Apple Previews Latest Accessibility Features
In what’s become an annual tradition, Apple on Tuesday marked Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) by previewing new accessibility features slated to ship with its operating systems “later this year.” GAAD, now in its 15th year, is this Thursday, May 21.
“Apple today previewed a suite of accessibility updates that use Apple Intelligence to bring new capabilities to features users rely on every day, including VoiceOver, Magnifier, Voice Control, and Accessibility Reader,” the company wrote in an announcement posted to its Newsroom site. “Apple also announced on-device generated subtitles for uncaptioned video content coming to the Apple ecosystem, as well as a new feature for Apple Vision Pro users to control compatible wheelchairs with their eyes. These new features, as well as updates using Apple Intelligence, are coming later this year. And starting today, the Hikawa Grip & Stand for iPhone—an adaptive MagSafe accessory designed with accessibility at the core—is available in three vibrant new colors on the Apple Store online."
“The accessibility features our users rely on every day become even more powerful with Apple Intelligence,” Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of global accessibility policy and initiatives, said in a statement included with the announcement. “With these updates, we’re bringing new, intuitive options for input, exploration, and personalization—designed to protect users’ privacy at every step.”
Arguably the headliner feature are the enhancements to VoiceOver and Magnifier. Apple says both have been souped-up using Apple Intelligence, with both now having the ability to describe one’s surroundings. The Image Explorer in VoiceOver leans on Apple Intelligence to “give more detailed descriptions of images systemwide, including what’s in photographs, scanned bills, personal records, and other visual content,” while Live Recognition has been updated to allow users to press the iPhone’s Action Button to “quickly ask a question about what’s in the camera viewfinder and get a detailed response” and users can use their own voice to ask follow-up questions. As to Magnifier’s new capabilities, it brings with it the very same image exploration functionality as VoiceOver. The difference is it presents the information in a high-contrast, large text format for those (like me!) with low vision.
A good way to conceptualize Image Explorer is it’s Be My Eyes without the human.
Another interesting addition is something Apple calls Wheelchair Control for Vision Pro. The feature, which is positioned as “a responsive input method for compatible alternative drive systems,” uses Vision Pro’s advanced eye-tracking technology such that wheelchair users needn’t recalibrate their systems. One of the launch partners for this is LUCI, whom I covered back in 2020. Apple is pledging to work with developers to “expand support” for Wheelchair Control over time. It seems like a great feature, but I do wonder about the pragmatism of wearing Vision Pro for prolonged periods. Heavy is the head that wears the headset, as I know all too well, and I’m skeptical whether a wheelchair user eventually might begin to feel fatigued from wearing Vision Pro so long. As someone who’s not a wheelchair user, I can’t imagine wanting to exclusively rely on Vision Pro to control my chair, accessibility be damned. At the very least, a cogent argument could be made Vision Pro can present a variety of sensory challenges due to being “cooped up” in Vision Pro’s enclosure, even for a few minutes.
Other features Apple announced are scheduled to arrive later in the year are generated subtitles/captions across Apple’s platforms, natural language support in Voice Control, Vehicle Motion Cues in visionOS, and larger text size options (!) in tvOS.
Apple is primed to unveil its upgraded operated systems in only a few short weeks.
