Apple has announced a series of new accessibility feature upgrades built on Apple Intelligence, covering functions such as VoiceOver, Voice Control, Live Captions, and real-time video subtitle generation. The company also revealed that following this update, Vision Pro users will be able to control compatible wheelchairs using eye gaze.
Apple stated that the VoiceOver feature, enhanced with Apple Intelligence's image recognition capabilities, can more accurately analyze and describe visual content. For example, it can identify bills and automatically announce details such as amounts and due dates, and provide clearer, more detailed descriptions of photos and various personal documents.
Users can now activate the Live Captions feature on the iPhone, using the device's camera to identify objects within the frame and ask follow-up questions for more related information. Individuals with visual impairments can set the Magnifier function to an action button, view content through a high-contrast interface, and quickly access related functions via voice commands such as zooming in or turning on the flashlight.
The voice command upgrades extend beyond the Magnifier app. Users can employ natural language to describe their needs and directly interact with on-screen content. For instance, they can say "open the guide to top-rated restaurants" in Apple Maps or issue commands like "open the purple folder" in the Files app.
Apple has also optimized the Reader function, with the new version capable of smoothly handling complex documents such as academic papers that include multi-column layouts, illustrations, and tables.
Users can obtain AI-generated summaries of content or read the original text in its entirety while retaining custom font and color settings. The enhanced Reader is designed to accommodate the needs of individuals with conditions such as dyslexia and low vision.
Additionally, Apple has introduced an AI-powered video subtitle generation feature that can automatically create subtitles for videos without built-in captions, including locally recorded videos on phones and those shared by friends and family. This feature is compatible across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro platforms, and users can customize the subtitle display style.
Apple also announced a new compatibility solution: Vision Pro users will be able to control compatible wheelchair models using eye gaze. This function operates stably in various lighting conditions without requiring recalibration. Initially available in the United States, it supports Tolt and LUCI intelligent drive systems and works with both Bluetooth and wired peripheral connections.
Apple mentioned that the name recognition alert feature for the hearing-impaired now supports 50 languages, notifying users when someone calls their name. The TV system will also introduce an extra-large text display mode, and the cross-device handoff experience for hearing aids customized for the iPhone will be further optimized.
Apple indicated that these new accessibility features will be officially released later this year, most likely alongside the new iOS 27 system.
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