Apple today previewed several new accessibility features coming later this year with software updates like iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, and visionOS 2. The announcement comes one day ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
The new accessibility features for the iPhone and iPad will include Eye Tracking, Music Haptics, Vocal Shortcuts, and Vehicle Motion Cues, while CarPlay will be gaining CarPlay Voice Control, Color Filters, and Sound Recognition. Apple will also be adding new accessibility features to the Vision Pro headset, including systemwide Live Captions, Reduce Transparency, Smart Invert, and Dim Flashing Lights.
Apple says Eye Tracking on the iPhone and iPad will allow users to navigate system interfaces and apps with just their eyes:
Powered by artificial intelligence, Eye Tracking gives users a built-in option for navigating iPad and iPhone with just their eyes. Designed for users with physical disabilities, Eye Tracking uses the front-facing camera to set up and calibrate in seconds, and with on-device machine learning, all data used to set up and control this feature is kept securely on device, and isn’t shared with Apple.
Eye Tracking works across iPadOS and iOS apps, and doesn’t require additional hardware or accessories. With Eye Tracking, users can navigate through the elements of an app and use Dwell Control to activate each element, accessing additional functions such as physical buttons, swipes, and other gestures solely with their eyes.
Apple is expected to unveil iOS 18 and more at its annual developers conference WWDC on June 10, and the software updates will be widely released later this year.
More details to follow…
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