Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Apple previews new cutting-edge accessibility features

Apple has previewed some nifty, cutting-edge accessibility features that will give iPhone and Apple Watch users with disabilities more tools to navigate the world around them. As stated in its press release, the new features will aid them in navigation, communication, hearing, and more.

The newest navigation feature Apple has introduced is called Door Detection, which will help blind or low-vision users locate a door within the last few feet of their destination. Thanks to the combination of a LiDAR scanner, camera, and on-device machine learning, Door Detection will tell users the distance between them and the door they’re approaching, whether the door is open or closed, has a knob or handle, and if it can be pushed or pulled open, as well as reading the signs and symbols around it.

Related Videos

For those with motor and physical disabilities, there’s Apple Watch Mirroring, which allows them to control their Apple Watch remotely from their iPhone. Using Voice Control and Switch Control instead of tapping the Apple Watch display, anything that shows up on the watch will pop up on the iPhone screen thanks to AirPlay. They can also use hand gestures, like double-pinching, to answer or end a phone call, play or pause media, take pictures, or resume their workouts, which can be extremely useful for people with missing limbs or hands.

Deaf and hard-of-hearing users will get Live Captions on not just the iPhone, but also the iPad and Mac products. This feature will help users understand the context of any audio media content and conservations, whether held in person, or via phone calls, FaceTime, or video conferences. In FaceTime group chats, Live Captions will attribute auto-transcribed dialogue to call participants so that it will be easier for deaf and hard-of-hearing users to tell who’s talking. Caption size can also be adjusted to help them read captions more easily.

Apple introduced these new features in honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, and they aim to make the lives of disabled users easier than ever before. They will be released via updates later this year.

Editors' Recommendations

You should pay attention to this cheap, colorful phone with a 200MP camera
A person holding the Redmi Note 12 Pro+.

Before it has really begun in earnest, the time of 200-megapixel cameras only being found on top-of-the-range smartphones has ended.

Proof of that is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+, which has a 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HPX sensor inside its camera module. On paper, it could challenge phones like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. We’ve taken an early look at the Note 12 Pro+ to see if there’s more to it than just the camera.
Camera clarification
Redmi Note 12 Pro+ Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Read more
Does the Samsung Galaxy A54 have a headphone jack?
The top edge of the Galaxy A54.

The Samsung Galaxy A54 is Samsung's budget flagship that's a solid pick for anyone looking to get the best the company has to offer without breaking the bank. Every time a new smartphone like the Galaxy A54 launches, it can feel like questions about the phone's technical specs take up the majority of the conversation. The hardware features are equally as important since they're the things that prospective buyers will be physically interacting with when using the phone.

When it comes to frequently asked hardware questions, questions about 3.5mm headphone jacks are usually the ones asked most often. Although much of the world has moved on to relying primarily on wireless headphones, there are still those who use wired headphones as their main way of consuming audio content. Most major flagships have dropped headphone jacks entirely, but there's a devoted group of budget devices that still feature them for headphone users who prefer wired connections. Here's what you need to know about the Galaxy A54's audio options and if it has a headphone jack.
The Samsung Galaxy A54 doesn't have a headphone jack

Read more
The Huawei Watch Ultimate looks like the perfect Apple Watch Ultra rival
The Huawei Watch Ultimate in Voyage Blue and Expedition Black themes.

See if you can guess which smartwatch Huawei wants to take on with its latest release. It’s called the Huawei Watch Ultimate, and it’s made to appeal to outdoorsy types, complete with comprehensive diving and expedition modes.

It has a really big screen and a big battery too. That’s right, the Huawei Watch Ultimate is an Apple Watch Ultra competitor — but don’t pass it by just yet, because it’s worth your attention.

Read more