Apple has announced new accessibility features for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. These include Braille Access, Magnifier on Mac, Live Captions on Apple Watch, and more. The company has also unveiled a system-wide Accessibility Read to help dyslexic and low-vision people in reading text. These features will be available on all Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad, and Macs, and the rollout is expected after WWDC 2025. Here are the details.
New Accessibility Features Coming to iOS and macOS
Apple is bringing Accessibility Nutrition Labels to the App Store. These labels will display the list of all accessibility features supported by the app before downloading it. This includes functions like Voice Over, Voice Control, Larger Text, Sufficient Contrast, Reduced Motion, Captions, and more. It will help physically challenged users determine whether the app is easy to navigate.
The company is also bringing the Maginifier app to Macs. It uses the built-in webcam or an external camera to see a zoomed-in view on their Mac. The feature has been available on iPhones since 2016 and has now finally made its way to macOS.
One of the biggest upgrades in Apple’s Accessibility features is the new Braille Access. It enables you to use your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Vision Pro as a full-fledged braille note taker. These devices will also have support for Braille Ready Format (BRF) files. It can also transcribe braille content to regular text, which will help people to understand braille text and help blind or people with visual impairments.
Apple will soon introduce a new Accessibility Reader that will work system-wide. It can enlarge text, change fonts, colour, and other elements to make it easier to read. The feature will be integrated into the Maginfier app and available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro.
It is also bringing new features to help people with hearing disabilities. The Live Listen function uses your iPhone as a remote microphone and transmits the audio in an amplified format to AirPods, Beats headphones, or any other Apple-certified hearing aid. You can also view live captions of the ongoing conversation on your Apple Watch.
Even if most have forgotten about the Vision Pro, Apple is keen and ambitious about its AR-VR headset. The visionOS will soon get new features where you can zoom in to read text. The headset will use machine learning algorithms to analyse blurry texts, and the system will use the powerful camera setup on the Vision Pro. These features will help users with low vision, and even blind people, making the Vision Pro a visual and hearing aid.
Apple has announced plans to upgrade Personal Voice, a feature that builds an audio model with your voice. This is helpful for users who risk losing their speech abilities. By recording 10 phrases, the feature can mimic your voice through text-to-speech.
When will these new features roll out?
Apple has only announced these accessibility features, and the company says that they will be available on eligible iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watch, and the Vision Pro by the end of this year. We can expect Apple to unveil more details on these features at WWDC 2025, scheduled between June 9 and June 13.
It is worth noting that Apple is said to be working on a major revamp of iOS, macOS, and all other software systems. These are said to be the biggest software upgrades in Apple’s history. The company reportedly wants to make its user experience more seamless and help users effortlessly switch between Apple devices.
