Apple Reveals New Accessibility Features for Apple Watch, iPad, and iPhone
May. 20, 2021Apple hasannounceda slew of new accessibility features coming to iOS, watchOS, and iPadOS later this year. These features are designed for users with mobility, vision, hearing, and cognitive disabilities.
Launching today, the first service is called SignTime and it lets customers communicate with AppleCare and Retail Customer Care. Customers can use American Sign Language (ASL) in the US, British Sign Language (BSL) in the UK, and French Sign Language (LSF) in France to get their queries addressed by Apple Care executives.
Apple is adding AssistiveTouch on WatchOS to help users with upper body limb differences. The feature can detect subtle differences in muscle movement and lets usersnavigate a cursor on the display through hand gesturessuch as clench or pinch. This way, users can easily answer incoming calls, control an onscreen pointer, and more right on theApple Watch.
This is one of the best accessibility features I’ve ever seen on a wearable. If you want to use such features, check out this guide onhow to use accessibility shortcut on the Apple Watch.
iPadOS will let users control their iPad using their eyes, thanks tosupport for third-party eye-tracking devices. This way, compatible MFi devices will now track the person’s eye movements and move the pointer accordingly. Meanwhile, extended eye contact will result in actions such as a tap.
Apple is refreshing its screen reader VoiceOver with enhanced capabilities. This includes more details about people, text, table data, and other objects within images. Users cannavigate images by row and columnlike a table and the feature will even describe a person’s position with respect to other objects within the image.
The Cupertino giant is also bringingsupport for recognizing audiogramsto Headphone Accommodations. Apple says users can import paper or PDF audiograms to view their latest hearing test results.
Other features coming to Apple devices include new background sounds, sound actions for Switch control, display and text size settings, and inclusive Memoji customizations for users with oxygen tubes, cochlear implants, and a soft helmet for headwear.
Subin writes about consumer tech, software, and security. He secretly misses the headphone jack while pretending he’s better off with the wireless freedom.
