Apple has unveiled new accessibility features to help iPhone users with disabilities and impairments. Tools coming to iPhone, iPad and Mac later this year include Assistant Access, Live Speech and Personal Voice. Assistive Access is for people with cognitive disabilities and provides an optimized experience for phone and FaceTime. It offers a distinctive interface with high-contrast buttons and large text labels. In contrast, Live Speech is designed to help non-verbal people communicate. Apple is also making it easier with Personal Voice functionality for those who are at risk of losing the ability to speak due to conditions like ALS. This feature uses machine learning to generate a unique personalized voice for each individual user.
To mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 18, the Cupertino-based company on Wednesday (May 17) announced several new accessibility features aimed at helping users with speech, vision and cognitive disabilities use Apple devices more effectively. To help you use it. Assistive Access, designed for iPad and iOS, is targeted at users with cognitive disabilities. It provides an optimized experience by merging apps and providing a different interface with high-contrast buttons and large text labels. Phone and FaceTime are combined into a single Calls app, as well as Messages, Camera, Photos, and Music. This will make it easier for accessible people to talk to loved ones, share photos and listen to music. Apple says Assistive Accessibility was designed with feedback from “people with cognitive disabilities and their trusted supporters.”
Non-speaking iPhone, iPad, and Mac users can type to speak during calls and conversations with Live Speech. This new feature has been developed for those who are unable to speak or whose speech has stopped over time. During normal calls, FaceTime, and personal conversations, users can type what they want to say and speak it out loud.
Other features previewed by Apple include Personalized Voice, which allows users to generate an automated voice that sounds like them. The machine learning-backed tool is designed for people who are at risk of losing the ability to speak from conditions like ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). iPhone or iPad users can generate a personalized voice to connect with family and friends by reading randomly selected text prompts into their microphone for 15 minutes. Personal Voice will initially be available to English speakers and can only be created on devices with Apple Silicon.
Another new feature is Point and Speak, which is for people who have difficulty seeing. Point and Speak within the Magnifier app uses the iPad and iPhone’s cameras and LiDAR scanner to enable visually impaired people to interact with physical objects such as home appliances that have multiple text labels. This functionality supports VoiceOver and can be used with other Magnifier features such as people detection, door detection, and image description to help users navigate their physical environment. Currently, the feature is available in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Cantonese, Korean, Japanese, and Ukrainian.
Additional features coming later in the year include the ability to pair hearing aids built for the iPhone with Mac units and a voice control guide with phonics suggestions. Voice Control adds phonetic suggestions for text editing so users can correct errors and choose the correct word from multiple similar-sounding words. Initially users can access voice controls in English, Spanish, French and German languages.
Additionally, deaf or hard of hearing users will also now be able to connect hearing devices made for iPhone directly to the Mac and customize them to suit their hearing needs. Users can turn any Switch into a virtual game controller using Switch Control.
With text size adjustments in Mac apps like Finder, Messages, Mail, Calendar, and Notes, Apple is also making it easier for users with low vision. Additionally, users who are sensitive to intense animations can automatically pause images with dynamic elements like GIFs in Messages and Safari.
Apple’s latest announcement comes as the tech giant gears up for its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The iPhone maker is expected to showcase iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 at the annual event starting on June 5.
Separately, Apple says the iPhone maker’s retail stores in India, Apple BKC and Apple Saket, have been designed keeping people with disabilities in mind. It claims that the distance between display tables allows wheelchairs to navigate easily, and stairs in stores have braille on sidebars for the visually impaired. Apple is also introducing portable hearing loops for customer store experiences.
