Apple Intelligence may be the headlines you’ll see for iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. But any device that can run iOS/iPadOS 18 also gets new accessibility features for blind and low vision users.
This is also a good excuse to mention the AppleVis and Be My Eyes platforms, which focus on these issues. They have an excellent writeup on their very accessible site. (Yes, I know I have some work to do here on this site and server in general – on it, step by step!)
New in 18.4:
- It is now possible to change when, and if, VoiceOver speaks the type of the control currently in focus, such as heading, link, button, etc. This setting can be found in Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Verbosity > Controls, and allows you to choose whether control types are spoken before or after the contents of the control, or not at all.
- You can now perform an indefinite double-tap and hold on a braille display, useful when, for example, recording an audio message in the Messages app or trying to fast forward or rewind a podcast or other audio material. To do this, double-press Space with dots 3-6-7-8; press this key combination once more to release the hold.
- Performing a three-finger swipe down at the top of a page in Safari will no longer immediately refresh the page when the gesture is first performed, with VoiceOver instead instructing you to “Scroll up again to refresh.” If you are scrolling up rapidly through multiple pages, VoiceOver may not speak this instruction, instead playing the “Boundary reached” sound.
- Similar to macOS, VoiceOver on iOS and iPadOS now announces the positions of items when navigating a bulleted list, E.G. “2 of 2.” There is currently no way to change this behavior.
Apple Releases iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4; Bringing Enhancements to VoiceOver and Braille [AppleVis]
This is one to watch for all of us interested in music, creativity, and accessibility. (Just subscribed to that site and podcast). By the way, sighted folks can learn Braille – here’s a guide, for example.
Feature image: Two iPhones 16e shown on their side in white, floating in a white void. Image courtesy Apple.
And if you want to catch up, some recent discussions:
From Ashley Elsdon –
And a reminder of how diverse these stories can be: