older fingers on iPhone

[MiG007]

My wife is 72 and has arthritis. Today I handed her my iPhone 15 Pro to take a picture and she had to hit the onscreen shutter button a couple of times before it took a picture. We have talked about how on her iPhone (a mini) she has some problems like that. I have heard that there is an issue with either elderly fingers and or arthritis fingers, where the technology to sense touch doesn't work well.

Is there some term that is used for this so I can do more research and see if anyone is working on this?

(since the aging population is more comfortable with tech than previous I would think if this is more common there might be some solutions -- besides a stylus)

 

[ab22]

Have a look at

https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/adjust-how-iphone-responds-to-your-touch-iph77bcdd132/ios

for your iOS version(s)

Perhaps shorter touch, or prevent unintended swipe gestures might help.

 

[MiG007]

Have a look at

https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/adjust-how-iphone-responds-to-your-touch-iph77bcdd132/ios

for your iOS version(s)

Perhaps shorter touch, or prevent unintended swipe gestures might help.

Thank you will try that.

 

[Michael0816]

It doesn't help for your wife's overall issue with the touchscreen, but you can also use the volume up button to take pictures.

 

[ab22]

This doesn't seem to affect camera shutter, but I've found faster, useful :

Adjust settings for touch-and-hold gestures​

You use the touch-and-hold gesture to see additional options or actions you can perform, or show a preview of content. If you have trouble performing this gesture, do the following:

1. Go to Settings
   
   > Accessibility > Touch, then tap Haptic Touch or 3D & Haptic Touch.
2. Choose the touch duration—Fast or Slow.
3. On an iPhone with 3D Touch, you can also choose the pressure needed—Light, Medium, or Firm.
4. Test your new settings on the image at the bottom of the screen.

 

[CharlesShaw]

How often does this happen and when did she first notice it?

In the past month, I've had several random events like this on my iPad Pro and my iPhone (both on 18.5) where an interface button in an app or a Safari page was unresponsive and required multiple attempts or a refresh, so perhaps it's an OS bug.

 

[Bichon]

The term used to describe this problem with touchscreens not registering is "zombie finger"

In your wife's case, probably due to dry skin. Has she tried a water-based moisturizer to see if it helps?