Apple to bring all-new magnifier, braille experience and more accessibility features

Among the big technology companies, Apple has been the strong advocate of promoting accessibility features in its devices-- iPhones, Mac computers, Watches, iPads and TV.

Last year, Apple introduced eye tracking, Listen for Atypical Speech, Vocal Shortcuts and more.

The Cupertino-based company also rolled out an update to AirPods Pro to turn it into an affordable hearing aid.

Now, Apple has announced to bring more accessibility features to improve the user experience for differently abled customers.

Magnifier, which has been available for iPhone and iPad, is coming to Mac devices. The Magnifier app for Mac will be able to connect to a user’s camera so they can zoom in on their surroundings, such as a screen or whiteboard. Magnifier works with Continuity Camera on iPhone as well as attached USB cameras, and supports reading documents using Desk View.

Apple Braille Access feature.

Another big feature is the Braille Access. It can turn iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro into a full-featured braille note taker.

With a built-in app launcher, users can open the app just by typing with Braille Screen Input or a connected braille device.

With Braille Access, users can easily take notes in braille format and perform calculations using Nemeth Braille, a braille code used in classrooms for math and science.

Also, users can open Braille Ready Format (BRF) files directly from Braille Access. It also comes integrated with Live Captions, and this allows users to transcribe conversations in real-time directly on braille displays.

Accessibility Reader on Apple iPhone.

Apple is also bringing Accessibility Reader. It will be integrated with systemwide settings and apps including the Magnifier app. It is designed to make text easier to read for users with disabilities, such as dyslexia or impaired vision. It offers options to customise texts and focus on the content they want to read, with extensive options for font, colour, and spacing, as well as support for Spoken Content.

It will be made available with new software updates to iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro.

For the first time, Live Listen and Live Captions are coming to Apple Watches. When a session is active on iPhone, users can view Live Captions of what their iPhone hears on a paired Apple Watch while listening along to the audio. Apple Watch also serves as a remote control to start or stop Live Listen session, or jump back in a session to capture something that may have been missed.

Live Listen to come to Apple Watches soon.

Vision Pro will also get new enhanced vision features. With Zoom, users can magnify everything in view — including their surroundings — using the main camera. For VoiceOver users, Live Recognition in visionOS will make good use of the on-device machine learning to describe surroundings, find objects, read documents, and more.

Besides the new features, Apple will also improve existing accessibility features including Personal Voice, Vehicle Motion Cues, Eye Tracking, Head Tracking, Music Haptics, Assistive Access and more.

One of the most notable is the option to share the accessibility settings with other Apple devices. With this, users can instantly share their accessibility settings with another iPhone or iPad. This will come in handy if the person with disability borrows a friend’s device for some time.

To mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) on May 15, Apple Store will have dedicated tables highlighting accessibility features on a variety of Apple devices in select store locations throughout the month of May. Additionally, Apple offers accessibility sessions year-round through Today at Apple for deeper learning, tips, and feature customisation.

Also, Apple TV+ has shared a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the new Apple Original film Deaf President Now!, which premieres on Apple TV+ on May 16.

On Apple Fitness+, Apple will welcome Chelsie Hill as a guest in a Dance workout with Fitness+ trainer Ben Allen. Hill is said to a professional dancer and founder of Rolettes, an L.A.-based wheelchair dance team that advocates for disability representation and women’s empowerment.

On Apple Music, the company will be sharing the story of artist Kiddo K. Also, it will highlight music haptics features for users who are deaf or hard of hearing.

People will also see a brand-new playlist featuring ASL interpretations of music videos alongside Saylists playlists.

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