Apple announces updates to accessibility features powered by Apple Intelligence

Ahead of Google’s annual developers conference on Tuesday, Apple announced several new accessibility updates powered by Apple Intelligence for features like VoiceOver, voice control, live recognition, and real-time caption creation for videos. The company also said that Vision Pro users will be able to control the compatible wheelchair with their eyes with this update.

Apple Intelligence’s image recognition feature in VoiceOver will better understand an image and describe it in more detail, the company said. For example, he can view the invoice and read details such as the amount and due date. Apple said the updated feature can also better describe photos and personal records.

Users can now use their iPhone to activate Live Recognition, which uses the camera to recognize content in the frame, as well as ask follow-up questions to learn more. Visually impaired users can also assign a magnifier to the action button, which displays content on a high-contrast interface. Additionally, they can use voice commands like “zoom in” or “turn on flashlight” to access features.

Voice command updating is not limited to the Magnifier app. Apple said users can describe tasks in natural language to take action on what they see on screen. For example, in Apple Maps, they can say “Tap the guide to the best restaurants,” or in Files, they can say “Tap the purple folder.”

The company is also updating Reader, which can now handle documents such as scientific papers with multiple columns, images, and tables.

Users can get AI-powered summaries or read text in the original language while retaining custom fonts and colors. The company added that the updated reader can cater to various disabilities such as dyslexia and poor vision.

Furthermore, Apple is adding AI-generated subtitles to videos that don’t have pre-generated captions. This includes videos recorded on your iPhone or clips received from friends or family. These subtitles will work across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro, and users can control their appearance.

In addition, the company announced a new project where Vision Pro users can control their compatible wheelchairs with their eyes. Apple said the feature can work under different lighting conditions without recalibration. The feature will launch with Tolt and LUCI replacement drive systems in the US with accessories supporting both Bluetooth and wired connections.

Apple noted that the name recognition feature, which alerts hearing-impaired users when someone says their name, now supports 50 languages. Additionally, the company will be rolling out significant text support for tvOS. Apple also said that hearing aids designed for iPhone will handle transferring between different devices better.

The company said that these features will be available to users later this year. They will likely be part of Apple’s upcoming iOS 27 release.