The third Tuesday of May is Global Accessibility Awareness Day. For the last several years, Apple has marked the occasion by revealing some of the accessibility features coming to its operating systems “later this year.” That means that, while we wait for the big reveal of iOS 27, macOS 27, and all the other big updates at WWDC on June 8, this is our first official look at some of the features coming with those updates this fall.
As you would expect, the new Accessibility features coming in iOS 27 lean heavily on Apple Intelligence. They include big improvements to VoiceOver, Magnifier, Voice Control, and Accessibility Reader, as well as on-device generated subtitles and a couple of new Vision Pro features.
Magnifier and Voice Over get a big update to Visual Intelligence. They can give a more detailed answer about what is in the viewfinder or the contents of an image. This is a good hint at the work Apple is doing on Visual Intelligence in general, as the same core systems are used to identify objects and text in photos and videos systemwide.
The Voice Control feature currently operates using a set list of discrete commands, but will evolve in the OS 27 updates to use natural language. You can describe what you want to tap, zoom, or scroll to not just by name, but by color or content. Again, this is a good look into AI features coming throughout the OS—it uses new AI capabilities to “see” and understand what is on your screen, and this will likely be a part of Siri and other features for everyone.
The Accessibility Reader now works on a wider range of content with more complex formatting like tables, images, and multiple columns. Again, Apple using AI to better understand and interpret what is on-screen.
The new OSes will be able to generate and display subtitles for any video, not just those with caption metadata. It can do this entirely on-device on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Vision Pro.
Those who use a power wheelchair and can’t use a driving joystick will appreciate the new Vision Pro wheelchair control feature. It uses the eye-tracking of Vision Pro to manipulate a wheelchair control interface that works with Tolt and LUCI alternative drive systems in the U.S. using either Bluetooth or a wired connection. Apple says it is working to support more wheelchair and drive systems in the future.
Some additional OS updates coming this fall are:
- Vehicle Motion Cues come to visionOS. Vision Pro will also support face gestures for performing taps and system actions, plus a new way to select elements with one’s eyes while using Dwell Control.
- Touch Accommodations provide a new way to personalize setup in iOS and iPadOS.
- Made for iPhone hearing aids pair and hand off between Apple devices more reliably, with an improved setup experience in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS.
- Larger Text support is coming to tvOS.
- Name Recognition, which can notify users who are deaf or hard of hearing if someone says their name, works across more than 50 languages globally.
- For sign language interpretation app developers, a new API supports users in adding a human interpreter to an ongoing FaceTime video call.
- Those with difficulty interacting with traditional controllers can now connect the Sony Access controller as a game controller with iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
All of these things are coming “later this year.” Apple doesn’t mention iOS 27, macOS 27, visionOS 27, etc. by name (these don’t officially exist until they are announced at WWDC in June), but that’s what “later this year” means.
If you’re looking for something available now, Apple’s announcement mentions that the third-party Hikawa Grip & Stand, a magsafe iPhone grip made for those who need extra help gripping their iPhones, is available globally at the Apple Store online.
Apple
