by
Rosary 3 |
On Wednesday, Apple provided a preview of the File Pack New features designed for cognitive, visual and auditory accessibility and mobility From users who have an iPhone or iPad. This includes a new Personal Voice feature for people who may be losing the ability to speak, allowing them to create a “synthesized voice that looks like themselves” to speak to friends or family.
According to what was published by the company, users can do so Create a personal voice by reading a group of text messages out loud for 15 minutes on your iPhone or iPad. This tool will also be integrated with Live Speech, so users can type in what they want to say and have the device read it out with their “voice.”
Apple said the feature uses “on-device machine learning to keep users’ information private and secure.”
In addition to this functionality, it will also be integrated Simplified versions of its main applications As part of a feature called Assisted Access, designed to make it easier for users with cognitive disabilities to interact with the device.
This includes a bundled version of the Phone and FaceTime apps, as well as modified versions of the Messages, Camera, Photos, and Music apps that feature high-contrast buttons, large text labels, and additional accessibility tools.
From Apple they indicated that the functionality will arrive “later this year”, so it is expected that it will be enabled with the launch of iOS 17.
There will also be a new mode Magnifying glass detection To assist blind or visually impaired users, designed to assist them in interacting with physical objects using several text labels. To explain how this feature works, Apple gave as an example a situation in which a user points their device’s camera at a microwave keyboard, so that the iPhone or iPad reads aloud the number or function of the button on which the person places the finger.
Apple also highlighted a number of features coming to the Mac, including a way for users who are deaf or hard of hearing to pair Made for iPhone hearing aids with the Mac. The company is also adding an easier way to adjust text size in Finder, Messages, Mail, Calendar, and Notes on Mac.
Users will also be able to pause GIFs in Safari and Messages, customize the speed at which Siri speaks to them, and use Voice Control to get voice suggestions when editing text. It all builds on Apple’s existing accessibility features for Mac and iPhone, including live captions, a VoiceOver screen reader, door detection, and more.
“Accessibility is part of everything we do at Apple,” Sarah Herlinger, senior director of global accessibility policies and initiatives at Apple, said in a statement. “These innovative features are designed with feedback from members of disability communities every step of the way, to support a diverse range of users and help people connect in new ways.”
