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:
It's difficult to believe that iOS will be turning into a legal adult next fall, though the iOS 17 upgrade is far from being minor. Many new features and functions will be available for everyone. To check out some of the mainstream changes, Apple's official iOS 17 preview page may help. Alternatively, our main post announcing iOS 17 offers a large list of mainstream enhancements as well as a list of changes in accessibility. Not all…
"Daddy!"
The cry was plaintive, and clearly directed my way. Ugh! I was relaxing in a comfortably furnished waiting room, enjoying some cinnamon coffee cake, and I was prepared to completely ignore the unnecessary outburst.
"Daddy!"
It happened again. It wasn't a real voice, and it wasn't really saying "Daddy!", but that is how I heard it. I knew who was crying. It was my stupid car, wailing at me via text messages during its first warranty check-up at the…
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.
As is our routine practice, each newly identified bug has been given a severity rating. These ratings are…
Today was Apple's annual announcement: the latest iPhone and Apple Watch hardware, and details on when the new versions of software for all Apple devices will be released.
I'll spoil the surprise: if you have an iPhone 14 or a Series 8 Apple Watch, you probably won't find too much to be excited about this time around. Still, there's all that new software to get excited about. The release dates are:
Apple has today released iOS 16.6.1, iPadOS 16.6.1, macOS Ventura 13.5.2, and watchOS 9.6.2 to the public.
According to Apple's release notes, these updates include important security fixes and are recommended for all users.
As today's updates appear to have been released to address a small set of specific issues, 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…
Welcome to the August 2023 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.
Brave Brain is a fun knowledge game that lets you look at familiar and…
Apple has today released macOS Ventura 13.5.1, bringing a fix for a bug that caused location permissions not to appear in Privacy & Security Settings.
As this update appears to have been released to address a specific issue, our expectation is that it does 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 this release, please post a comment below with your findings.
To…
Welcome to the July 2023 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.
Explore math with the fast and powerful Desmos Graphing Calculator. Plot any equation, from lines and…
Apple has today released macOS Ventura 13.5, watchOS 9.6, and tvOS 16.6 to the public.
Given Apple's current focus on its forthcoming major platform updates set for release in the fall, it comes as no surprise that today's updates do not introduce any notable new features or enhancements, instead being performance and stability releases.
As of now, we haven't identified any bug fixes, enhancements, or newly introduced bugs that specifically affect the experience of blind and…
Apple has today released iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 to the public. While these updates seem to be relatively minor, they do bring a few notable bug fixes for Braille and VoiceOver users.
These releases resolve an issue introduced in iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 for users of Braille displays. If the "turn pages while panning" feature was enabled, they may…
Welcome to the June 2023 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. We're releasing this edition a couple of days earlier than usual due to personal reasons. Rest assured, we will return to our regular end-of-month publication schedule next month.
Apple has today released iOS 16.5.1, iPadOS 16.5.1, macOS Ventura 13.4.1, and watchOS 9.5.2 to the public.
According to Apple's release notes, these updates include important security fixes and are recommended for all users. The iOS and iPadOS updates address a bug that could prevent charging with the Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter.
As today's updates appear to have been released to address a small set of specific issues, our expectation is that they do not contain…
There has been quite a bit of discussion and debate of late around the merits of iOS and Android, and this has coincided with my own journey into using Android. In February this year, after thirteen years using iPhones, I bought a Samsung Galaxy S23. I had long been curious about Android and had dabbled with it over the years, primarily as my work phone. I had never really picked it up and used it as my primary day to day phone though, at least not since I spent a…
It's hard to believe that it was 8 years ago that the first Apple Watch was released! I wasn't someone who dived straight in with Apple's new smart watch, but I did watch the reviews with interest and eventually, in 2016 I finally got a series 1 watch, which was actually the second version of the watch (just to make life confusing). I remember reading David Goodwin's one year anniversary blog post and a lot of his…
Apple's highly anticipated annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicked off today with the customary keynote presentation. During the event, Apple unveiled the next major updates to all its software platforms and introduced the much-awaited mixed-reality headset and some new Mac models.
Our editorial team member Alex (‘mehgcap’), who typically provides detailed event summaries, regrets being unable to do so this time due to work commitments.
Summarizing a 2-hour…
If you’ve read my previous blogs, you know I enjoy deep dives into non-intuitive user interfaces—Discord, GarageBand, and Google Docs, to name a few. Documenting these beasts comes with some peril. Software is mutable. After I post my detailed description of (fill-in-the-complicated-app-…
Welcome to the May 2023 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.
A wonderful player for your M4B/M4A/MP3 based audiobooks.
Import
- …
Ahead of its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) starting 5 June, Apple has today announced the 36 finalists for this year's Apple Design Awards; and it's great to see that in the running for the Inclusivity category are a number of apps which will be familiar to many in our community.
The awards honor excellence in innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement in app and game design. This year, Apple is dividing the…
We are thrilled to announce the induction of GoodMaps Explore and lire: RSS Reader into the AppleVis iOS App Hall of Fame.
First opened in 2011, the AppleVis iOS App Hall of Fame is a way for our community to honor developers who are committed to making their apps fully accessible to blind and low vision users. The inductees transform lives, empower individuals, provide invaluable information, and bring joy and entertainment to users. They represent the very best in accessible iOS…