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Welcome to the June 2020 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which highlights 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.

New and Noteworthy App Entries

BBC…

WWDC 2020: New Software and Fresh Chips

As usual in June, Apple has recently concluded the opening presentation of WWDC. This year brought us version 14 of iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS, as well as watchOS 7 and macOS 11. Yes, macOS 11, not 10.16. The final announcement wasn't just about software, though, but hardware: Apple is moving its entire Mac lineup to custom chips it will be designing itself, and it's starting the process this year. Maybe that's why macOS got a whole new number?…

We are pleased to announce that members of the AppleVis Community have chosen Aira and Envision AI to be the next two inductees into the AppleVis iOS App Hall of Fame.

First opened in 2011, the AppleVis iOS App Hall of Fame is one of the ways in which the AppleVis community seeks to recognize…

We are pleased to announce that voting for the 2020 inductees into the AppleVis iOS App Hall of Fame is now open.

Now in its ninth year, the AppleVis iOS App Hall of Fame is one of the ways in which the AppleVis community seeks to recognize developers of accessible iOS applications. Apps in the Hall of Fame can be liberating; empowering; life-changing; provide access to information that sighted users take for granted; or, in…

Apple has today released iOS 13.5.1, iPadOS 13.5.1, tvOS 13.4.6, watchOS 6.2.6, and a supplemental update to macOS Catalina 10.15.5 to the public.

According to Apple's release notes for iOS 13.5.1, watchOS 6.2.6, and macOS Catalina 10.15.5 supplemental update, these updates provide "important security updates" and are recommended for all users. We did not have access to the release notes for tvOS 13.4.6 at the time of writing.

As these releases appear to be only security…

Welcome to the May 2020 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which highlights 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.

New and Noteworthy App Entries

Amaroq…

Apple has today released macOS Catalina 10.15.5 to the public.

New in macOS Catalina 10.15.5 is a battery health management feature. According to MacRumors, battery Health Management is designed to extend the overall lifespan of a Mac notebook by reducing the rate of chemical aging.

Battery Health Management analyzes the battery health of a laptop and its charging pattern…

Today is the Eighth Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). This day has been set aside "to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital (web, software, mobile, etc.) access/inclusion and people with different disabilities." This according to the above linked web page on GAAD. In recent years on AppleVis, we have supported this day, with posts about…

Apple has today released TVOS 13.4.5 for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV (4th generation).

Outside of the major upgrade each year, tvOS updates are typically minor in scale with a focus on under-the-hood fixes and performance improvements. As Apple does not provide release notes for tvOS updates, we will have to wait and see if tvOS 13.4.5 does include user facing changes. We will update this post if anything of note is discovered.

To install the update, go to Settings > System…

Apple has today released iOS 13.5 and iPadOS 13.5 to the public, with Exposure Notification API, faster Face ID unlocking when wearing a face mask, a new option to automatically share selected health data with emergency services, and more.

Bug Fixes for Blind and Low Vision Users in iOS 13.5 and iPadOS 13.5

Our testing suggests that the following pre-existing accessibility bugs have been resolved in iOS 13.5 and iPadOS 13.5:

• …

Apple has today released watchOS 6.2.5 to the public.

According to Mac Rumors, watchOS 6.2.5 introduces new Pride-themed Watch faces that are designed to match this year's Pride bands. In addition, watchOS 6.2.5 brings support for ECG (Series 4 models and later) and Irregular heart rhythm notifications to users in Saudi…

Apple has today launched an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro featuring the Magic Keyboard, 10th-generation processors, double the storage across all standard configurations, and 16GB of memory standard on select configurations.

The updated 13-inch MacBook Pro features the Magic Keyboard which was first introduced on the 16-inch…

Welcome to the April 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.

New and Noteworthy App Entries

We would like to invite everyone in the AppleVis community to join us for a virtual get-together as a way to help people connect in new ways during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Our virtual get-together will be held via Zoom on Sunday, May 3, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. CDT/ 7:00 p.m. UTC. To join the meeting from iOS, Mac, PC, or Android, simply follow this link.…

Apple has today announced the launch of a second-generation iPhone SE featuring a 4.7-inch Retina HD LCD display, A13 Bionic chip, Touch ID and a single 12-megapixel camera.

Although visually similar to the iPhone 8 and sharing the same physical dimensions, the new iPhone SE features some upgraded internals to the iPhone 8 (which has been discontinued today). Probably the…

To encourage us to stay at home and get creating, several developers are giving away their music creation apps for free Since so many visually impaired people are musicians, it would make sense for these companies to incorporate accessibility into the design of their apps.

Far too often, however, for screen reader users, music software is difficult to use at best. On…

Apple has today released watchOS 6.2.1 and a supplemental update to macOS 10.15.4, addressing an issue that prevented Macs running macOS 10.15.4 and Apple Watches running watchOS 6.2 from participating in FaceTime calls with devices running iOS 9.3.6 or earlier, or OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 or earlier.

According to Apple's release notes for watchOS 6.2.1, via 9to5Mac the update:

• Fixes an issue where…

Apple has today released iOS 13.4.1 and iPadOS 13.4.1 to the public.

These appear to be minor releases focusing on fixes for a small number of bugs which Apple presumably believed should not wait until the releases of iOS 13.4.5 and iPadOS 13.4.5 (both of which are currently in beta testing).

In the case of iOS 13.4.1, the release notes mention just two fixes:

• Fixes an issue where devices running iOS 13.4 could not participate in FaceTime calls…

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.

New and Noteworthy App Entries

Like most folks, I have always been a bit of a social animal. I delighted in dining with friends at our local Periodic Table Supper Club. I liked walking around the block with a neighbor friend and talking to others in their front yards. I enjoyed traveling with my wife wherever and whenever we wanted. And, we absolutely loved it when our kids dropped by the house. That was then, this is now.

A new abnormal has descended upon all of us. An unwanted virus has invaded our lives. It was…