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Apple has published some information on setting up and using the accessibility features available on their new mixed reality Apple Vision Pro headset. This includes a guide specifically for VoiceOver users and a guide to…

The ChatGPT app has found a place in my iPhone's dock. I use it for many things, both serious and fun. Part of me is convinced that it's going to turn into Marvin the Paranoid Android from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. There it is, brain the size of a planet, and I'm constantly asking it to answer very simple or repetitive queries. Yet, it always remains eager to assist with any question.

AI is a vast topic, and…

Welcome to the January 2024 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, your monthly digest of the latest and most notable content on the AppleVis website. This edition features a curated selection of community-submitted updates, including new app entries, updates, news, and podcasts.

New and Noteworthy App Entries

Black Ink crosswords (iOS/iPadOS, Free With In-App Purchases)

Black Ink, the popular Mac crossword-solving app, is now available for iOS! Enjoy the…

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:

• Collaborate on playlists in Apple Music allows you to invite friends to join your playlist and everyone can add, reorder, and remove songs
• Emoji reactions can be added to any track in a collaborative playlist in Apple Music
• AppleCare & Warranty in…

Apple has today released iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 to the public.

The iOS 17.3 release notes simply state that “this update introduces additional security measures with Stolen Device Protection. This release also includes a new Unity wallpaper to honor Black history and culture in celebration of Black History Month, as well as other features, bug fixes, and security updates for your iPhone.”

Stolen Device Protection adds an additional layer of security in the event someone has…

We are thrilled to unveil our 2023 Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card, which provides valuable insights into the experiences and opinions of visually impaired community members who rely on VoiceOver, Braille support, or the low vision features on Apple devices.

To gather the ratings and comments contained in the report card, we conducted a…

Apple has announced the upcoming release of the Apple Vision Pro, the company's newest wearable device offering a three-dimensional user interface and spatial computing capabilities. It will become available on February 2nd with pre-orders beginning January 19th and have a starting price of $3,499 USD. For the initial launch, availability will be limited to the United States via Apple…

We are thrilled to announce our second annual Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card and invite you to participate in the survey that will determine this year's ratings. Our inaugural report card last year received an exceptionally enthusiastic response from the community, with many AppleVis members participating and providing thoughtful feedback. We hope to match or even surpass that outstanding level of engagement this year as we continue our efforts to deliver valuable insights to Apple…

Apple has today released iOS 17.2.1 and macOS Sonoma 14.2.1 to the public.

The release notes for these updates are simply listed as “This update provides important bug fixes and is recommended for all users.”

As these updates appear to have been released to address a small set 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…

Apple has today released iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2 to the public.

Our testing suggests that these updates resolve the following issues:

• Apple appears to have resolved the intermittent bug that caused VoiceOver speech to stop after ending a phone call, while sound effects remained.
• …

Apple has today released macOS Sonoma 14.2, watchOS 10.2, and tvOS 17.2 to the public.

Based on positive experiences in the beta cycle, Apple seems to have made a big step towards resolving the underlying WebKit issues triggering the frustrating “Safari not responding” bug that has long plagued many VoiceOver users on macOS, causing temporary system freezes. However, due to the inconsistent reproducibility of the problem and the mixed experiences of users, we cannot yet definitively…

We are pleased to announce that the winners of the twelfth annual AppleVis Golden Apple Awards are Be My Eyes, Timecrest, and Zanagrams.

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 Be My Eyes, Timecrest…

I am thrilled to share some potentially great news - with the upcoming release of macOS Sonoma 14.2, Apple may finally have fixed the longstanding “Safari not responding” bug that causes repeated temporary freezes for many when using VoiceOver on a Mac.

As I outlined in my post in October about why I could no longer recommend Macs to fellow blind computer…

We are pleased to announce that voting for the AppleVis Golden Apple Awards of 2023 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…

Apple has today released iOS 17.1.2, iPadOS 17.1.2, and macOS Sonoma 14.1.2 to the public.

The release notes for all updates are simply listed as “security and bug fixes.”

As these updates appear to have been released to address a small set 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…

Welcome to the November 2023 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, your monthly digest of the latest and most notable content on the AppleVis website. This edition features a curated selection of community-submitted updates, including new app entries, updates, news, and podcasts.

New and Noteworthy App Entries

conjury (iOS/iPadOS, US$2.99)

Make your way through the eternal darkness of Lumtham woods. It's a journey filled with monsters, peril, and tonnes of…

Apple has today released iOS 17.1.1, iPadOS 17.1.1, macOS 14.1.1, and watchOS 10.1.1 to the public.

According to Apple's release notes, iOS 17.1.1 provides bug fixes for the iPhone including:

• In rare circumstances, Apple Pay and other NFC features may become unavailable on iPhone 15 models after wireless charging in certain cars
• Weather Lock Screen widget may not correctly display snow

The release notes for…

Welcome to the October 2023 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, your monthly digest of the latest and most notable content on the AppleVis website. This edition features a curated selection of community-submitted updates, including new app entries, updates, news, and podcasts.

New and Noteworthy App Entries

Ableton Note (iOS/iPadOS, US$5.99)

Start new musical ideas with a curated selection of sounds and effects. Play beats and melodic parts, sample your…

Apple has today released macOS Sonoma 14.1, watchOS 10.1, and tvOS 17.1 to the public.

Our experience is that the following accessibility bugs have been resolved or significantly addressed in macOS Sonoma 14.1:

• Introduced with macOS Sonoma, the Messages app will now automatically transcribe audio messages into plain text, a valuable addition for deaf-blind users. These transcripts were not accessible in the initial 14.0 release, but are fully accessible in macOS Sonoma…

Apple has today released iOS 17.1 and iPadOS 17.1 to the public.

Our experience with past iOS and iPadOS updates is that the X.1 releases often contain fixes for many of the accessibility bugs introduced in the major X.0 updates. Our experience is that iOS 17.1 and iPadOS 17.1 appear consistent with this pattern, resolving or significantly improving several of the bugs from the initial 17.0 versions:

• Introduced with iOS 17.0 and iPadOS 17.0, the Messages app will now…