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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.
Accessibility Nutrition Labels
- Similar to the Privacy…
Intro
Apple recently launched new features for the USB-C AirPods Max, which include lossless audio over USB-C, ultra-low latency audio, as well as the ability to use AirPods Max with a USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable for wired playback. This also means that when Bluetooth is turned on, you will have access to all features that you would with a Bluetooth connection but…
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…
Apple today updated the MacBook Air and Mac Studio product lines, bringing the M4 chip and an upgraded camera to the MacBook Air, and M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips, Thunderbolt 5 support, and support for up to 512GB of ram to the Mac Studio.
MacBook Air
The MacBook Air has been updated with the M4 chip, an upgraded camera, a new "Sky Blue" finish, and a lower starting price of US$999.
With M4, the new MacBook Air is 2X faster than the MacBook Air with M1, and up to 23X…
Apple has today released new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models, as well as a new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air and an updated entry-level iPad.
The new iPad Air comes in 11-inch and 13-inch screen sizes and features the Apple M3 Chip. According to Apple, the iPad Air with M3 is nearly 2x faster than iPad Air with M1 and up to 3.5x faster than iPad Air with…
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 today introduced the iPhone 16e, bringing a 6.1-inch display, Face ID, USB-C, the A18 chip, an upgraded camera, and more to the company's lowest-cost iPhone model. With the new design and display size, Apple no longer sells iPhone models with Touch ID or a physical Home button.
With a starting price of US$599, the iPhone 16e replaces the iPhone SE and iPhone 14 in Apple's lineup. Curiously, however, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, which includes the Dynamic Island and MagSafe…
Apple has today introduced Invites, an app available on iOS, iPadOS, and the web for creating and managing invitations to events. Users who have a paid iCloud storage plan can invite others to events, and anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether or not they pay for iCloud storage or have an Apple device.
According to Apple's press release, invitations can be customized…
We are very excited to announce our third annual Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card and invite you to participate in the survey that will determine the ratings. Plus, participants who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing to receive a $200 gift card, thanks to Be My Eyes.
Launched in 2023 for the 2022 year, the aim of the Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card is to present valuable insights to Apple and our community from…
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 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 to the public; bringing several accessibility fixes and feature refinements for blind, DeafBlind, and low vision users. iOS 18.2 also brings Siri and Writing Tools integration with ChatGPT, Genmoji, Image Playground, and Image Wand to Apple Intelligence-capable devices; as well as Visual Intelligence to iPhone 16 models.
For VoiceOver and braille users, our experience is that the following accessibility bugs have been resolved or…
Apple this week updated several of its Mac product lines, as well as the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad accessories. These Macs have been updated with variants of the M4 chip, the same chip that was introduced with the 2024 iPad Pro. In addition, the base configurations of these updated Macs now include 16GB of ram.
These updates come against…
Apple today introduced the new 7th generation iPad Mini, refreshing the tablet with the A17 Pro chip, (the same chip that powers the iPhone 15 Pro) as well as faster USB-C data transfer, Wi-Fi 6E support, support for the Apple Pencil Pro, and an upgraded camera.
With the A17 Pro chip, the new iPad Mini features a 30% increase in CPU performance, a 25% increase in GPU performance, and a 2X faster neural engine in comparison to the previous generation iPad Mini with A15 Bionic,…
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…
Apple released iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 on Monday, September 16, 2024. This post contains a summary of new bugs impacting VoiceOver and braille support that we have identified during testing of these releases. We have also included details on preexisting bugs that our testing suggests have been fixed in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.
As is our routine practice, each newly identified bug has been given a severity rating. These ratings are based upon what we believe to be the implications for…
Introduction
Fall is almost here in the northern hemisphere, which means it’s time for another major release of iOS. There are certainly mainstream changes of note, such as a new Passwords app; an expanded Control Center; changes to the Messages app like the addition of support for RCS messaging; and many more. This article from iDownloadBlog…
Intro
Today's Apple announcements, at an event entitled "It's Glowtime", were exactly what many of us expected: new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods. We also got a release day for all the big software updates. watchOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and macOS will all get their big upgrades on Monday, September 16.
TL;DR:
- Apple Watch Series 10 is a bit thinner (9.7mm) than Series 9, and comes in at larger screen sizes (42mm and 46mm). The screen is brighter when viewed…
Intro
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.