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Welcome to the December 2022 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly summary of 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

Chess King - Learn to…

Apple has today released macOS Ventura 13.1, watchOS 9.2, tvOS 16.2, and HomePod software version 16.2 to the public.

The macOS Ventura 13.1 release notes say that it “introduces Freeform, a new app that offers a great place to brainstorm and bring your ideas to life. This release also includes Advanced Data Protection for iCloud and other features and bug fixes for your Mac.”

Freeform

• Freeform is a new app for working creatively with friends…

Apple has today released iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 to the public.

Our experience is that the following accessibility bugs have been resolved or significantly addressed in iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2:

• When navigating a list of emails in a folder in the Mail app and previews are enabled, VoiceOver will no longer on occasions speak the wrong…

Microsoft has today announced that as of January 3, 2023, its Soundscape app will not be available for download and that existing installations will cease to work after the end of June 2023.

The Microsoft Soundscape app for iPhone was launched 6 years ago. It uses 3D audio…

We are pleased to announce that the winners of the Eleventh annual AppleVis Golden Apple Awards are Envision AI and Evidence 111.

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 Envision AI and Evidence 111…

We are pleased to announce that voting for the AppleVis Golden Apple Awards of 2022 is now open.

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 Hijack,…

Welcome to the November 2022 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly summary of 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

Ejectify (macOS, US$3.…

Apple has today released iOS 16.1.2, bringing unspecified optimizations to Crash Detection on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models, as well as improved wireless carrier compatibility.

As this update appears to have been released to address a small number of specific issues, our expectation is that it does 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 this release, please post a…

Apple has today released iOS 16.1.1, iPadOS 16.1.1, and macOS Ventura 13.0.1 with bug fixes.

It is not known which specific bugs are fixed in these releases, as Apple's release notes only say that each update "includes bug fixes and security updates."

At the time of posting, it is unclear whether these updates contain any fixes, changes or regressions specific to blind and low vision users. If you do notice any changes to VoiceOver, Braille or low vision features…

Welcome to the October 2022 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly summary of 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

Craftbound - MMO Idle…

Apple has today released macOS 13 Ventura 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 has today released iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16.1 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 release of iOS 16.

Our experience is that the following accessibility bugs have been resolved or significantly addressed in iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16.1:

• …

Apple has today released watchOS 9.1 and tvOS 16.1 to the public.

According to the release notes, watchOS 9.1 Includes the following changes:

• Battery life extended during Outdoor Walking, Running, and Hiking Workouts with the ability to reduce the frequency of heart rate and GPS readings on Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) and Apple Watch Ultra
• Music can download while Apple Watch is off charger using Wi-Fi or cellular…

Apple today announced the launch of the iPad 10, featuring a new all-screen design.

The new iPad offers a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display and is powered by the A14 Bionic chip, which according to Apple “delivers even faster performance with incredible power efficiency for demanding tasks while still providing all-day battery life.”

The…

Apple today announced the next generation of Apple TV 4K. The new model is powered by the A15 Bionic chip and has support for HDR10+

According to Apple, the new Apple TV 4K uses nearly 30 percent less power than the previous generation due to the efficiency gains of its A15 Bionic chip — the same chip as the iPhone 13. The new chip has also enabled Apple to eliminate the…

Apple has today released iOS 16.0.3 and watchOS 9.0.2 to the public.

At the time of posting, it is unclear whether these updates contain any fixes specific to blind and low vision users. If you do notice any changes to VoiceOver or low vision features during your use of these releases, please let us know by posting your findings in the comments.

iOS 16.0.3 Release Notes

This update provides bug fixes and important security updates for your iPhone…

Welcome to the September 2022 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly summary of 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

Brain Wave: 35…

The marquee features of thee iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are unquestionably upgraded cameras; a new always-on display; and a Dynamic Island’ that changes size and shape to accommodate various types of alerts, notifications, and interactions. For my circumstances and use case, I can roughly appraise these as having some potential utility, no utility, and some curiosity appeal.

However, digging deep in to the new iPhones'…

Apple has today released iOS 16.0.2to the public. According to the release notes, iOS 16.0.2 resolves a bug which could cause VoiceOver to become unusable after rebooting your iPhone.

The full list of fixes mentioned in the release notes are:

• Camera may vibrate and cause blurry photos when shooting with some third-party apps on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
• Display may appear completely black during device setup
• Copy and paste between apps may…

Apple has today released macOS Monterey 12.6 and macOS Big Sur 11.7 with security fixes.

According to MacRumors, macOS 12.6 “addresses a number of kernel vulnerabilities as well as issues with maps, iMovie, ATS, MediaLibrary, and PackageKit.”

Reportedly, one kernel vulnerability was actively exploited, which means that it is important for all ‌macOS Monterey‌ users to update to the new…