Apple iPhone, iPad, And Mac Users Get New Accessibility Features: How To Use Live Speech, Personal Voice

To mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 18, Apple has announced several new accessibility features. The new tools will be available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac users later this year.

Apple has added new accessibility features in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. These include Assistive Access, Live Speech, Personal Voice, and more. These features alter the User Interface, text, and voice alerts to help users with disabilities or physical limitations. Let's check out the new features Apple will soon send out to its products.

What Is Assistive Access From Apple For iPad And iPhone Devices?

Assistive Access is intended for people with cognitive disabilities. It offers a customized experience for iPhone and FaceTime users.

Assistive Access is designed for iPad and iOS. It offers a customized user experience by merging apps. The feature provides a distinct User Interface with high-contrast buttons and large text labels.

Apple has essentially combined the primary features of the Phone and FaceTime app. The Assistive Access feature offers a unified app for calls, photos, and music. Even camera access is baked into the app.

Apple claims Assistive Access would make it easier for people with accessibility needs to talk to loved ones, share photos, and listen to music. The company indicated it listened to feedback from "people with cognitive disabilities and their trusted supporters".

What Is Live Speech And How To Use The Feature?

Live Speech is aimed at users who are speech impaired or those who do not wish to talk during calls. The feature will soon roll out to iPad, iPhone, and Mac users.

Users can type to speak during calls and conversations using the Live Speech feature. During routine calls, FaceTime, and even in-person conversations, users can simply type what they want to say and Live Speech will speak it out loud for the person at the other end.

Apple To Offer Personal Voice, Point and Speak, And Other Accessibility Features

Apple will soon offer Personal Voice, which allows users to generate an automated voice that sounds like them. The tool relies on Machine Learning and is designed for people who are at risk of losing their ability to speak from conditions like ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).

iPhone or iPad users can generate a Personal Voice by reading randomly chosen text prompts into their microphones for 15 minutes. Thereafter, the artificially synthesized voice will help users to connect with family and friends.

The Point and Speak feature s meant for people who are hard of vision. It uses the camera and LiDAR scanner of the Apple iPad and iPhone to enable visually disabled people.

Users with vision problems can interact with physical objects such as home appliances, which have several text labels. This feature supports the VoiceOver feature as well. It can be used with other Magnifier features such as People Detection, Door Detection, and Image Descriptions to help users better navigate their physical environment.

Apple has mentioned a few more tools, which could be demonstrated at this year's WWDC 2023 event, scheduled to start on June 5, 2023. The company is expected to reveal iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, including the aforementioned features.