Accessibility Features

Magnifier works like a digital magnifying glass — and does so much more. It uses the camera on your iPhone or iPad to increase the size of any physical object you point it at, like a menu or sign, so you can see all the details clearly on your screen. Use the flashlight or LED flash to light the object, adjust filters to help you differentiate colours or freeze a specific frame to get a static close-up.

For those who are blind or have low vision and want more information about their physical surroundings, Detection Mode in Magnifier combines input from the camera, LiDAR Scanner and on-device machine learning to offer intelligent tools like People Detection, Door Detection, Furniture Detection, Scenes and Text Detection.³ On iPhone you can use Detection Mode with the Action button to have your surroundings described to you.⁴

If there’s text on nearby physical objects, such as buttons on household appliances or labels on files, use Point and Speak to have it read aloud.⁵ You can also use Reader Mode to view the text in a format that’s easier to read. Magnifier lets you temporarily capture a frame that contains text, so you can view it in a format adapted for easier reading and even adjust the font, size and colour of the text to your liking.

Features are subject to change. Some features, applications and services may not be available in all regions or all languages. See iOS and iPadOS for Scenes in Detection Mode availability. See iOS and iPadOS for Text Detection availability.

Spoken Content includes a collection of features designed to enhance your reading or writing with audio. Hear your entire screen read aloud with Speak Screen, and use Speech Controller to keep those controls onscreen so you can easily pause speaking, adjust the rate, or navigate forward or back to the content you want to hear. With Highlight Content, you can have words or sentences accentuated in a customised colour and style as they’re read out loud.

Use Speak Selection to have a specific range of text read to you. Or activate Typing Feedback to hear what you type spoken out loud character by character, word by word, with auto-corrections and auto-capitalisations as they appear.

Spoken Content is available in over 80 distinct voices and more than 60 languages and locales, with options to customise settings such as pitch range for your preferred built-in voices.² Languages are automatically detected to switch seamlessly between voices, so your spoken content won’t feel impersonal.

Features are subject to change. Some features, applications and services may not be available in all regions or all languages. See iOS and iPadOS or macOS for feature availability.

You can customise your Display settings to make it easier to see what’s on your device screen. Invert display colours, adjust transparency, modify how colours appear with colour filters and more.

Invert display colours to make the background dark so text and content stand out. This can be useful in apps and websites that don’t support Dark Mode. Smart Invert reverses the colours on the display except for images, media and some apps that use dark colour styles, while Classic Invert reverses all colours on the display.

Colour filters let you view the entire screen in greyscale, adjust colours for colour vision deficiencies or tint the screen a colour. Use Reduce White Point to tone down the intensity of bright colours. You can also make the display easier on your eyes as it gets dark out by turning on Night Shift, which automatically adjusts the colours of your display to the warmer end of the spectrum.

Some backgrounds appear transparent or blurred by default. Turn on Reduce Transparency to make these backgrounds opaque by giving them a solid colour and making them easier to see onscreen. You can also use Increase Contrast to turn up the colour contrast between an app’s foreground and background colours.

Some screen items rely on colour to convey information. Use Differentiate Without Colour to replace these with alternative ways to tell them apart, like shapes or text. Switches turn green when they are on. On/Off Labels adds a vertical line to switches to indicate when they’re on and a circle to indicate when they’re off. Turn on Button Shapes to underline any text that performs an action when you tap it, so it’s easier to identify these elements onscreen.

Text Size helps make text more legible and visible with simple font adjustments. With Larger Text you can adjust the size using an accessibility slider, while Bold Text gives weight to the words on your screen. Your preferred settings will be applied only to the apps you choose.

When you want to use iPhone or iPad while a passenger in a moving vehicle, Vehicle Motion Cues can help reduce motion sickness.⁶ Using sensors built into iPhone and iPad, dots appear on your screen and move with the motion of the vehicle to reduce sensory conflict — a common cause of motion sickness. These dots are designed to remain on the sides of your screen to avoid interfering with any content. Vehicle Motion Cues can be turned on manually in Control Centre or automatically on iPhone when it senses vehicle motion.

Zoom is a screen magnifier that lets you enlarge the content you see on your device. Choose Full Screen Zoom to magnify the entire screen, or Window Zoom to magnify only part of the screen with a resizable lens.⁸ Follow Focus tracks your selections, the text insertion point and your typing. Smart Typing magnifies the text area and keeps the keyboard unmagnified while typing. With Zoom Filters, you can apply Inverted, Greyscale, Greyscale Inverted or Low Light to the magnified area.

