Apple has announced several new AI-powered accessibility features like Eye Tracking and Music Haptics for the iPhone and the iPad sometime later this year. These AI and ML-powered accessibility features, which will most likely be coming with iOS 18 will help users with physical disabilities to easily navigate the user interface.
Eye Tracking
Specially designed for people with physical disabilities and powered by artificial intelligence, Apple says Eye Tracking will give users an “in-built option for navigating iPad and iPhone with just their eyes.” The upcoming functionality will enable users to navigate through app elements and use Dwell Control to activate each element or press physical buttons, swipes and other gestures using their eyes.
It uses the front camera to set up and calibrate in seconds and all data used by Eye Tracking will be stored on the device itself. Apple says Eyemn Tracking works across apps and doesn’t require any additional hardware to work.
Vocal Shortcuts
Similar to the recently introduced ‘Shortcuts’ feature which lets users perform custom actions, Vocal Shortcuts will help you “assign custom utterances that Siri can understand” to launch customised shortcuts or perform complex tasks.
Another upcoming feature called “Atypical Speech” will give users the option to enhance speech recognition for a wider range of speech. The feature can come in handy for users who have conditions like cerebral palsy or ALS.
Music Haptics
For those who are hard of hearing or unable to hear at all, Music Haptics will offer a new way to experience music on the iPhone by using the Taptic Engine to “play taps, textures and refined vibrations to the audio of the music.” Apple says it is compatible with millions of songs available on Apple Music and can also be used as an API for developers.
Vehicle Motion Cues
Soon coming to both the iPhone and the iPad, Vehicle Motion Cues is designed to reduce the effects of motion sickness. Caused by a sensory conflict between what a person sees and feels, the feature will show animated dots on the edge of the screen to help reduce motion sickness without interfering with the main content. It can either be set up automatically when the user is in a moving vehicle or can be toggled on or off manually from the Control Center.
