Apple is breaking new ground in accessibility with the announcement of innovative features for its devices. In anticipation of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, the tech giant revealed plans to introduce new accessibility features for the upcoming iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, and visionOS 2.
Among the key features for iPhone and iPad users are Eye Tracking, Music Haptics, Vocal Shortcuts, and Vehicle Motion Cues. Eye Tracking will allow users to navigate using just their eyes, while Music Haptics will provide vibrations corresponding to music for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Vocal Shortcuts will enable Siri to understand custom utterances to complete tasks, and Vehicle Motion Cues will help reduce motion sickness when using a device in a moving vehicle.
Mac users will also benefit from these updates, with VoiceOver keyboard customization and Mandarin support for Personal Voice among other enhancements. Additionally, CarPlay will receive Voice Control, Color Filters, and Sound Recognition for alerts regarding car horns and sirens.
Live Captions on Vision Pro will further support users who are deaf or hard of hearing by providing captions following live conversations. Other features to look forward to include Hover Typing, new VoiceOver voices, magnifier improvements, Braille enhancements, and more.
Apple is set to provide further details on these features during the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 10, with software updates expected to be available later this year. This latest move reinforces Apple’s commitment to making technology accessible to all users, regardless of their abilities.
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