Zoom also works with VoiceOver, so you can more clearly see and hear what’s happening on your screen. Split-screen zoom on Mac lets you see content up close and at a distance simultaneously. And if you’re using zoom on multiple displays with macOS, you can set a different zoom level for each display.

Hover Text makes it easier to view text on your iPhone, iPad or Mac or while you’re watching Apple TV content. If a paragraph, text box, caption or footnote is too small to read, just hover over it with your pointer or Apple Pencil and press the activation key for a bigger, high‑resolution version of your selection. You can even choose the fonts and colours that work best for you. And with Hover Typing on iPhone, you can see larger text when you’re typing in a text field — in your preferred font and text colour too.

Pages, Numbers and Keynote include several features that can help you create documents, spreadsheets and presentations that are accessible for both you and your audiences.

Add descriptions to images, audio or video in Pages, Numbers and Keynote. Line- and word-spacing tools enhance how you read, perceive and edit documents. For VoiceOver users, the layout rotor helps you automatically align selected elements so that your documents look and sound exactly the way you like. Use VoiceOver Audio Graph support to more clearly communicate data or improve how you read and edit documents with line- and word-spacing tools. The text checker tool can help you discover common formatting issues such as extra spaces or mistakenly capitalised letters, which makes proofreading documents, spreadsheets and presentations even easier. With Apple Intelligence, you can transform how you communicate with Writing Tools that can proofread your text, rewrite different versions until the tone and wording are just right, and summarise selected text with a tap.⁹

Built-in layout options in Pages help you organise and customise the look of your documents. You can also make Pages documents more scannable by adding headings that screen readers can easily identify and navigate.

Watch movies with detailed audio descriptions of every scene on many of your devices including iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. Just check for the AD icon under the movie title on the Apple TV app or on the iTunes Store.

Control Centre gives you instant access to the things you do the most. It has many options for controls, including categories for accessibility, hearing, mobility and vision. With the Accessibility Shortcut, you can easily add, organise and customise your favourite accessibility features in Control Centre or System Settings. Just triple-click the side button, Digital Crown, power button or Action button to quickly access the features you use most.

A shortcut is a quick way to get one or more tasks done with your apps using just a tap or by asking Siri. Shortcuts can automate a variety of things, like getting directions to the next event on your calendar or moving text from one app to another. You can use the Shortcuts app to add ready-made or custom shortcuts to your devices. It lets you combine multiple steps across multiple apps to create powerful task automations. Siri can also suggest simple, useful shortcuts based on your app usage. Once you create a shortcut, just activate Siri, then say the shortcut’s name to run it.

The Shortcuts app Gallery features Shortcuts for Accessibility — a curated collection of ready-to-use tools that support a wide range of needs. Shortcuts for features like VoiceOver and AssistiveTouch let you quickly toggle them on and off. If you have short-term memory loss, you can use Remember This to log what happens throughout the day. Or run the In Case of Emergency shortcut to send your location to your chosen emergency contacts, share a message with custom instructions and display a message of your choice onscreen for first responders to see.

The Accessibility Assistant shortcut can help you find built-in accessibility features that work for you. Answer a series of questions about your needs, and the Accessibility Assistant will create a Notes document with a list of recommended accessibility features and relevant Apple Support links. You can share your custom note with a family member or friend.

AirPods Pro 2 offer an innovative hearing health experience, giving you access to Loud Sound Reduction across listening modes to help prevent exposure to loud environmental noise.

Apple has worked with top manufacturers to create hearing aids, cochlear implants and sound processors designed specifically for Apple devices.¹⁰ These advanced hearing devices provide outstanding sound quality, offer many helpful features and are as easy to set up and use as any other Bluetooth device. Instantly apply your audiologist’s environmental presets as you go outdoors or enter noisy locations, like restaurants, without having to rely on additional remotes. When using Made for iPhone hearing devices, you can also have Siri announce notifications from your iPhone, iPad or Mac.

Music Haptics is a way for those who are Deaf or hard of hearing to experience music. It syncs the iPhone Taptic Engine — which creates your device’s vibrations — with the rhythm of songs so you can enjoy music with taps, textures and refined haptics.¹¹ Music Haptics works with millions of songs across Apple Music, Apple Music Classical, Shazam and compatible third-party apps when your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi or cellular.

