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To make some onscreen controls easier to distinguish, open Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size and turn on Button Shapes. If your iPhone shows Show Borders instead, turn that on. Apple’s current documentation uses both labels, and the visible cue can vary by control and app.

What Button Shapes changes

Button Shapes adds a visual cue to certain onscreen controls. One example from Apple is an underline beneath a text-based Back button; Apple’s iOS 26 guide describes the related Show Borders option as adding borders around controls and buttons. The aim is to make interactive elements easier to recognize without relying only on color or position.

This is a display setting: it does not change the iPhone’s physical buttons, enlarge controls, increase touchscreen sensitivity, or read the screen aloud. Apple describes an example, not a guarantee that every button or every third-party app will show a new mark. Apple’s display and text size guidance and its iOS 26 iPhone guide explain the respective labels and effects.

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How to turn it on

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap Accessibility.
  3. Tap Display & Text Size.
  4. Turn on Button Shapes. If the option is named Show Borders on your iPhone, turn that on instead.
  5. Return to an app or screen with text-based controls and check whether a visual cue appears.

Button Shapes or Show Borders: which label should you use?

Apple’s support page describes Button Shapes, while its iOS 26 iPhone guide uses Show Borders for a related control in the same settings area. The pages therefore do not establish one label as universal across iPhones. Use the name displayed on your device rather than looking for both options.

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If neither name is immediately visible, check Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size and search within Settings for “Button Shapes” or “Show Borders.” Menu wording may differ with iOS version or documentation; if the control is still absent, consider updating iOS if an update is appropriate for your device.

How to check whether it worked

  1. Open Settings or another Apple app and find a text-based control, such as Back.
  2. Look for an underline or border around the control.
  3. Switch the setting off and on to compare the same screen. If the change is subtle, check another screen or app as well.

The effect is not necessarily visible on every control. Third-party apps may also render controls differently; Apple’s descriptions do not promise identical results in every app. If the original app shows no change, try an Apple app before concluding the setting is unavailable.

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Choose another setting if the problem is different

Button Shapes is most relevant when you can see the screen but want a clearer visual distinction between interactive controls and surrounding content. For other needs, Apple lists additional display options and vision accessibility features:

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If you need… Try…
Text that is easier to read Larger Text or Bold Text
Larger icons and onscreen buttons Display Zoom
Stronger separation between foreground and background Increase Contrast or Reduce Transparency
Less reliance on color to convey information Differentiate Without Color or Color Filters
Magnification Zoom or Magnifier
Spoken screen content and navigation VoiceOver or, for spoken screen content, Speak Screen

Apple’s display and text size guide describes related visual settings; its vision accessibility overview covers tools such as VoiceOver, Magnifier, Display and Text Size, and Zoom. These options address different barriers, so it can help to enable one change at a time and keep the settings that make the interface clearer without making it feel too busy.

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Turn it off or troubleshoot a subtle result

To turn it off

Return to Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size and switch off Button Shapes or Show Borders, whichever label your iPhone uses. The change should apply as the interface updates.

If the setting is missing

  • Check for the alternate label: Show Borders instead of Button Shapes, or vice versa.
  • Use the path under Accessibility → Display & Text Size, not Display & Brightness.
  • Search Settings for either label. If it still does not appear, available wording or options may differ with the iOS version; update iOS if appropriate.
  • If the option is unavailable, consider Increase Contrast, Differentiate Without Color, Larger Text, or Display Zoom according to what is hard to see.

If nothing seems to change

Compare the same text-based control with the setting off and on, then try a Back control on another screen or in an Apple app. The cue may be subtle or unsupported by a particular interface. If the actual issue is small controls or weak contrast, use the corresponding size or contrast setting instead.

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