Apple Launches Redesigned Accessibility Site and New Support Videos

[MacRumors]

Apple today is honoring International Day of Persons with Disabilities with a re-launch of its Accessibility site and a new collection of tutorial videos highlighting the accessibility features of its software.

As spotted by iMore, the redesigned site is made up of four broad sections that showcase many of the accessibility features across Apple's product range, with new categories covering vision, mobility, hearing, and cognitive features.

The vision section covers several iOS features such as the Magnifier, Zoom, Larger Text, Voiceover + Braille, and Spoken Content, while the hearing covers using Sound Recognition, Headphone Accommodations, Sensory Alerts, Live Listen, and many more useful tools.

Meanwhile, over on the Apple Support YouTube channel, Apple has added new how-to videos to its Accessibility playlist on using the Magnifier, the BackTap feature, and specific Voice Control usage scenarios, including how to take a selfie.

Apple's Accessibility website and the Apple Support channel have more details.

Apple's Accessibility Engineering Lead for iOS Chris Fleizach and Senior Director of Global Accessibility, Policy, and Initiatives Sarah Herrlinger also did an interview with TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino to discuss the newest accessibility technology from Apple.

Article Link: Apple Launches Redesigned Accessibility Site and New Support Videos

 

[Jony Ive and Co.]

I never knew Apple introduced Back Tap in iOS 14!!!! I just tried it and it's a really cool feature, I must say. Looks so futuristic and it actually works. Wow. U just have to tap the BACK of ur phone and its seriously some cool stuff that was never mentioned in the keynotes

I wonder how it works, if there somehow are hidden touch sensors on the back panel, or whether it relies on the accelerometer to measure microscopic movement on the plane/level of the iPhone caused by taps

 

[EmotionalSnow]

I never knew Apple introduced Back Tap in iOS 14!!!! I just tried it and it's a really cool feature, I must say. Looks so futuristic and it actually works. Wow. U just have to tap the BACK of ur phone and its seriously some cool stuff that was never mentioned in the keynotes

I wonder how it works, if there somehow are hidden touch sensors on the back panel, or whether it relies on the accelerometer to measure microscopic movement on the plane/level of the iPhone caused by taps

Nope, no touch sensor. Just the accelerometer, and that's why it's unfortunately not perfect.

 

[jerry333]

And you still can't lock the screen in Landscape Mode. This seems like such a simple thing, but you can't do it.

 

[polyphenol]

The one feature I really want - equalisation when listening through HomePod mini (whatever source) - not present so far as I can see.

 

[McScooby]

Nope, no touch sensor. Just the accelerometer, and that's why it's unfortunately not perfect.

& not on the iPad for some reason.

 

[CHLFC]

Apple still has some way to go for its devices to be truly accessible to everyone, especially those with physical disabilities who have problems accessing screens and rely on voice access instead. It should start by plugging some glaring gaps with the basics 1) the company needs to add the ability to end a iPhone phone call with a voice command as you can on the HomePod, “hey Siri end call” 2)needs to add the auto-answer feature to the Apple Watch cellular; it is a phone after all 3) needs to give users the ability to toggle auto—answer on/off by Siri voice commands “hey Siri turn on/off auto-answer. Ironic that a feature designed to help people who can’t touch a screen requires you to...touch the screen to turn it on.
4) Dictation in Voice Control needs to become more accurate and productive for long form dictation. Needs to go way beyond dictating a short message like “Happy birthday” or “I will be home in 5 minutes”.

Hopefully, on this the International Day of Disabled People someone at Apple is listening

 

[Mr. Awesome]

& not on the iPad for some reason.

The iPad is much bigger, so it’s harder for the accelerometer to detect a tap anywhere on the back.

 

[MICHAELSD]

It would be great to get an option in Accessibility to enable DC dimming on iPhone 12.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Trying to meet the needs of so many people with different physical needs is where Apple really shines.

 

[miniyou64]

Apple makes some ridiculously bad decisions regarding accessibility making you wonder do they actually ever ask people with disabilities to test things? Is Apple better than other companies sure. But some of their decisions are nonsensical

 

[Annv]

I wish Apple paid more attention to Voice Control:

1. Rent a better speech recognition engine from Nuance.
2. Cover all other languages, not just 3 variants of English.
3. Add a user vocabulary feature for all the languages they support.
4. Implement an easy language switching for text dictation, independently from Voice Control language.
5. Make it work in all text fields, including in Windows virtual machines.
6. Test the feature so it does not feel half-baked.

That would be a true, not marketing, honouring of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

 

[CHLFC]

I wish Apple paid more attention to Voice Control:

1. Rent a better speech recognition engine from Nuance.
2. Cover all other languages, not just 3 variants of English.
3. Add a user vocabulary feature for all the languages they support.
4. Implement an easy language switching for text dictation, independently from Voice Control language.
5. Make it work in all text fields, including in Windows virtual machines.
6. Test the feature so it does not feel half-baked.

That would be a true, not marketing, honouring of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Agree with you 100 per cent on all your points. Voice Control has been such a half baked disappointment thus far. Apple has practically ignored it since launch. macOS Big Sur and iOS 14 brought few improvements worth mentioning. If you are in employment and disabled and rely on speech recognition on a Mac to get things done, long emails, documents etc you can forget Voice Control. It’s little more than a patronising toy. I have to run Parallels on my MacBook and use Nuance Dragon to be productive.As an Apple fan I feel let down. It doesn’t need to be like this if Apple showed Voice Control some love and investment and recognised the critical importance high quality speech recognition is to some disabled people who don’t have a plan B for communicating with the online world. Hopefully, someone with influence within Apple is reading the important points you make and we will see some significant improvements to Voice Control in 2021.

I would add word training to your list. I have jargon and friends with foreign names and Voice Control fails to recognise them time after time.

 

[Annv]

Agree with you 100 per cent on all your points. Voice Control has been such a half baked disappointment thus far. Apple has practically ignored it since launch. macOS Big Sur and iOS 14 brought few improvements worth mentioning. If you are in employment and disabled and rely on speech recognition on a Mac to get things done, long emails, documents etc you can forget Voice Control. It’s little more than a patronising toy. I have to run Parallels on my MacBook and use Nuance Dragon to be productive.As an Apple fan I feel let down. It doesn’t need to be like this if Apple showed Voice Control some love and investment and recognised the critical importance high quality speech recognition is to some disabled people who don’t have a plan B for communicating with the online world. Hopefully, someone with influence within Apple is reading the important points you make and we will see some significant improvements to Voice Control in 2021.

I would add word training to your list. I have jargon and friends with foreign names and Voice Control fails to recognise them time after time.

Let's hope they read and listen!