Live Listen is an assistive listening feature that helps you have conversations in loud places by picking up audio from people who are speaking from a distance, such as in a lecture hall or across a dining table. Just turn on the feature and move your device toward the people who are speaking. Audio is picked up by the device’s microphone and sent to your AirPods, Beats headphones or Made for iPhone hearing devices, so you can hear what’s being said more clearly.¹²

Sound Recognition listens for certain sounds and uses on‑device intelligence to notify you when they are detected. This feature recognises 15 different sounds — or you can train your device to listen for electronic sounds that are unique to your environment, like the beeping of appliances in your kitchen, specific types of alarms or doorbells. On HomePod, Sound Recognition can also detect the sound of a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm. Sound Recognition supports CarPlay too. Your iPhone will listen for and detect sirens and horns. You’ll receive a notification — onscreen in your car if you’re using CarPlay — when a particular sound is detected.¹³

FaceTime is a great way to stay connected to family and friends, especially if you prefer to communicate without speaking or if you rely on facial expressions, gestures or sign language. With high-quality video and a fast frame rate, FaceTime ensures that you never miss a moment. Through Sign Language Prominence, FaceTime detects when you’re using sign language in Group FaceTime calls and automatically highlights your tile to make you prominent in the conversation. You can also use simple hand gestures to add a reaction that fills the camera frame with 3D augmented reality effects like hearts or confetti.¹⁴

On iPhone, iPad and Mac, Live Speech integrates seamlessly with FaceTime — just type your responses and your device speaks them out loud to others on the call. Or quickly chime in with your favourite saved phrases during animated conversations.

Your device can alert you in a way you’ll notice. Choose visual or vibrating alerts for incoming Phone and FaceTime calls, new text messages, new and sent mail, and calendar events. You can set an LED light flash for incoming calls or have your iPhone display a photo of the caller. If you’re on your Mac, have it flash its screen when an app needs your attention. You can also turn on haptics to play when Face ID successfully unlocks or verifies a purchase.

Apple Watch lets you adjust the strength of the taps and vibrations that it uses for alerts and notifications. You can even add an extra haptic tap that pre-announces your other haptic alerts. Turn on Crown Haptics to get haptic feedback when you turn the Digital Crown to scroll. The Taptic Time feature gives those who are blind or visually impaired another way to tell time without anyone else hearing it.

Use your iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Watch to make and receive RTT calls.¹⁵ Standard texting involves composing an entire message and tapping Send, but RTT provides instant transmission of a message as it is being composed. Transcripts for RTT calls are saved in your call history.

Closed captions are a text transcription displayed on screen in sync with a video’s dialogue and action. In addition to transcribing speech in a scene, they capture non-verbal communication, music and sound effects. Supported in apps like the Apple TV app, closed captions are available in more than 40 languages for movies, TV shows, videos and podcasts — just look for the CC icon. Customise captions with different styles and fonts, including styles that are larger and outlined for better legibility.

With the Noise app, you can have notifications alert you when your Apple Watch identifies sound levels in your environment that could affect your hearing. Apple Watch periodically measures the sound levels throughout the day while you’re wearing your watch. This uses the microphone but does not record or save any sounds. If the average sound level over 3 minutes reaches or exceeds a chosen decibel threshold, your Apple Watch can notify you.

When you configure the Noise app on Apple Watch and connect compatible headphones, Control Centre notifies you if the sounds playing through the headphones reach unsafe levels.¹⁸ And all your information is stored in the Health app on iPhone for easy access to your data whenever you need it.

Use voice or text to have Siri help you complete the tasks you do every day — or just answer questions you’re curious about.¹⁹ Ask or use Type to Siri to find definitions, set reminders, turn features on or off, and more. If you need to streamline a series of actions or tasks, you can use Siri to run custom shortcuts through the Shortcuts app. Run your shortcut by saying “Hey Siri” and then the name of the shortcut you created.²⁰ Made for iPhone hearing devices can use Siri to announce notifications for iPhone and iPad. And if you’re using Safari Reader and want to hear text read out loud, just say “Hey Siri, read this” when you’re browsing a Reader-compatible site. If you have a speech disability, Siri can listen for atypical speech. You can also customise the speed at which Siri speaks to suit your needs and preferences.

