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Fastest way to access iPhone camera: Change this one awesome setting

iPhone power tip: Sick of missing your shot because you couldn't open your camera in time? Here's how to fix that.
Written by Jason Hiner, Editor in Chief
Person taking picture with iPhone
Jason Hiner/ZDNET

We've got another one of the best hidden features on the iPhone to share. We're going to show you how to set it up to quickly access the iPhone camera so that you never miss a shot.

And, we're going to throw in a bonus tip to show you how to take a screenshot faster than ever. The two tips are related, as you'll see.

Also: Apple's M2 MacBook Air: ZDNET Product of the Year

Configure 'Back Tap' to open the camera

  1. Open Settings
  2. Tap Accessibility
  3. Tap Touch
  4. Scroll down and hit Back Tap 
  5. Hit Double Tap
  6. Then tap Camera
  7. Tap the back arrow in the upper left corner
  8. Select Triple Tap and then select Screenshot

Now, all you have to do to quickly open your camera app is to double tap on the Apple logo on the back of the phone. And if you tap on it three times, it now takes a screenshot.

back-tap-setting
Screenshot by Jason Hiner/ZDNET

If you configure this and you're having a hard time getting it to work, keep in mind that some cases will make it more difficult to use this feature, depending on how thick they are. But, it will still work with most cases. 

The other thing to keep in mind is that cadence matters. If you're tapping and it's not working then try tapping a little slower and/or a little faster until you find the right cadence.

You can also watch our short video walking through this tip in a YouTube Short (embedded below), Instagram Reel, or on TikTok.

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