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Back Tap is an iOS accessibility feature that lets you trigger actions by tapping the back of your iPhone twice or three times. You can connect it to Craft Shortcuts to instantly open specific spaces or documents – no matter what you’re doing on your phone.
Back Tap is available on iPhone 8 and later running iOS 14 or newer. This feature uses the accelerometer and gyroscope, so it works through most cases.

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How Back Tap Works

Back Tap allows you to choose different actions for double-tap and triple-tap gestures. While iOS includes built-in actions like taking screenshots or opening Control Center, you can also assign custom Shortcuts – making it perfect for quick access to your most important Craft content. Common Craft use cases:
  • Open your work space with a double-tap
  • Jump to your daily note with a triple-tap
  • Open a specific project document instantly
  • Access your task inbox from anywhere

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Setting Up Back Tap for Craft

The setup involves two steps: creating a Craft Shortcut, then assigning it to Back Tap.

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Step 1: Create a Craft Shortcut

First, build a shortcut that opens your desired Craft space or document.
1
Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.
2
Tap the + button in the upper-right corner.
3
Tap Add Action.
4
Tap the search bar and search for Open.
5
Select Craft from the horizontal list of apps.
6
Tap Open Craft and choose which space or document you want to open.
7
Tap Next in the upper-right corner.
8
Give your shortcut a descriptive name like “Open Work Space” or “Open Daily Note”.
9
Tap Done to save.
You can create different shortcuts for double-tap and triple-tap. For example, one for your personal space and another for your work space.

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Step 2: Assign to Back Tap

Now connect your shortcut to the Back Tap gesture.
1
Open Settings on your iPhone.
2
Navigate to Accessibility (or use search to find it).
3
Tap Touch in the Physical and Motor section.
4
Scroll to the bottom and tap Back Tap.
5
Choose Double Tap or Triple Tap.
6
Scroll down to the Shortcuts section and tap your custom Craft shortcut.
That’s it! Now tapping the back of your iPhone will launch Craft and open your chosen space or document instantly.

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Tips for Back Tap with Craft

Start with your most-used space: Assign your primary workspace to double-tap since it’s easier to perform than triple-tap. Use triple-tap for specific documents: Reserve triple-tap for frequently accessed documents like your daily note or task inbox. Test through your case: Back Tap works through most cases, but very thick or metal cases might interfere. Test your setup to ensure reliable triggering. Combine with Focus modes: Set up different Back Tap shortcuts for different Focus modes (Work, Personal, Sleep) to automatically switch contexts.

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Example Workflows

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Quick Capture

  • Double-tap: Open your Inbox space for quick notes
  • Triple-tap: Open today’s daily note to log activities

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Context Switching

  • Double-tap: Open your Work space when in Work Focus mode
  • Triple-tap: Open your Personal space for after-hours ideas

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Project Management

  • Double-tap: Open your active project document
  • Triple-tap: Open your task list to check off items

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Troubleshooting

Back Tap not working?
  • Make sure you have iOS 14 or later
  • Try tapping more firmly (but not too hard)
  • Remove thick cases that might dampen the tap
  • Check that Back Tap is enabled in Accessibility settings
Shortcut launches Craft but doesn’t open the space?
  • Verify your shortcut configuration in the Shortcuts app
  • Test the shortcut manually by running it from the app
  • Make sure you have access to the space you’re trying to open
Accidental triggers?
  • Switch to triple-tap only, which is less likely to trigger accidentally
  • Disable Back Tap for activities where accidental triggers are problematic
Back Tap works perfectly alongside other iOS integrations like widgets and Quick Actions to create a complete mobile workflow.

Apple Shortcuts

Learn about all Craft Shortcuts integrations

Quick Actions

Use the + button for fast content capture

iOS Gestures

Master touch gestures for faster editing