Communicating with Siri is even more natural thanks to richer language understanding from Apple Intelligence. If you change your mind mid-sentence, Siri can follow right along. For example, you might say “Hey Siri, set an alarm — wait no, sorry, I meant a timer for 5 minutes — actually, let’s make that 10.” Siri Pause Time lets you adjust the amount of time Siri waits before responding, so you can speak comfortably at your own pace without worrying about being interrupted. And once you activate Siri, you can make multiple requests back to back without needing to say “Hey Siri” repeatedly.²¹

With Apple Intelligence, Siri can assist you in ways that are unique to you and can help reduce your cognitive load.⁹ Deeper product knowledge across thousands of topics enables Siri to give you step-by-step directions on how to do something on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. Siri also maintains context so you can refer to something you mentioned in a previous request. For example, if you created a Calendar event, you can ask “What will the weather be like there?”

Features are subject to change. Some features, applications and services may not be available in all regions or all languages. See iOS and iPadOS or macOS for feature availability.

If you are unable to speak, have a speech disability or prefer to communicate without your voice, you can use Live Speech to type what you want to say and have your device speak it out loud. Live Speech can help you generate real-time responses to stay connected during Phone and FaceTime calls as well as in-person conversations. You can also save commonly used phrases to help you easily respond during daily interactions and conversations. For example, you can create a Coffee Shop category to group phrases you frequently use, such as “I’d like to order a tea” or “May I have cream and sugar with that?” Live Speech even allows the audio from apps to be audible in voice and video calls, which can be helpful if you use apps that assist with speaking and communication.

If you are at risk of voice loss or have a condition that can progressively impact your voice, Personal Voice can help. It’s a simple and secure way to create a voice that sounds like you.²² Read through a series of randomised text prompts to record 15 minutes of audio that can be used to generate a voice that sounds similar to your own.²³ If you have difficulty pronouncing or reading full sentences, you can even create your Personal Voice using short, three-word phrases. This feature uses on-device machine learning to keep your information private and secure. And Personal Voice seamlessly integrates with Live Speech, so you can type what you want to say and have your iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Watch speak it aloud in the voice you created. Personal Voice also works with third-party augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) apps and other apps that you allow.

Features are subject to change. Some features, applications and services may not be available in all regions or all languages. See iOS and iPadOS or macOS for feature availability.

Use Vocal Shortcuts to teach your device to perform an action when you speak a word or another sound of your choosing. If you have moderate to severe atypical speech, you can use unique pronunciations and utterances to activate shortcuts and complete complex tasks. Use a custom phrase to run automations at home like turning off the lights and locking your all your doors at once. Up to 50 commands can be saved on your device. Vocal Shortcuts uses on-device machine learning to recognise your speech patterns. This occurs entirely and securely on your device and isn’t shared with Apple.

Meet the easiest shortcut ever. Back Tap lets you double‑tap or triple‑tap the back of your iPhone to perform actions like taking a screenshot, turning on an accessibility feature or running a shortcut. Choose from more than 20 different actions or create your own automated shortcuts in the Shortcuts app to simplify your everyday tasks.²⁴

Switch Control makes it easy and efficient to control your device with a variety of adaptive switch hardware, wireless game controllers or even simple sounds like a click, a pop or an “ee”. Use item, point and manual scanning to navigate sequentially through onscreen keyboards, menus and the Dock. Create your own custom panels and keyboards system-wide, or app by app on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. With Use Other Devices for Switch Control, you can use a single device to remotely control any other Apple devices you have synced with your Apple Account on the same Wi-Fi network. That way you can control your Mac or Apple TV directly from your iPhone or iPad without having to set up your switches on each new device.²⁵ With Apple Watch mirroring, you can use assistive features like Switch Control to fully control your Apple Watch from your iPhone.²⁶ And gaming is even easier with Switch Control — the same switch or sound actions you use to navigate and control your iPhone and iPad can be turned into a game controller.²⁷

Navigate your device using just your voice. Commands like click, swipe and tap help you easily interact with your favourite apps. You can precisely select, drag and zoom by showing numbers alongside clickable items or by superimposing a grid on the screen. Voice Control also offers a more efficient way to write and edit. With Voice Control spelling mode, you can dictate names, addresses and even custom spellings letter by letter.²⁸ It’s a seamless way to make corrections, format changes and transition between text dictation and commands.²⁹ And if you are new to Voice Control on iPhone, iPad or Mac, the feature includes an onboarding experience with education support to help you learn the ins and outs quickly and easily. Voice Control is compatible with CarPlay, so you can control the built-in car display with voice commands too.

