accessibility

During WWDC 2021, Apple previewed iOS 15. As the company unveiled many features for the general public, Apple is also always working to make its products accessible to more and more people. Here’s everything new with Accessibility on iOS 15.

Apple previewed some exciting new accessibility features yesterday and today, it is celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) across many of its platforms like the App Store, Shortcuts app, TV app, Maps, Fitness+, Today at Apple sessions in its stores, and more.

Apple today announced a new accessibility service called SignTime coming to Apple Store and Apple Support customers. The service will connect people with AppleCare and Retail Customer Care teams using sign language. SignTime launches May 20.

Along with a host of new accessibility features announced today, iOS is set to gain a new Background Sounds feature to help reduce distractions and promote focus, calm, and rest.

Apple has announced a variety of new software features coming soon to iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. All of these features focus on Accessibility, including AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch, eye-tracking support for iPad, and much more.

The UK’s Financial Ombudsman has opened an investigation into whether Apple discriminates against severely disabled customers through its iPhone Upgrade Program conditions.

The complaint was filed by Colin Hughes, a quadriplegic Apple user who says he is unable to comply with Apple UK’s requirement to visit a store in person in order to join or renew …

Automatic live captions of videos, podcasts, and phone calls was a headline feature of Google’s Pixel smartphones last year, but thanks to a new Chrome update, the same accessibility option is now available on Macs.

Simply update to the stable version of Chrome 89, and you can simply toggle on the feature, which turns speech into text in a privacy-protecting way …

Apple just gave an overhaul to its accessibility landing page to better highlight the native features in macOS and iOS that allow user’s devices to “work the way you do” and encourage everyone to “make something wonderful.” Now a new interview with Apple’s accessibility and AI/ML engineers goes into more detail on the company’s approach to improving accessibility with iOS 14.

The Apple Accessibility website has been given a major revamp, in a move praised by accessibility and assisting tech reporter Steven Aquino – who said that it “captures their institutional love for accessibility as a thing.”

Apple heads the page with an invitation to “make something wonderful” …

Voice tweets – the ability to record and tweet an audio message – are coming to more iOS Twitter users, while Android and web users will need to wait until some time next year. The company first began testing the feature on iOS back in June.

Twitter is also working to address a key criticism of the new feature …

Apple takes great pride in its Accessibility features, promotes them heavily, and has won awards for them. For someone living with a disability, the right technology can literally be life-changing. Apple’s technology helps many people live a more independent life.

There is, though, still room for improvement. To better understand the differences Apple technology makes, and the gaps that still exist, I interviewed Colin Hughes, a 55-year-old Brit who has severe muscular dystrophy – a muscle-wasting disease which leaves him effectively quadriplegic, unable to use either arms or legs …

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was created in 1990 to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities, is turning 30 this week. As this has also impacted technology, TechCrunch interviewed Apple’s Sarah Herrlinger to explore how the company values accessibility practices and features.

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A number of autism apps have been highlighted by Apple on World Autism Awareness Day, an annual event intended to educate people about those with autistic spectrum disorders. It is part of the company’s extensive commitment to accessibility.

The United Nations has drawn attention to the specific challenges faced by people with autism during the coronavirus outbreak…

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Apple puts a big emphasis on the accessibility of its products, ranging from iPhone and Apple Watch to AirPods and more. In a new interview, Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s global head of accessibility, offers more details about Apple’s focus on accessibility.

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Future AirPods models could offer a range of smart features that would blur the line between in-ear headphones and hearing aids, suggests a new thought piece today.

AirPods Pro models already offer a ‘layered’ sound experience, but future models could offer far more sophisticated sound processing…

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Using a mouse with an iPad was billed by Apple as an accessibility tool, included in iPadOS for those who find it hard to use a touchscreen accurately. This includes people with various conditions that affect motor control.

But the company is aware that the feature will appeal to many others too …

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This week during Apple’s WWDC sessions for developers the company showed off some new features for accessibility coming to iOS 13. These include new settings to improve app interactions for users with various motion sensitivity and color-blindness disabilities. The new features will be available in Apple’s own apps starting with iOS 13 and in third-party apps via new APIs for developers.

Head below for full details on the new features:

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