iOS 5 tips - How to use AssistiveTouch to control your iPhone or iPad with gestures

iOS 5 - the operating system feature bump for up-to-date iPhones, iPod touches and iPads - is now available to download, and it comes with about 200 or so nifty new features to enjoy.

Apple is well known for providing help to disabled users, and new features in iOS 5 continue that noble work. An "AssistiveTouch" menu lets you do things like hit the home screen, tilt your device or lock your iPad using only the touchscreen.

To find this menu hit Settings> General> Accessibility> AssistiveTouch and turn it on. Now you have a button in the lower-left corner, which you can tap at any time to bring up a wheel of inputs.

Under Gestures you can plant down two, three, four, or five virtual fingers and control them with just one pinky. Under device you'll find options for volume, rotation, shake, and lock screen. There's a home button, and under favourites you'll find pinch and custom gestures you've made yourself.

To make a custom gesture just go back to the AssistiveTouch menu and tap Create New Gesture. Draw your gesture on the screen and hit Stop, then Save. Give it a name and now when you tap this name under the favourites menu, a virtual finger will draw out that gesture for you. Handy. (GET IT?)