Apple Releases iOS 15.6 and iPadOS 15.6, Bringing a Fix for a Braille Focus Issue in Mail

Apple has today released iOS 15.6 and iPadOS 15.6 to the public, both of which appear to focus on bug fixes and other under-the-hood improvements.

Amongst the fixes is the following for Braille users:

• When editing an email in the Mail app using a braille display, after inserting a line break focus will no longer jump to the top of the screen.

Additionally, iOS 15.6 introduces a new Web Rotor Summary setting located in Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Verbosity.

The options available are:

1. Speak
2. Braille
3. Do Nothing

These options control what additional information VoiceOver will speak when switching to some of the navigation methods available from the VoiceOver Rotor in Safari. For instance, the Headings and Links options will speak the number of each of these that are on the current webpage when this option is set to “Speak.” If set to “Do Nothing” this information will not be spoken by VoiceOver.

At the time of posting, we are unaware of any additional changes for blind and low vision users in these releases. However, as we always stress, we are a small team; and it is not possible for us to test all devices, configurations, or use cases. Thus, if you do observe any changes during your own use of iOS 15.6 or iPadOS 15.6, please do let us know your findings in the comments.

Release Notes

iOS 15.6 includes enhancements, bug fixes and security updates.

• TV app adds the option to restart a live sports game already in progress and pause, rewind, or fast-forward;
• Fixes an issue where Settings may continue to display that device storage is full even if it is available;
• Fixes an issue that may cause braille devices to slow down or stop responding when navigating text in Mail;
• Fixes an issue in Safari where a tab may revert to a previous page.

How to Update

iOS 15.6 and iPadOS 15.6 are available via Over-the-Air Update (Settings > General > Software Update) via Finder on a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, or via iTunes on a PC or Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier.

Before updating, we strongly recommend making a full and complete backup of your device (either locally or in iCloud, depending on personal preference). This will ensure that, in the unlikely event that something goes wrong during the update process, you will have a current backup on hand in case a device restore becomes necessary. Also, if using OTA update, we recommend plugging your device into a power source for the duration of the download/installation process, so as to prevent the unlikely event of your battery going dead during the update.

More information on how to update the software on your device is available on this Apple Support page.