iOS 19 & Co: Apple delivers new functions for accessibility features
A large package of accessibility innovations is coming to Apple devices in the fall. Support for brain-computer interfaces is also in the works.
Apple will soon be bringing the Magnifier app known from the iPhone to macOS.
(Image: Apple)
New accessibility features are set to make Apple's operating systems even more accessible. The manufacturer announced a large package of new accessibility features on Tuesday, which are planned for the current year – probably as part of iOS 19 and macOS 16, among others. This includes a system-wide reading mode ("Accessibility Reader") to adapt text in any app as required – and have it read aloud directly. The function is also integrated into Magnifier to make text on physical objects in the environment easier to read, as Apple announced. The Magnifier app is also coming to the Mac, where it can be used in conjunction with a camera.
App Store shows accessibility functions
In future, the App Store will indicate when an app is designed to be accessible and which accessibility features are supported, so that users will receive this information before downloading. Apple is also working on extended Braille support, for example to take notes directly in Braille format and perform calculations in Nemeth Braille.
With watchOS 12, the Apple Watch is expected to support Apple's Live Listening function, which will also transcribe conversations in the vicinity on the watch in real time. The live subtitles will also work in German in future. With its camera system, the Vision Pro also offers new accessibility modes to zoom in on things in the physical environment or to have information about objects in the wearer's own surroundings presented to them.
Support for brain-computer interfaces
Apple also promises many detailed improvements to existing accessibility features. These include the option to automatically stop background noise after a certain time. Apple is also promising new features for motion cues to minimize nausea in vehicles. The function will also be available on Macs for the first time.
Videos by heise
In addition to enhancements to device control with eye and head tracking, Apple has also announced support for a new protocol for alternative control systems with a brain-computer interface (BCI). The company is apparently working together with the US company Synchron. This company is developing a stent-like brain implant that is implanted via a vein near the motor cortex of the brain, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Additional innovations are also expected in the areas of music haptics, sound recognition, personal voice and enhanced operating aids for CarPlay for text display and recognition of ambient noise. It will also be possible to temporarily share your own accessibility settings with another device. iOS 19 and macOS 16 are expected to be released in the fall, with Apple showcasing the new operating systems at the WWDC developer conference in early June.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externer Preisvergleich (heise Preisvergleich) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (heise Preisvergleich) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
(lbe)
