Using Handwriting mode, you can enter text by writing characters on the screen with your finger or a stylus.
This can be used for normal text entry although there may be better methods. Please see the links below for information on text entry using the on-screen keyboard, an external keyboard, a Refreshable braille display, and using on-screen braille.
Handwriting, On-Screen Braille, and Face Recognition are particularly good methods of silent password entry when opening your device.
Use Handwriting Mode
Turn Handwriting on by going to Settings/Accessibility/VoiceOver/Rotor and add Handwriting.
When you are in a text field, select Handwriting in the Rotor, choose a character type by Swiping Up or Down with Three Fingers.
To confirm the selected character type, Tap with Three Fingers Once.
Trace a character on the screen with your finger to write.
In the example of handwriting your device's password, you would:
Turn on your device
Turn on VoiceOver
Navigate to the password entry field and Double-Tap with One Finger to go into text entry.
Select Handwriting in the Rotor
Swipe Up or Down with Three Fingers to select the number character type.
Handwrite your characters
When your done use a Two Finger Scrub, or change the Rotor setting to leave the Handwriting mode.
You can also do any of the following:
To enter an alternate character (a character with an accent, for example): Write the character, then Swipe Up or Down with two Fingers until you hear the type of character you want.
Enter a space: Swipe Right with Two Fingers.
Go to a new line: Swipe Right with Three Fingers.
Delete the previous character: Swipe Left with Two Fingers.
To exit handwriting mode, do a Two-Finger Scrub (move two fingers back and forth three times quickly, making a "z"), or set the rotor to a different setting.
Select an item on the Home Screen
On the Home Screen, set the rotor to Handwriting.
Start writing the name of the item with your finger.
If there are multiple matches, continue to spell the name until it's unique, or swipe up or down with two fingers to choose from the current matches.
Quickly navigate a long list
Select the index to the right of the list (for example, next to your Contacts list or in the VoiceOver Item Chooser).
Set the rotor to Handwriting, then use your finger to write the letter you want to navigate to.