Apple unveiled a range of new features aimed at enhancing accessibility for individuals with mobility, cognitive, vision, or hearing impairments. Among these advancements, the standout feature is Personal Voice, specifically designed for those who may experience a loss of speech ability.
With the Personal Voice function, users can generate a synthesized voice that closely resembles their own, facilitating easier communication with friends and family. By reading a series of text prompts aloud on their iPhone or iPad for approximately 15 minutes, users can create their unique Personal Voice. They can then input their desired message, which will be vocalized using their personalized synthesized voice through the Live Speech integration.
To prioritize privacy and security, Apple emphasizes that this feature utilizes on-device machine learning, ensuring that personal data remains confidential.
Enhanced Assistive Access and Magnifier Functionality
In addition to the Personal Voice function, Apple is introducing condensed versions of its major applications through a feature called Assistive Access. This feature aims to simplify experiences and applications, lightening the cognitive load for individuals with cognitive disorders.
Another notable improvement is the new detection option within the Magnifier function, which benefits users who are blind or visually impaired. By pointing the device’s camera at physical objects with text labels, such as a microwave keypad, users can have the labels read aloud as they navigate their touch across each number or setting on the appliance. This enables a seamless interaction experience.
These accessibility features from Apple demonstrate the company’s commitment to inclusivity and ensuring that individuals with disabilities have equal access to technology and its benefits.
Improvements for Mac Users
Apple also revealed a number of other accessibility improvements for Mac users. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing will be able to connect their Made for iPhone hearing aids to a Mac, increasing their accessibility options. Apple is also adding a simpler way to change the text size in Mac apps including Finder, Messages, Mail, Calendar, and Notes.
The upcoming improvements will also allow you to pause GIFs in Messages and Safari, give Siri different speaking speeds, and utilize Voice Control to provide phonetic suggestions while you edit text. The existing accessibility features from Apple, such as Live Captions, Voice Over, Door Detection, and others, are built upon by these additional features.
Apple’s wide range of new accessibility features highlights the company’s continuous dedication to diversity and making sure its products are usable by people with a variety of needs. Apple continues to empower and improve the lives of persons with impairments by utilizing technology. Later this year, these developments are expected to be made available, maybe as part of iOS 17, further establishing Apple’s status as a pioneer in accessibility innovation.
“Accessibility is part of everything we do at Apple,” Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of global accessibility policy and initiatives, said in a statement. “These groundbreaking features were designed with feedback from members of disability communities every step of the way, to support a diverse set of users and help people connect in new ways.”
