Button Shapes is an iPhone accessibility feature that adds visual cues to certain tappable text controls. On older iOS versions used by the iPhone 7, enabling it can make interface buttons easier to distinguish from ordinary text without changing what those controls do.
Turn Button Shapes on or off
- Open Settings.
- Select General.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Find Button Shapes.
- Turn the switch on or off according to your preference.
On later compatible iOS versions, Apple reorganized accessibility settings, so the feature may appear under Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size instead of the older General > Accessibility path.
What changes when Button Shapes is enabled?
Supported text buttons can gain an underline, background shape, or another visual treatment that helps indicate they are interactive. The exact appearance varies by screen and iOS version. The feature does not enlarge the physical touch target or change the button’s action.
Combine it with other display options when useful
If interface controls remain difficult to see, review Bold Text, Increase Contrast, On/Off Labels, text size, and other visual accessibility options. Change one feature at a time so you can tell which adjustments improve readability.
Turning it off does not remove buttons
Disabling Button Shapes simply returns supported controls to their standard appearance. It does not disable navigation or delete app features.
The iPhone 7 cannot run current iOS releases and no longer receives current iOS security updates. Newer iPhones still provide visual accessibility tools, but their names and menu locations may differ from this legacy procedure.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.