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Today is the Eighth Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). This day has been set aside "to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital (web, software, mobile, etc.) access/inclusion and people with different disabilities." This according to the above linked web page on GAAD. In recent years on AppleVis, we have supported this day, with posts about…

Apple has today released TVOS 13.4.5 for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV (4th generation).

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 13.4.5 does include user facing changes. We will update this post if anything of note is discovered.

To install the update, go to Settings > System…

Apple has today released iOS 13.5 and iPadOS 13.5 to the public, with Exposure Notification API, faster Face ID unlocking when wearing a face mask, a new option to automatically share selected health data with emergency services, and more.

Bug Fixes for Blind and Low Vision Users in iOS 13.5 and iPadOS 13.5

Our testing suggests that the following pre-existing accessibility bugs have been resolved in iOS 13.5 and iPadOS 13.5:

• …

Apple has today released watchOS 6.2.5 to the public.

According to Mac Rumors, watchOS 6.2.5 introduces new Pride-themed Watch faces that are designed to match this year's Pride bands. In addition, watchOS 6.2.5 brings support for ECG (Series 4 models and later) and Irregular heart rhythm notifications to users in Saudi…

Apple has today launched an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro featuring the Magic Keyboard, 10th-generation processors, double the storage across all standard configurations, and 16GB of memory standard on select configurations.

The updated 13-inch MacBook Pro features the Magic Keyboard which was first introduced on the 16-inch…

Welcome to the April 2020 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of the best 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

We would like to invite everyone in the AppleVis community to join us for a virtual get-together as a way to help people connect in new ways during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Our virtual get-together will be held via Zoom on Sunday, May 3, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. CDT/ 7:00 p.m. UTC. To join the meeting from iOS, Mac, PC, or Android, simply follow this link.…

Apple has today announced the launch of a second-generation iPhone SE featuring a 4.7-inch Retina HD LCD display, A13 Bionic chip, Touch ID and a single 12-megapixel camera.

Although visually similar to the iPhone 8 and sharing the same physical dimensions, the new iPhone SE features some upgraded internals to the iPhone 8 (which has been discontinued today). Probably the…

To encourage us to stay at home and get creating, several developers are giving away their music creation apps for free Since so many visually impaired people are musicians, it would make sense for these companies to incorporate accessibility into the design of their apps.

Far too often, however, for screen reader users, music software is difficult to use at best. On…

Apple has today released watchOS 6.2.1 and a supplemental update to macOS 10.15.4, addressing an issue that prevented Macs running macOS 10.15.4 and Apple Watches running watchOS 6.2 from participating in FaceTime calls with devices running iOS 9.3.6 or earlier, or OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 or earlier.

According to Apple's release notes for watchOS 6.2.1, via 9to5Mac the update:

• Fixes an issue where…

Apple has today released iOS 13.4.1 and iPadOS 13.4.1 to the public.

These appear to be minor releases focusing on fixes for a small number of bugs which Apple presumably believed should not wait until the releases of iOS 13.4.5 and iPadOS 13.4.5 (both of which are currently in beta testing).

In the case of iOS 13.4.1, the release notes mention just two fixes:

• Fixes an issue where devices running iOS 13.4 could not participate in FaceTime calls…

Welcome to the March 2020 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of the best 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

Like most folks, I have always been a bit of a social animal. I delighted in dining with friends at our local Periodic Table Supper Club. I liked walking around the block with a neighbor friend and talking to others in their front yards. I enjoyed traveling with my wife wherever and whenever we wanted. And, we absolutely loved it when our kids dropped by the house. That was then, this is now.

A new abnormal has descended upon all of us. An unwanted virus has invaded our lives. It was…

In addition to iOS 13.4 and iPadOS 13.4, Apple has also today released macOS Catalina 10.15.4, watchOS 6.2 and tvOS 13.4 to the public.

Our testing of macOS Catalina 10.15.4 suggests that it resolves the following bugs:

• In the Messages app, VoiceOver…

Apple has this week released the Gold Master versions of iOS 13.4 and iPadOS 13.4 to developers, and announced that these updates will be available to the public on March 24. In addition to bringing some new features and enhancements, these releases will bring fixes…

In addition to a new MacBook Air and updated Mac Mini, Apple today has also announced a new iPad Pro powered by the A12Z Bionic chip and featuring a new dual-camera, a LiDAR scanner for Augmented Reality, and trackpad support.

According to Apple, , the new…

Apple has today announced the launch of a new MacBook Air featuring the Magic Keyboard, up to two times faster CPU performance, twice the storage, and a new lower starting price of $999.

The new MacBook Air features the latest 10th-generation Intel CPUs, which Apple says allows the new MacBook Air to deliver faster everyday performance:

Offering quad-core…

Apple's Beats subsidiary today announced the launch of Powerbeats, an updated version of its Powerbeats 3 wireless earphones.

According to 9to5Mac, the US$149 Powerbeats have been upgraded on multiple fronts over the previous generation Powerbeats 3:

Powerbeats now use the same H1 chip as second generation AirPods, Powerbeats Pro, and AirPods Pro, boosting battery life…

Over the past few days, 9to5Mac and MacRumors have posted details of several iOS features that are reportedly in development at Apple.

Based upon findings in supposed unreleased iOS 14 code, one of these reports is of a new developer framework named VoiceProvider, which could let developers replace built-in speech voices on iOS with custom text-to-speech synthesizers.

Information on how this might be used is speculative, with…

Also in this series:

• GarageBand Part 1: The Basics
• GarageBand Part 2: Mixing and Mastering
• GarageBand Part 4: Recording a Podcast
• Related podcast: …