Ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) Apple is offering a preview of accessibility features coming to its platforms later this year; including Accessibility Nutrition labels for App Store apps, Magnifier for Mac, Braille Access, and more.
Apple has today released macOS Sequoia 15.5, watchOS 11.5, tvOS 18.5, and HomePod Software 18.5 to the public.
In our testing of these releases, we did not identify any changes that specifically affect the experience for blind, deaf blind, or low vision users. If you notice any changes in your own use of these releases, please do let us know by posting a comment.
This update includes enhancements, bug fixes,…
Apple has today released iOS 18.4.1, iPadOS 18.4.1, macOS Sequoia 15.4.1, and tvOS 18.4.1, bringing bug fixes and security updates, including for vulnerabilities that Apple believes may have been actively exploited.
As these updates were not distributed to external testers prior to their release, we do not have any information on whether they contain any accessibility fixes for blind, def blind, or low vision users at the time of…
Update, 4/1/2025
As of 1:00 PM Eastern time, Apple has released WatchOS 11.4 to the public. The release notes are the same as listed below.
Apple has today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, watchOS 11.4, tvOS 18.4, and HomePod Software 18.4 to the public.
As with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, macOS Sequoia 15.4 brings expanded language support for Apple Intelligence, as well as new emoji characters, Mail categorization, and several accessibility fixes and refinements for…
AppleVis is pleased to unveil our 2024 Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card. The only report of its kind to focus specifically on the needs of people who are blind, DeafBlind, or who have low vision, the Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card provides valuable insights into the lived experiences and opinions of this user group.
Inspired by the Six Colors Apple Report Card and now in its third year, the aim of the Apple Vision…
Apple has today released iOS 18.3.1, iPadOS 18.3.1, macOS Sequoia 15.3.1, watchOS 11.3.1; and iPadOS 17.7.5 for iPads that cannot run iPadOS 18.
According to Apple's release notes, the iOS 18.3.1 update contains important bug fixes and security updates:
This update provides important bug fixes and security updates and is recommended for all users.
For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:…
Apple has today released macOS Sequoia 15.3, tvOS 18.3, and HomePod software 18.3 to the public.
As with iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3 includes changes to notification summaries on Apple Intelligence-capable Macs and various bug fixes. In addition, this update brings Genmoji, first introduced with the…
Apple has today released macOS Sequoia 15.2, tvOS 18.2, and HomePod software 18.2 to the public.
As with iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2 brings Siri and Writing Tools integration with ChatGPT, Image Playground, and some accessibility fixes for blind, DeafBlind, and low vision users.
Our experience is that the following accessibility bugs have been resolved or meaningfully improved in this release:
Apple has today released iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1, addressing several security vulnerabilities, including some that Apple believes may have been actively exploited.
As iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 were not distributed to external testers prior to their release, we do not have any information on whether they contain any accessibility fixes for blind, def blind, or low vision users at…
Apple has today released macOS Sequoia 15.1, bringing the first set of Apple Intelligence features to Macs with Apple Silicon outside of Mainland China and the European Union. This update also brings accessibility improvements, as well as some new bugs for VoiceOver users.
In macOS 15.0, iPhone Mirroring was completely inaccessible with VoiceOver. Our testing, as well as…
Apple has today released iOS 18.0.1, iPadOS 18.0.1, macOS Sequoia 15.0.1, and watchOS 11.0.1; bringing bug fixes for a small number of issues identified after last month's software releases.
As iOS 18.0.1, iPadOS 18.0.1, macOS Sequoia 15.0.1, and watchOS 11.0.1 were not distributed to external testers prior to their release, we do not have any information on whether they contain fixes for VoiceOver or braille at the time of writing. However, as these updates appear to have been…
Alongside the releases of iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia, AppleInsider reports that Apple has also released iOS 17.7,…
Apple has today released macOS 15 Sequoia 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 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 harm in holding…
Today, Apple told us what to expect in the next round of software updates, coming this fall. While the focus was, unsurprisingly, AI, there is more than just that to be excited about. Let's dive into what you can look forward to on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and Apple TV later this year. Or next year, in some cases; as has become common in the last few years, Apple announced features it won't be rolling out until well after the software's initial release.
Apple is once again celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) by offering a preview of accessibility features coming later this year.
For VoiceOver users, improvements include new voices, a flexible Voice Rotor, custom volume control, and the ability to customize keyboard shortcuts on Mac.
Braille users…
Apple has today released macOS Sonoma 14.5, watchOS 10.5, and tvOS 17.5 to the public.
Based on our testing, below are the key changes and issues for blind and low vision users in these updates.
Our testing suggests that a frustrating new bug has been introduced in macOS Sonoma 14.5 that impacts VoiceOver's Quick Nav functionality - single-key Quick Nav and arrow-…
Apple has today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 to the public.
The release notes state that this update provides bug fixes for your Mac, including:
As this update has likely been released to address a small set of specific issues…
Apple has today released macOS Sonoma 14.4, watchOS 10.4, and tvOS 17.4 to the public.
In macOS Sonoma 14.4, Apple has replaced the "Allow toggling of arrow-key Quick Nav using left and right arrow keys" checkbox in VoiceOver Utility > Commanders > Quick Nav with a new popup menu that determines what happens when the left and right arrow keys are pressed together, with options to toggle Arrow-key Quick Nav, single-key Quick Nav, or both. This may be useful for those who prefer…
Apple has today released iOS 17.3.1, iPadOS 17.3.1, macOS Sonoma 14.3.1, and watchOS 10.3.1 to the public.
The release notes for iOS 17.3.1, iPadOS 17.3.1, and macOS Sonoma 14.3.1 mention a fix for a bug that could cause text to unexpectedly duplicate or overlap while typing, while the release notes for watchOS 10.3.1 simply state that it includes "Improvements and bug fixes."
As these updates appear to have been released to address a small set of specific issues, our…
Apple has today released macOS Sonoma 14.3, watchOS 10.3, and tvOS 17.3 to the public.
In addition to unspecified bug fixes and security updates, macOS Sonoma 14.3 introduces the following enhancements: