Apple has today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 to the public; bringing new functionality for VoiceOver and braille users; several enhancements to Apple Intelligence, including priority notifications and expanded language support; as well as new emoji characters, a new "Ambient Music" feature in Control Center, Mail categorization for iPadOS, and more. Apple has also released iOS 15.8.4 and iOS 16.7.11 for older devices unable to run iOS 18.
iPadOS
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Apple has today released iOS 18 to the public. iOS 18 brings several major changes, including a new Passwords app, new Lock Screen customization options, RCS messaging support, the ability to customize the Control Center, a redesigned Photos app; and much, much more. Apple has today also released software updates for its other platforms including iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, watchOS 11, and tvOS 18.
iOS 18 also contains a number of new accessibility features for blind, DeafBlind, and visually impaired users. AppleVis has the following iOS 18 resources available:
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Apple has today released iOS 13.1.1 and iPadOS 13.1.1 to fix a small number of bugs and address one security vulnerability.
According to Apple's release notes, the iOS 13.1.1 update addresses the following bugs:
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Apple has today released iOS 13.1.2 and iPadOS 13.1.2 to fix a small number of bugs.
According to Apple's release notes, via MacRumors, these updates include bug fixes for several issues, including problems with the camera, iCloud backup, and flashlight:
iOS 13.1.2:
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Apple has today released iOS and iPadOS 14.4.1, macOS Big Sur 11.2.3 , and watchOS 7.3.2.
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Apple has today released iOS 14.4.2, iPadOS 14.4.2, iOS 12.5.2 for older devices, and watchOS 7.3.3 with a critical Webkit security fix
As these updates appear to have been released to address a specific issue, our expectation is that they do not contain any accessibility changes for blind and low vision users; however, if you notice any changes, improvements or regressions in your own use of these releases, please post a comment with your findings.
Release Notes
The release notes for these updates simply state:
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Apple has today released iPadOS 14.7. This appears to be a relatively minor update for a single dot release, focusing on a small number of changes and fixes.
According to the release notes from Apple, this update fixes a bug which could cause braille displays to show invalid information while composing Mail messages.
At the time of posting, we are unaware of any additional fixes, enhancements or regressions for blind and low vision users.
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Apple has released updates for its software platforms today, including iOS 16.3.1 and iPadOS 16.3.1, which aim to provide important bug fixes and security updates. These updates address issues such as unresponsive or incorrect iCloud settings display, Siri requests for Find My not working, and crash detection optimizations for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models.
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Over the past few days, 9to5Mac and MacRumors have posted details of several iOS features that are reportedly in development at Apple.
Based upon findings in supposed unreleased iOS 14 code, one of these reports is of a new developer framework named VoiceProvider, which could let developers replace built-in speech voices on iOS with custom text-to-speech synthesizers.
Information on how this might be used is speculative, with MacRumors saying:
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We are thrilled to unveil our 2023 Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card, which provides valuable insights into the experiences and opinions of visually impaired community members who rely on VoiceOver, Braille support, or the low vision features on Apple devices.
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AppleVis is pleased to unveil our 2024 Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card. The only report of its kind to focus specifically on the needs of people who are blind, DeafBlind, or who have low vision, the Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card provides valuable insights into the lived experiences and opinions of this user group.
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We are thrilled to unveil our inaugural Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card, which provides valuable insights into the experiences and opinions of visually impaired community members who rely on VoiceOver, Braille support, or the low vision features on Apple devices.
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Welcome to the March 2020 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of the best content posted to AppleVis by members of the community - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.
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Welcome to the November 2019 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of the best content posted to AppleVis by members of the community - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.
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Welcome to the October 2019 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of the best content posted to AppleVis by members of the community - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.
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Welcome to the September 2019 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of the best content posted to AppleVis by members of the community - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.
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Intro
Apple has just concluded its annual September media event. This year's, which it titled "By Innovation Only", gave us new iPhones, the Series 5 Apple Watch, and more details on the company's new Apple Arcade and Apple TV Plus subscription services. Innovation, though, wasn't exactly the word I first thought of when I considered how to sum up the announcements. Don't get me wrong: the new iPhones have some great new features, and it will be interesting to see where the new subscription services go.
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Apple will publicly release iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 on Monday, September 18, 2023. This post contains a summary of new bugs impacting VoiceOver, Braille support, and low vision features that we have identified during testing of these upcoming releases. We have also included details on previously reported bugs that appear to be fixed in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 based on our testing.
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Apple has today released iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, introducing new communication features in Phone, Messages, and FaceTime for greater self-expression, while StandBy offers a full-screen Charging view and AirDrop improves contact sharing. The updates also enhance text input, Widgets, Safari, Music, AirPlay and more.
For users of accessibility features, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 introduce several noteworthy new features and enhancements. The most significant of these updates are:
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Apple has today released iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 to the public.
The iOS 17.3 release notes simply state that “this update introduces additional security measures with Stolen Device Protection. This release also includes a new Unity wallpaper to honor Black history and culture in celebration of Black History Month, as well as other features, bug fixes, and security updates for your iPhone.”
Stolen Device Protection adds an additional layer of security in the event someone has stolen your iPhone and also obtained the device's passcode.