Apple’s new accessibility features, including Assistive Access, Live Speech, and more, will arrive later this year. Apple today previewed software features for cognitive, vision, hearing, and mobility accessibility, along with innovative tools for individuals who are nonspeaking or at risk of losing their ability to speak. These updates draw on advances in hardware and software, include on-device machine learning to ensure user privacy, and expand on Apple’s long-standing commitment to making products for everyone. Apple works in deep collaboration with community groups representing a broad spectrum of users with disabilities to develop accessibility features that make a real impact on people’s lives. Coming later this year, users with cognitive disabilities can use iPhone and iPad with greater ease and independence…

Apple’s new accessibility features, including Assistive Access, Live Speech, and more, will arrive later this year. Apple today previewed software features for cognitive, vision, hearing, and mobility accessibility, along with innovative tools for individuals who are nonspeaking or at risk of losing their ability to speak. These updates draw on advances in hardware and software, include on-device machine learning to ensure user privacy, and expand on Apple’s long-standing commitment to making products for everyone. Apple works in deep collaboration with community groups representing a broad spectrum of users with disabilities to develop accessibility features that make a real impact on people’s lives. Coming later this year, users with cognitive disabilities can use iPhone and iPad with greater ease and independence…

Apple Personal Voice and Live Speech accessibility features. | Image: Apple Today, Apple previewed a bundle of new features designed for cognitive, vision, hearing, and mobility accessibility. That includes a new Personal Voice feature for people who may lose their ability to speak, allowing them to create “a synthesized voice that sounds like them” to talk with friends or family members. According to Apple, users can create a Personal Voice by reading a set of text prompts aloud for a total of 15 minutes of audio on the iPhone or iPad. Since the feature integrates with Live Speech, users can then type what they want to say and have their Personal Voice read it to whomever they want to talk…

In iOS 16.4.1 and iPadOS 16.4.1, Siri cannot create or read back calendar events set on the 31st of a given month, causing problems for accessibility.Try it yourself. Tell Siri that you want to set an event for the 31st of any month.A strange bug in iOS 16.4.1 and iPadOS 16.4.1 is causing headaches for those who rely on Siri to set appointments in the Calendar app, such as a person with a vision disability, as well as for those who simply prefer to set appointments by voice. The bug did not appear in earlier versions of iOS and iPadOS 16. Read more...

In iOS 16.4.1 and iPadOS 16.4.1, Siri cannot create or read back calendar events set on the 31st of a given month, causing problems for accessibility.Try it yourself. Tell Siri that you want to set an event for the 31st of any month.A strange bug in iOS 16.4.1 and iPadOS 16.4.1 is causing headaches for those who rely on Siri to set appointments in the Calendar app, such as a person with a vision disability, as well as for those who simply prefer to set appointments by voice. The bug did not appear in earlier versions of iOS and iPadOS 16. Read more...

In iOS 16.4.1 and iPadOS 16.4.1, Siri cannot create or read back calendar events set on the 31st of a given month, causing problems for accessibility.Try it yourself. Tell Siri that you want to set an event for the 31st of any month.A strange bug in iOS 16.4.1 and iPadOS 16.4.1 is causing headaches for those who rely on Siri to set appointments in the Calendar app, such as a person with a vision disability, as well as for those who simply prefer to set appointments by voice. The bug did not appear in earlier versions of iOS and iPadOS 16. Read more...