The upcoming iPhone 14 series is slated for release in September, and iOS 16 is set to debut at the WWDC event in June. Apple has just announced a set of cool accessibility features that will be included in the fall update to iOS 16 for iPhones.
Following is a list of accessibility features that will be coming to most iPhones later this year in the fall. Check them out.
Apple Watch Mirroring and Quick Actions:
Apple Watch now offers ‘Mirroring’. The Apple Watch is said to be more accessible now, especially for people with physical and motor disabilities. With this feature, they could operate the Watch using iPhone features such as Voice Control and Switch Control, to use inputs such as voice commands, sound actions, or head tracking.
A hardware and software combination is required for Apple Watch Mirroring, including “advancements built on AirPlay”. On the Apple Watch, users can easily access Blood Oxygen, Heart Rate, Mindfulness, and other features.
Apple Watch supports new Quick Actions like answering or ending a call, dismissing a notification, taking a photo, playing media or pausing a workout with a double-pinch gesture. Using AssistiveTouch technology from the Apple Watch, this feature works. Users can control Apple Watch with gestures such as pinching or clenching without touching the display.
Door Detection:
For people with vision disabilities, iOS will get a new ‘Door Detection’ feature. It enables you to find doors at new locations, detect doors, and more. Additionally, it indicates whether a door is open or closed and how far away you are from it. It will inform you if the door is closed and how it can be opened.
In addition to reading door numbers and symbols, Door Detection can also detect accessible entrance symbols. With this feature, the iPhone (or iPad) combines LiDAR, the camera and machine learning.
Live captions:
With the new accessibility update, the ‘Live Captions’ feature will also be available to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. It includes FaceTime calls, social media apps, media content, as well as “having a conversation with the person next to them” in real-time.
Some Other features that will arrive later this fall:
Apple Books: This app is updated with new themes and introduces customization features such as bolding text, changing the font, adjusting word spacing, and adjusting lines.
Sound Recognition: It can be configured to recognize unique sounds in a person’s environment.
Voice Control Spelling Mode: This allows for letter-by-letter input in order to dictate custom spellings.
Siri Pause Time: This feature is for users with speech disabilities. You can set the time before Siri responds to a request.
Voice Over: Apple’s screen reader for the blind and low vision now supports more than 20 language options (including Bengali, Bulgarian, Catalan, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese).
Buddy Controller: This feature allows users to ask a care provider or friend to help them play a game.
