Welcome to the January 2022 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which highlights what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of content posted to AppleVis by members of the community - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.
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Apple has today released macOS Monterey 12.2, watchOS 8.4, tvOS 15.3, and HomePod software 15.3 to the public. All of these releases are relatively minor in regard to user facing changes and enhancements, instead focusing on under-the-hood improvements and bug fixes.
Apple lists 13 security fixes in macOS Monterey 12.2, including patches for vulnerabilities affecting Safari, root privileges, iCloud, and more. Among these is a fix…
Apple has today released iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3 to the public.
These releases are relatively minor in regard to user facing changes and enhancements, instead focusing on under-the-hood improvements and bug fixes.
Apple's release notes simply state that iOS 15.3 includes ”bug fixes and security updates for your iPhone.”
Apple lists 10 security fixes in iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3, including patches for…
On December 30th 2021, a wildfire incinerated nearly a thousand homes and retail establishments in Boulder County Colorado. I live a safe 8 miles from the destruction, but others were not as fortunate. I know many families who lost everything.
My spouse and I decided to move into my father-in-law's guest suite and rent our house to one of the displaced families. Our new tenants tell a terrifying story. A police cruiser announced "get out, now!" over a loudspeaker as it drove through…
Apple has today released iOS 15.2.1 and iPadOS 15.2.1.
According to Apple's release notes, these updates resolve the following two issues:
- Messages may not load photos sent using an iCloud Link
- Third-party CarPlay apps may not respond to input
As these appear to be minor updates, our expectation is that they do not contain any accessibility changes for blind and low vision users; however, if you notice any…
Welcome to the December 2021 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which highlights what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of content posted to AppleVis by members of the community - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.
New and Noteworthy App Entries
Adventures…
Apple has today released macOS Monterey 12.1, watchOS 8.3, and tvOS 15.2 to the public.
Our testing suggests that the following issues have been addressed in macOS Monterey 12.1:
Apple has today released iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2 to the public.
Our experience is that the following accessibility bugs have been resolved or significantly addressed in iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2:
We are pleased to announce that the winners of the tenth annual AppleVis Golden Apple Awards are Backpack Studio and Swordy Quest.
Since their launch in 2012, the AppleVis Golden Apple Awards have afforded blind and low vision users of Apple products an opportunity to recognize and acknowledge the hard work and dedication which developers have put into making and maintaining great and accessible applications over the given year. The respective teams behind Backpack Studio and Swordy…
We are pleased to announce that voting for the AppleVis Golden Apple Awards of 2021 is now open.
First launched in 2012, the AppleVis Golden Apples is an opportunity for blind and low vision users of Apple products to recognize and acknowledge the hard work and dedication which developers have put into making and maintaining great and accessible applications during the given year.
Past winners of a Golden Apple include Audio…
Welcome to the November 2021 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which highlights what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of content posted to AppleVis by members of the community - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.
New and Noteworthy App Entries
Audio…
Apple has today released watchOS 8.1.1. This appears to be an extremely minor update to fix a single issue with charging on the Series 7 Apple Watch.
Apple's release notes for watchOS 8.1.1 simply say:
watchOS 8.1.1 fixes an issue where Apple Watch Series 7 may not charge as expected for some users.
As this update appears to have been released to address a specific issue, our expectation is that it does not contain any accessibility…
Apple has today released iOS 15.1.1. This appears to be an extremely minor update to fix an issue with dropped calls on some iPhone models.
Apple's release notes for iOS 15.1.1 simply say:
iOS 15.1.1 improves call drop performance on iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models.
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;…
Apple has today released tvOS 15.1.1 for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD.
Outside of the major upgrade each year, tvOS updates are typically minor in scale with a focus on under-the-hood fixes and performance improvements. As Apple does not provide release notes for tvOS updates, we will have to wait and see if tvOS 15.1.1 does include user facing changes. We will update this post if anything of note is discovered.
To install tvOS 15.1.1 on Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD, go to the…
Welcome to the October 2021 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which highlights what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of content posted to AppleVis by members of the community - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.
New and Noteworthy App Entries
Audio Duel…
Apple has today released iOS 14.8.1, iPadOS 14.8.1, and macOS Big Sur 11.6.1, bringing several security fixes for devices not running iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or macOS Monterey.
As these updates appear to have been released to address a small number 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 regressions in your own use of these releases, please post a comment…
Apple has today released watchOS 8.1 and tvOS 15.1.
According to Apple's release notes, watchOS 8.1 includes the following improvements and bug fixes:
- Enhanced algorithms to detect falls during workouts and option to enable fall detection during workouts only (Apple Watch Series 4 and later)
- COVID-19 vaccination card support allows you to present verifiable vaccination information from Apple Wallet
- Fitness+ supports SharePlay to…
Apple has today released iOS 15.1 and iPadOS 15.1 to the public. Our testing suggests that these releases resolve a number of the issues introduced for blind and low vision users with the initial releases of iOS and iPadOS 15.
Our experience is that the following accessibility bugs have been resolved or significantly addressed in iOS 15.1 and iPadOS…
Apple has today released macOS 12 Monterey 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 that you read 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…
Unleashed
Today was Apple's second big event in as many months, this time entitled "Unleashed." Instead of iPhones and Apple Watches, as were the focus in September, this was all about the Macs. Well, Macs and AirPods. If you are one who wants the power of a true pro-level MacBook, and the M1-powered models already available just didnt' do it for you, you're going to love this. If you're a fan of AirPods, but have wished for a refreshed version, you will also find something of…