Apple Releases New Accessibility Features: Eye Tracking, Vocal Shortcuts, and More

New Delhi: American technology giant Apple on Wednesday announced new accessibility features to enhance ease-of-access for users with physical disabilities. The new features include Eye Tracking, Music Haptics, Vocal Shortcuts, Vehicle Motion Cue, and updates to CarPlay. Utilising artificial intelligence and machine learning, the new features aim to create a more comfortable and inclusive work experience.

The new features are expected to be introduced in iOS 18 and VisionOs in the later half of 2024.

Eye Tracking Feature

Empowered with artificial intelligence, this feature enables users with physical disabilities to navigate easily with their iPad or iPhone by using only their eyes. The technology will use the device’s front camera for comfortable usage.

Vocal Shortcuts

Vocal shortcuts can be used to assign custom utterances that Siri can understand to launch shortcuts. A new feature ‘Listen for Atypical Speech’, through machine learning will recognize someone’s unique speech pattern and perform tasks accordingly. This feature is designed for users with conditions that affect speech, such as cerebral palsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or stroke.”

Music Haptics

It is an amazing feature that will engage deaf or hard-of-hearing users with music. Through iPhone’s advanced technology of Taptic Engine vibration system, users will be able to feel vibrations, synchronizing with the audio of the music.

For Motion Sickness

Apple has launched another feature addressing the challenge of motion sickness. While using an iphone or ipad inside a moving vehicle, animated dots on the edge of the screen will appear, representing the vehicle’s motion. This would reduce the sensory conflict of perception to make the user comfortable.

Updates on CarPlay

Apple has also introduced the new accessibility features to CarPlay, it’s driving assistant, including Voice Control, Color Filters, and Sound Recognition. The new feature will enhance accessibility for users while driving.

Apart from these major features, the company has also launched some new features and updates of accessibility capabilities that will be available to users this year. Apple has shown its dedication toward making technology that is accessible to everyone. Further on it aims to diversify its user base with features that make the iPhone accessible to people with special abilities.