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The iPhone 16 Pro Max is the largest iPhone Apple has ever made, and it offers the longest ever battery life on an iPhone. It also has the highest starting price tag of any iPhone (it starts at $1,199 and goes up very quickly from there). Some would never consider a Pro Max model because of the size alone; and that was before Apple increased the screen size this year. But for me, after…

We are excited to announce the launch of our first annual AppleVis Community Survey.

Since our founding in 2010, our mission at AppleVis has been to empower people who are blind, DeafBlind, or who have low vision to get the most from Apple products, first- and third-party applications, and related technologies.

Today, we are launching a survey to hear about your experiences using AppleVis. We want your feedback--both about things we are doing well, as well as how we can…

Apple has today released iOS 18.0.1, iPadOS 18.0.1, macOS Sequoia 15.0.1, and watchOS 11.0.1; bringing bug fixes for a small number of issues identified after last month's software releases.

As iOS 18.0.1, iPadOS 18.0.1, macOS Sequoia 15.0.1, and watchOS 11.0.1 were not distributed to external testers prior to their release, we do not have any information on whether they contain fixes for VoiceOver or braille at the time of writing. However, as these updates appear to have been…

Welcome to a special edition of AppleVis Unlimited, your monthly digest of the latest and most notable content on the AppleVis website. This edition covers July-September 2024 and features a curated selection of community-submitted content, including new app entries; updates; news; popular discussions; and podcasts. We hope you will find it to be both helpful and informative.

An Opening Thought

It has been an incredible month here at AppleVis. At the end of July, it…

Alongside the releases of iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia, AppleInsider reports that Apple has also released iOS 17.7,…

Apple has today released macOS 15 Sequoia to the public. As usual, we won’t cover the mainstream features here, concentrating instead on what's new and changed for blind and low vision users. For an overview of the mainstream changes, we recommend this in-depth review by MacStories.

Please remember to check the section about bugs to see if now is the right time to upgrade. There’s no harm in holding…

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…

Apple released iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 on Monday, September 16, 2024. This post contains a summary of new bugs impacting VoiceOver and braille support that we have identified during testing of these releases. We have also included details on preexisting bugs that our testing suggests have been fixed in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.

As is our routine practice, each newly identified bug has been given a severity rating. These ratings are based upon what we believe to be the implications for…

Introduction

Fall is almost here in the northern hemisphere, which means it’s time for another major release of iOS. There are certainly mainstream changes of note, such as a new Passwords app; an expanded Control Center; changes to the Messages app like the addition of support for RCS messaging; and many more. This article from iDownloadBlog…

Decisions, Decisions...

I've used an iPhone 13 Mini almost since it came out. I got it in November of 2021, and have been very happy with its small size and light weight. The battery was great for a few months, but new iOS features and time took their toll. Now, despite a battery replacement, I'm lucky to get through a day of light to moderate use without having to recharge before bed. Going out in the evening is stressful, because I always wonder if my phone will have the juice.…

Intro

Today's Apple announcements, at an event entitled "It's Glowtime", were exactly what many of us expected: new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods. We also got a release day for all the big software updates. watchOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and macOS will all get their big upgrades on Monday, September 16.

TL;DR:

• Apple Watch Series 10 is a bit thinner (9.7mm) than Series 9, and comes in at larger screen sizes (42mm and 46mm). The screen is brighter when viewed…

It was like a dream, but not as coherent. I was lying on a storage room floor amongst stacked boxes. Maybe. I believed it was dark, for what that was worth. AND, I heard distant, thin reedy voices. Was I safe? Should I call out? Who am I and what am I doing here? My reptilian brain spoke up. "Stay quiet. Hide. Alone is good."

Clarity and reality eventually bubbled up. I learned something interesting that explained nearly everything. Hospital drugs are truly powerful.…

This past spring, after nine years of early retirement, a part-time job unexpectedly landed in my lap. It’s tempting to pat myself on the back and accept this as normal, simply the result of an employer who finally recognized my abilities, talents, and genius. It’s all me, baby. Yeah.

Not.

Even my ego isn’t that big.

To be honest with you, and with myself, I had to admit I never would’ve landed this freelance writing job if it weren’t for AppleVis. After nine…

Dear AppleVis Community, friends, and supporters,

We are very excited to announce that the AppleVis website has fully reopened. Please read on for some important updates:

• We will be publishing all of our traditional content surrounding Apple's Fall software releases in the coming days. This includes blog and podcast coverage of today's Apple Keynote; as well as a listing of bugs present in iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia. Our bug lists will be made available prior to the…

Dear AppleVis Community,

We are very excited to announce that AppleVis has partnered with the wonderful team at Be My Eyes and will reopen on September 9, 2024.

Since announcing our original plans for the site’s closure in late July 2024, we have received a tremendous outpouring of support and many generous offers of assistance—financial and technical—from both individuals and organizations. We are very grateful to all who stepped forward. Even more so than before, it is…

Update 28 August: I am thrilled to share some great news about AppleVis' future - AppleVis will be joining the Be My Eyes family through an acquisition that ensures not only its continued existence but also opens up exciting new possibilities.

When I announced the impending closure of AppleVis in July, I was deeply moved by the outpouring of support from our community. Your responses underscored the vital role AppleVis plays in the lives of so many blind and low-…

Dear AppleVis Community,

At his request, I wanted to provide you an update on AppleVis' Founder and Editor-in-Chief, David Goodwin; as well as the future of AppleVis.

As many of you already know, David Goodwin founded AppleVis in July 2010. Since that first day, David has worked tirelessly, day in and day out, to develop and maintain the AppleVis website. While myself and the rest of the AppleVis Editorial Team have supported David…

Welcome to the June 2024 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, your monthly digest of the latest and most notable content on the AppleVis website. This edition features a curated selection of community-submitted updates, including new app entries, updates, news, and podcasts.

New and Noteworthy App Entries

AO3 Disco (iOS/iPadOS, Free)

Discover fanfiction you’ll love with AI-powered search.

The AO3 Discovery Engine provides machine learning-…

Intro

Today, Apple told us what to expect in the next round of software updates, coming this fall. While the focus was, unsurprisingly, AI, there is more than just that to be excited about. Let's dive into what you can look forward to on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and Apple TV later this year. Or next year, in some cases; as has become common in the last few years, Apple announced features it won't be rolling out until well after the software's initial release.

…

Apple has announced the winners of its 2024 Apple Design Awards, which honor excellence in innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement in app and game design across seven categories: delight and fun, inclusivity, innovation, interaction, social impact, visuals and graphics, and a new spatial computing category. The winners were chosen from 42 finalists.

Among this year's…