Hi Gig0,
welcome to the Apple (user-to-user) Community!
Re: Trouble switch control in accessibility
Sorry to hear you have this difficulty ... I understand head-tracking mode is not staying on smoothly as needed..
Am no expert in this area, so you may want to reach out to Apple's Accessibility Support Team.
They can often help with Accessibility features: How to contact Apple for accessibility support - Apple Support
or
You can "Get Support" from the link at the bottom of their website: Accessibility Support - Official Apple Support
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Re: "Why does switch control keep going from head tracking mode into item mode"
Without any reason that I can see".
Seems it could be due to the Scanner menu appearing?
Apple support's article for iPadOS 18:
Use Switch Control on iPhone to select items, perform actions, and more - Apple Support
Eg: says
"Item mode: The cursor sequentially highlights items or groups of items.
This is the default method when you first turn on Switch Control and whenever the Scanner menu appears"
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Re: "I have to go back into settings and change it back to tracking"
Can head-tracking be added to Control Centre and accessed there for turning on or off ?
Linked article below says:
"You can add accessibility features to Control Center for quick access when you swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen.
- To change the features available in Control Center, swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen, tap in the top-left corner, then tap Add a Control.
- Tap a control to add it to Control Center. Scroll down to see more controls, including categories of controls for accessibility, hearing, mobility, and vision.
You can change which features appear when you tap in Control Center. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Hearing Control Center, then add or remove features."
Above is from: Quickly turn accessibility features on or off on iPad - Apple Support
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Else : Accessibility shortcut can be added.to Control center
I don't know whether or not head-tracking can control the Accessibility shortcut:
Seems you can add Switch Control to the Accessibility shortcut ... if that is of any help at all
About the Accessibility Shortcut for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
Eg: says:
"Learn how to add VoiceOver, Assistive Touch, Guided Access, and more to your Control Center for easy access. And use triple-click to quickly access frequently used Accessibility features."
All the best :-)