unlocking Iphone using braille screen input

By Edward Alonzo, 30 July, 2025

Forum

iOS and iPadOS

Hello everyone,

I hope this message finds you all doing exceptionally well. I have a question specifically about using Braille Screen Input on my iPhone to enter my passcode.

I’ve set my iPhone to use a passcode that’s longer than six digits. Entering it with Braille Screen Input works just fine. However, in order to press the OK button afterward, I have to exit Braille Screen Input mode. Sometimes, the on-screen number keypad is in the way—because the iPhone assumes I’m entering the passcode via the keypad. To find the OK button, I often have to flick left, then flick right again, or wait for the number keypad to disappear.

I’ve tried swiping up with three fingers while in Braille Screen Input mode to activate the OK button, but that doesn’t work. I’ve also tried swiping right with two fingers to simulate pressing “Enter,” but that doesn’t work either.

I do know that if you’re using a four-digit or six-digit passcode, the iPhone will automatically unlock as soon as you enter the last digit. But if you use a longer passcode—whether it’s numbers, characters, or both—you must manually press OK after entering it.

Does anyone have ideas for how to press the OK button directly from Braille Screen Input mode? It would be much easier if I could simply enter my passcode in Braille and then confirm it without leaving Braille Screen Input mode.

Thanks in advance for your help!

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Comments

You don't have to exit braille screen input

You don’t have to exit braille screen input to press the OK or done button. Just do a two finger swipe to the right, as if you were entering a new line.

Apart from he said it failed

In his post he actually states he has tried that and it didn't work.

A couple of questions

Now, please keep in mind I'm not asking you for your passcode, so these questions I'm asking you are really just for you to answer yourself.
1. Are you making sure to switch between Alpha numeric, and numeric characters when/if needed? In other words, switching between letters and numbers.
2. Are you remembering to use the capital symbol, if you have any capitalized characters in your passcode?
3. Have you tried using the scrub gesture to get rid of the keypad, or try swiping up to activate the home gesture, after typing in your passcode?
4. Have you tried switching to command mode, three finger swipe to the right or left, and then using command mode navigation to navigate to the OK button, and tapping on it?

HTH. 😃

Edit: forgot to put in that fourth suggestion earlier.

odd that shouldn't fail

I find it odd that it fails, because I have a long passcode as well and doing a return jesture always enters the code... Unless I entered the wrong code that is. Odd, though. To be fair though, maybe its a specific bug with only passcodes with numbers? I've no idea, but this is really odd. I.e, if you switch to alphanumeric, do you get the same behavior?

A number of ways to do this

Method 1

Exit BSI and swipe up with two fingers to have VO read from the top of the screen.
Quickly swipe right with one finger to stop VO reading everything.
VO should say “text field”; swipe right with one finger once more to reach “OK”.
I do it this way and it takes a second, if that, to do it.

Method 2

Use BSI command mode. Swipe left or right with three fingers to enter command mode.
Once you hear VoiceOver make a sound or say “command mode”, calibrate dots and press dot 4 to go forward (emulating a one-finger swipe right) and dot 1 to go backward (emulating a one-finger swipe left).
In this way, depending on where you are, you can find the “OK” button and activate it using dots 3-6.
If you have a braille display and use your phone with braille, command mode will basically act like space is pressed when pressing dots.
For example, pressing space-dot-1 moves back; command mode essentially holds down space, so simply pressing any dot combination will achieve the braille display command as though space were being pressed.