William Gallagher
A new redesign for its Accessibility page sees Apple highlighting specific device features such as the magnifier in iOS, and the back-tap on the iPhone 12.
Having recently stressed the importance of accessibility in its history, Apple has now redesigned its site to emphasize its devices' extensive features for users with any disabilities. Accompanying the site redesign, Apple has also added a new video about to its iPhone Magnifier feature to its now 23-strong collection of accessibility guides on YouTube.
The new site mixes iOS and macOS accessibility features, broadly grouped into the four categories of vision, mobility, hearing, and cognitive. The latter involves helping attention, and the main examples show Safari's Reader feature, and how text can be read aloud.
For users with vision needs, Apple's redesign includes a demonstration of how the iPhone camera can be used as a magnifying glass. It shows how the size of text can be changed for all applications, or how users can choose to zoom in on certain areas.
The iPhone 12 range's new ability to register a double- or triple-tap on the back is shown for users with mobility issues. So is Assistive Touch, which lets users change gestures such as pinching out to be more comfortable.
Apple's very many features for users with hearing difficulties are headlined by the new Sound Recognition tool in iOS 14. This is the feature where, in Apple's own example, the sound of a fire alarm may be recognized by your iPhone which then displays a visual notification.
Each example is shown starting with a large, clear graphic which conveys the key points. There is then also a plus sign which opens a pop-up window with only a little more detail, but links to exactly how you set up any one of these features.
Apple's Accessibility site redesign concludes with a collection of its related videos, as iMore first spotted, such as its partnership with Gallaudet University, and celebrating the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Although Apple does not make reference to this on its new site, the redesign does coincide with 2020's International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
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Wesley Hilliard
AppleInsider Staff
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
2 Comments
Nice update to this setting. The Accessibility feature has something to offer everyone and this revamp creates a much more intuitive user interface.
The double and triple back-tap feature is not limited to the iPhone 12 series. It functions on older models, at least as far back as the XS series.