Apple has revealed some of the new accessibility features that it will release this year in iOS 18 and other operating system versions. As it usually does, the company from Cupertino does not specifically refer to “iOS 18.” The main new feature is eye tracking which, thanks to a new vision system in iOS similar to Vision Pro, will allow iPhone and iPad users with physical disabilities to control their devices using only their eyes. Haptic music, vehicle motion control and other new functions are also on the way.
Eye Tracking: control your device with your gaze only
Eye tracking uses the front camera to identify which items on the screen the user looks at. This allows navigation on the device with eye movements only, with no touch. You can select a button by looking at it for a few seconds. This feature is especially useful for people with physical disabilities who cannot interact with their iPhone or iPad with their fingers or voice.
Haptic Music: feel music through vibrations
Haptic music is designed to allow deaf people or people with hearing difficulties to enjoy music like everyone else. The iPhone’s haptic engine will allow the device to output sophisticated taps and vibrations that stay in sync with the music that plays. In this way, you can feel the beat, rhythm and melody of the music through touch.
Vehicle Motion Cues: reduce motion sickness when you use your iPhone in a moving vehicle
Vehicle Motion Cues aim to help iOS users who suffer from motion sickness when they use their iPhone or iPad as passengers in a moving vehicle. Motion Cues create a pattern of animated dots that follow the direction of the vehicle’s movement. Apple states that this reduces the sensory conflict in the brain and can reduce motion sickness.
Other accessibility additions
This year, Apple also announced more accessibility improvements, such as new voices for VoiceOver narration, a new Hover Typing option that enlarges the contents of the current text field during editing, access to the Detection Mode of the Magnifier app through the Action button on the iPhone 15, and improvements to Braille input. Additional details are available in Apple’s press release.
