, it still works with a case).

We’re a few months out from the release of iOS 26, which will introduce a whole new look to the iPhone. But what if you’re still holding on to an older iPhone that won’t get the new Liquid Glass redesign or Apple Intelligence for screenshots? What if you’re itching to try out something new like the Camera Control button on the latest models?

Good news: There’s a hidden feature that lets you quickly activate your iPhone camera without unlocking your device or touching the screen, and it works on some fairly old devices. All you need to do is set up the secret «button» on the back of your iPhone.

You can use this feature to not only launch your camera app, but also turn on your flashlight or activate Shazam to identify a song before it ends. You can summon your iPhone’s Control Center or Notification Center without having to swipe down from the top of your screen. In fact, with a little bit of imagination, you can use this feature to perform almost any of your phone’s functions.

The feature is called Back Tap, and like the Action Button on newer iPhones, it gives you one more way to interact with your device without touching the screen. You can activate it by tapping anywhere on the back of your phone, including on the camera module. The best part is that it works even if you have a fairly thick case on your iPhone.

Back Tap is available on iPhones as old as iPhone 8, as long as they’re running iOS 14 or later. We’ll show you how to enable it and how to use it with your Shortcuts app for nearly endless possibilities.

Read more: All the Ways the iPhone 16’s Camera Control Button Will Change Your iPhone Photography

What is the iPhone Back Tap feature?

Back Tap is an iPhone feature introduced in iOS 14. It lets you perform shortcuts on your iPhone by double or triple tapping on the back of the device.

You can customize Back Tap on your iPhone to easily perform common actions like pulling up the Control Center or Notification Center, especially useful if you have a larger phone and can’t swipe down from the top of the screen without some complex finger gymnastics. You can even have two separate functions enabled at the same time: Back Tap can distinguish between a Double Tap and a Triple Tap.

Depending on the number of times you touch the back of your iPhone, you can set Double Tap to open your Notification Center and Triple Tap to take a screenshot. Or, you can make Double Tap open the Control Center and Triple Tap launch the Magnifier app. Experiment with Back Tap to find the right combinations of taps and functions that best fit your needs.

And you aren’t just limited to the Back Tap options that are available by default. Thanks to the Shortcuts app, you can set up Back Tap to perform specific functions or launch any app. For example, you can create a simple shortcut that opens Shazam or starts a voice recording, then activate it with a quick Double Tap or Triple Tap. You can also use Back Tap to trigger a more elaborate shortcut, such as automatically sending photos and videos to specific photo albums.

How do I set up Back Tap on my iPhone?

To enable Back Tap, go to your Settings app. Then go to Accessibility → Touch → Back Tap. There, you’ll find a list of options for configuring Double Tap and Triple Tap.

Here is the full list of functions that you can map to a Double Tap or Triple Tap:

None
Accessibility Shortcut

System

App Switcher
Camera
Control Center
Flashlight
Home
Lock Rotation
Lock Screen
Mute
Notification Center
Reachability
Screenshot
Shake
Spotlight
Volume Down
Volume Up

Accessibility

AssistiveTouch
Background Sounds
Classic Invert
Color Filters
Control Nearby Devices
Dim Flashing Lights
Live Captions
Live Speech
Magnifier
Smart Invert
Speak Screen
VoiceOver
Zoom
Zoom Controller

Scroll Gestures

Scroll Down
Scroll Up

At the bottom of the menu, you’ll also see a list of Shortcuts. These options will vary depending on what’s available in your Shortcuts app.

The one potential downside to Back Tap is that you don’t get any tactile feedback when you use it, so you might accidentally trigger it at the wrong time and not realize it until later. For instance, you might double tap without meaning to and set off your flashlight by accident. In that case, you might want to remap your Double Tap to a less conspicuous function. Or, you can leave Double Tap off and only use Triple Tap, which you probably won’t trigger as often.

How do I use Back Tap to take a quick photo?

One way to set up Back Tap is to map Double Tap to the Camera and Triple Tap to Volume Up or Volume Down. Because you can press either of the volume buttons to instantly take a picture, you can get the same effect if your volume buttons are mapped to Back Tap. With this combination, you can capture a photo with five quick taps on the back of your iPhone (though you’ll have to pause briefly between performing the Double Tap and Triple Tap, so that your phone can distinguish between the two actions).

