A wave of accessibility announcements today from Apple reveals updates that should help people read, see, and even speak via its various devices. We’ll highlight a few here, but Apple’s press release has the complete list, including changes to features that can both reduce distracting background sounds and, for users who may be deaf or hard of hearing, highlight important sounds and recognize when someone nearby is saying their name.
One of the most visible changes is a new Accessibility Nutrition Labels section in the App Store that will make it easy to find what features an app or game supports.
Several large gaming companies recently announced a similar push for clear labeling denoting supported features as part of the Accessible Games Initiative. Apple’s new labels will include information about Apple-specific features like VoiceOver, as well as other settings like adjustable contrast, audio descriptions, and captions.
Another change that sticks out is support for a new protocol for Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs). According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is working with Synchron to add Switch Control for BCIs that enable control of a device without physical movement. The Journal reports that devices like Synchron’s Stentrode or Neuralink’s implants could translate brain signals into controls more directly than having to emulate another device, like a mouse. Ten people have been implanted with the Stentrode device so far, but the standard will be available to other developers as well once it’s released.
Commercial approval for those devices is still years away at best, so in the present, Apple will also have new options for Eye Tracking control in iOS devices and the Vision Pro that make it easier to type, as well as Head Tracking on the iPhone and iPad that allows control via head movements.
The Magnifier app that’s already available on iPhone and iPad is coming to the Mac. Now it will be able to connect to a user’s computer to zoom in on their surroundings for viewing on computer screens, with support for attached USB cameras as well as Continuity Camera on iPhone. Another feature moving to the Mac will be Vehicle Motion Cues, which help to reduce motion sickness and were launched on iOS last year.
Other upgrades are coming to Personal Voice, which will support Spanish and be able to create a synthesized voice for people who are at risk of losing the ability to speak in less than a minute, down from the 15 minutes when it was announced in 2023.
