Apple Unveils New Accessibility Features for Users with Disabilities
Apple has unveiled a set of accessibility features that will be integrated to its software platforms in the coming months. These features target users with disabilities.
The first feature that stands out is the music haptics, which is based on the iPhone Taptic Engine, responsible for translating audio into physical feedback. It also offers vibrations, taps, touch responsive textures that synchronize with the supported Apple Music tracks.
This feature is designed to enhance the musical experience of individuals with hearing disabilities and disorders. Moreover, developers will have access to an API, enabling them to integrate this ability into their apps.
The other enhancement focuses on addressing motion sickness with new vehicle motion cues use the device’s built-in sensors, which detect motion changes. It then displays animated dots along the edges of the screen to make these changes visually clear, therefore, reducing the perceptual conflict for users who suffer from motion sickness.
The Listen for Atypical Speech feature will be added to the functionalities of Siri, allowing to perform specific tasks and shortcuts. It provides greater accessibility and convenience, especially for users with physical disabilities or those who prefer voice commands.
This feature also operates within machine learning to identify unique speech patterns. Users suffering from conditions like cerebral palsy, ALS, or stroke will benefit from this improvement.
In contrast, the eye-tracking feature, which uses the front facing camera and on device machine learning, can be setup easily and adjusted. It also ensures that the data available on the device remains secure and not shared with the company.
In a press release, Apple mentioned that these updates are expected to be available on iOS and iPadOS 18 “later this year”, before its upcoming WWDC event scheduled next month.
It is worth mentioning that these accessibility updates were announced just a day before the Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 16th. The upcoming updates are expected to make Apple’s products more inclusive and user-friendly.
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