Apple has just dropped some incredible news, announcing a powerful suite of accessibility features slated to arrive later this year. Prepare to be amazed by innovations designed to empower users in exciting new ways across the entire Apple ecosystem!
Leading the charge is the revolutionary Accessibility Nutrition Labels hitting the App Store! Finally, users will have detailed insights into an app’s accessibility features before they even download it. This game-changer will empower everyone to make informed decisions and discover apps that genuinely work for them. Developers, get ready to showcase your inclusive designs.
Mac users who are blind or have low vision, prepare to be wowed by the all-new Magnifier for Mac. This incredible app uses your Mac’s camera (including Continuity Camera!) to zoom in on the real world, making screens, whiteboards, and documents more accessible than ever before. Multitasking just got a whole lot easier with multiple live session windows and customisable views.
And for our Braille users, Braille Access is here to transform your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro into a fully integrated Braille powerhouse. Take notes, perform calculations with Nemeth Braille, and open BRF files with ease. Plus, real-time transcription of conversations on compatible braille displays.
But Apple wasn’t done there, Accessibility Reader was also introduced. A system-wide reading mode designed with everyone in mind. Customise fonts, colours, and spacing to make text a breeze to read across all your Apple devices. It’s even built into the new Magnifier app, which means you don’t need to go looking for it; no downloads, no extra costs – It’s just there for everyone, and it just works.
Apple Watch users who are deaf or hard of hearing, get ready for Live Captions on your wrist. Control Live Listen sessions right from your watch and see real-time captions of what your iPhone is hearing. A game changer in noisy environments, study settings or at conferences.
And for Apple Vision Pro users, prepare for an enhanced view like never before. Powerful updates to Zoom and Live Recognition will leverage the advanced camera system to describe surroundings, find objects, and read documents. Additionally, a new API will open doors to incredible, live, person-to-person visual assistance!
There are also fantastic updates to Background Sounds with new personalisation options, a faster and easier Personal Voice that now supports Spanish, Vehicle Motion Cues coming to Mac, and significant enhancements to Eye Tracking, Head Tracking, and Switch Control.
Assistive Access is getting a tailored Apple TV app, Music Haptics is becoming more customisable, Sound Recognition is adding Name Recognition, and Voice Control is getting a programming mode and expanded language support. Live Captions are also getting a boost in language support.
After all that, there’s still more to come, with CarPlay gaining large text support and sound recognition for crucial alerts, such as a crying baby. And get this – you’ll even be able to share accessibility settings temporarily with other iPhones or iPads. I’ve previously stated that Google is catching up on the accessibility front, but Apple is truly going all out for Global Accessibility Awareness Day and has taken another leap ahead.
Apple CEO Tim Cook himself declared, “At Apple, accessibility is part of our DNA… Making technology for everyone is a priority for all of us, and we’re proud of the innovations we’re sharing this year.” Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives, added, “Building on 40 years of accessibility innovation at Apple, we are dedicated to pushing forward with new accessibility features for all of our products.”
This represents a monumental leap forward for inclusive technology, and I look forward to testing these features with Alex later this year. The future of accessibility is looking brighter than ever, thanks to Apple’s unwavering commitment
