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/or iPad will include Eye Tracking, Music Haptics, Vocal Shortcuts, and Vehicle Motion Cues, while CarPlay will be gaining Voice Control, Color Filters, and Sound Recognition. Mac users will gain the ability to customize VoiceOver keyboard shortcuts and more, and the Vision Pro headset will get systemwide Live Captions, Reduce Transparency, Smart Invert, and Dim Flashing Lights.

Eye Tracking

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.

Music Haptics

When the Music Haptics feature is turned on, the iPhone’s Taptic Engine will play “taps, textures, and refined vibrations” that correspond with the audio of the music:

Music Haptics is a new way for users who are deaf or hard of hearing to experience music on iPhone. With this accessibility feature turned on, the Taptic Engine in iPhone plays taps, textures, and refined vibrations to the audio of the music. Music Haptics works across millions of songs in the Apple Music catalog, and will be available as an API for developers to make music more accessible in their apps.

Vocal Shortcuts

Vocal Shortcuts will allow iPhone and iPad users to assign “custom utterances” that Siri can understand to “launch shortcuts and complete complex tasks.”

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…

This article, "Apple Announces iOS 18 Accessibility Features, Including Eye Tracking" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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