This Back Tap combination even works if your phone is locked. Again, spend some time trying out different combinations of taps and features to find which ones are most useful for you.

Technologies

This $199 Bose QuietComfort Headphones Deal Is the Best I’ve Seen

With a $150 discount, this Bose QuietComfort headphones deal is impossible to beat.

We’re big fans of personal audio gear, especially high-quality headphones. The Bose QuietComfort headphones definitely fall into that category. In fact, CNET’s expert editors rank them as some of the best noise-canceling headphones on the market today. But that doesn’t mean you have to pay the retail price — right now, both Amazon and Walmart are offering them for a best-ever price.

Strike now and you’ll snag a pair of Bose QuietComfort wireless headphones at a great discount of $150. Walmart is offering them for just $199 in select colors. But if you want more variety, Amazon is price-matching across the entire color range. Just keep in mind that I can’t promise that either of these deals will last for long.

The QuietComfort headphones include noise cancellation and have Quiet and Aware modes, so you can focus as needed or let some ambient sound in when you’re taking walks or need to know what’s happening around you.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

Adjustable EQ lets you customize your sound preferences, and a battery life of up to 24 hours makes these headphones the perfect travel companion. Need a battery boost? It only takes a 15-minute charge to get an extra battery life of up to 2.5 hours.

If this isn’t quite the product you’re looking for, check out our list of the best wireless headphones to find the right pair for you. There are plenty of different options from various manufacturers, with something for everyone.

HEADPHONE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones (Navy):

$298 (save $50)
Soundcore Life Q20 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black):

$40 (save $20)
Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black):

$300 (save $51)
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless ANC Over-Ear Headphones (Black):

$299 (save $151)
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e ANC Over-Ear Headphones (Black):

$220 (save $180)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

Bose makes some of the best headphones on the market. This deal offers QuietComfort headphones for just $199 after slashing $150 off the regular price. That’s the lowest price I’ve seen on these headphones, and a massive discount. Just be sure to get your order in soon.

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Technologies

The Best Earbuds for Samsung Users Are Just $165, but for How Long?

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 look and sound great, and this deal smashes the usual $250 asking price.

While it’s true that Apple’s latest AirPods Pro 3 tend to dominate the conversation when discussing premium Bluetooth earbuds, they aren’t the only option. In fact, if you’re ensconced in Samsung’s ecosystem, they’re obviously not going to be a great fit. The solution? Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, which you can get on sale right now for just $165 on Amazon.

It isn’t quite the cheapest price we’ve seen, but it isn’t all that far off. And while they might fall slightly during the upcoming Black Friday sales, we don’t expect them to go far beyond their lowest price of around $150.

There are plenty of options out there for non-Apple users looking for a good pair of wireless earbuds. To give you one example, CNET’s own list of the best wireless earbuds named Sony’s WF-1000XM5 as the best pair on the market. Elsewhere on that list, though, CNET also named the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro as the best option for Samsung users, and it’s not hard to see why.

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These earbuds boast a number of features tailored to folks with Samsung Galaxy or any other sort of Android smartphone, most notably support for the «high-resolution» Samsung Seamless Codec for audio quality. Those users will also have access to the Galaxy Wear app, which is the exclusive method the company uses to push through updates. While you can technically connect these buds to an iPhone, you won’t find the Wear app in Apple’s App Store, leaving the experience far from ideal.

Beyond those exclusive perks for Android users, CNET’s audio guru Dave Carnoy said in his review of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro that you can expect a «lightweight and comfortable» feel, excellent audio and call quality, and some solid noise-cancellation to boot. The primary flaw he noted was the price, which this deal definitely helps with.

Why this deal matters

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are the top-of-the-line when it comes to Samsung earbuds, which means that most of the time you can expect a top-of-the-line price tag to match. Now, however, you can grab yourself a pair for considerably less.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Oct. 31

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 31.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Happy Halloween! Today’s NYT Mini Crossword features the word «BOO!» in a square on the last line of the grid. That’s not just a Halloween greeting, it’s part of the answer that spans both 9-Across and 10-Across, so read the answers to both those with the «boo» in the middle to solve it. And then, the puzzle-makers use that «BOO!» again, to help make the answer to 3-Down. Read on for all the answers, complete with added boos. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.