iOS 5 beta 3, released yesterday, has brought a new option in the Accessibility settings of iOS 5 beta 3. The new feature sets up a floating access panel that lets you access many hardware controls, like screen orientation, volume up and down, and the physical home button via a software touch panel.
You can enable the new functionality under Settings > General > Accessibility > AssistiveTouch on any iOS device running the latest iOS 5 beta. You can even set up your own customized touch gestures in the Accessibility panel now, which is really interesting.
The new panel that enabling this option creates constantly stays on your device’s screen, and can be moved around at will. The Home tab in the floating panel has the same function as the Home button, and you can open a sub-menu with other controls to increase / decrease volume, lock or rotate the screen, unlock rotation and virtually shake the device.
While they aren’t meant for everyday usage, these new options are really a pretty interesting new feature, and could serve to replace hardware controls in the near future (as well as enabling those controls on devices that are damaged). Watch the below video (from 9to5Mac) to see it all in action!
Your thoughts? Sound off in the comments!