Features are subject to change. Some features, applications and services may not be available in all regions or all languages. See iOS and iPadOS or macOS for feature availability.

If you have reduced mobility or need to interact with your device without using your hands, you can navigate iPhone and iPad with just your eyes. Use the front-facing camera to set up and calibrate Eye Tracking in seconds. And thanks to on-device machine learning, all data used to set up and control this feature is kept securely on your device and isn’t shared with Apple. Eye Tracking works with iOS and iPadOS apps and doesn’t require additional hardware or accessories.³⁰ To help you navigate through different apps, you can use Dwell Control, which enables you to interact with controls by keeping your eyes on them for a selected amount of time. And Eye Tracking lets you access additional functions such as physical buttons, swipes or even type using only your eyes. iPad also supports third-party eye trackers.

There are many ways to navigate and control your devices without using your hands or fingers. Head Tracking uses the camera on your device to follow the movement of your head to control a pointer on your screen, and it tracks your facial movements to perform actions.³¹

Pointer Control on Mac lets you use different methods, like head movements, to control your pointer and mouse or trackpad button. You can set options to specify the way the pointer moves, how fast it moves, which switches to use for head pointer actions and which camera to use. Alternate pointer actions let you use keyboard shortcuts, assistive switches or facial expressions to perform mouse actions, such as left, right or double clicks, or other custom actions to suit your needs.

If you use Magic Keyboard or another physical keyboard with your devices, you can adjust the sensitivity of keys and make it easier to press combinations of keys. Turn on Full Keyboard Access on Mac to navigate and control your Mac with only the keyboard. You can also change the appearance of the cursor — make the Full Keyboard Access cursor wider, or choose a colour and increase contrast so it’s easier to spot on the screen.

With Key Repeat, you can set how long you must press and hold a key before it starts repeating and how fast it repeats once it starts. Or you can prevent the key from repeating at all. Slow Keys lets you adjust the amount of time between when a key is pressed and when it is activated, so your device processes only the keystrokes you mean to make. Sticky Keys enables you to enter key combinations sequentially rather than simultaneously. Or use Mouse Keys to control your pointer with a numeric keypad on your iPhone, iPad and Mac. You can also create custom shortcuts for commonly used words or phrases, and your iPhone, iPad and Mac will type them for you.

The customisable, onscreen Accessibility Keyboard lets you navigate and type in macOS without using a physical keyboard. It includes support for custom toolbars and improved typing with auto-capitalisation and better word suggestions. This keyboard also supports head‑tracking hardware, so you can move the pointer and select or drag onscreen items. And it has Dwell support, so all of macOS can be used without ever needing to click a mouse or trackpad button.

Assistive Access makes it easy for people with cognitive disabilities to tailor their iPhone and iPad to lighten cognitive load and suit their specific needs and preferences. Designed with feedback from individuals with cognitive disabilities and their trusted supporters, Assistive Access offers a distinctive interface with high-contrast buttons, large text labels and visual alternatives to text. It also has tools to help individuals and their supporters adjust the experience in specific apps.

Assistive Access includes customised experiences for Phone and FaceTime (which have been combined into a single Calls app), Messages, Camera, Photos, Music and Magnifier. For those who prefer communicating visually, Messages includes an emoji-only keyboard and the option to record a video message. Choose a more visual, grid-based layout for your Home Screen and apps, or a row-based layout if you prefer text. Assistive Access also supports third-party apps, including augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) apps.

There are many ways Apple Intelligence can help enhance your written communication, reading comprehension, memory and recollection, and more.

Transform how you communicate with Writing Tools. Use them to proofread your text, rewrite different versions until the tone and wording are just right, and summarise text with a tap. And in the Notes or Phone app, you can capture audio recordings and transcripts and then get a summary of your transcripts for easy reference later. Writing Tools are available nearly everywhere you write, including third-party apps.⁹

Apple Intelligence can also help you get through your inbox faster. Priority messages in Mail elevate time-sensitive messages to the top of your inbox, so you know what to read first when you open Mail. Brief summaries appear in the email preview and in the conversation list in Messages, so you know the key information before you even open the thread. And when you open an email thread in Mail, you can tap to see a summary that helps you get the gist of a lengthy email exchange. You can even quickly respond to messages in Mail and Messages with Smart Reply, which offers response options based on your conversation.

With the power of Apple Intelligence, your devices can understand the notifications you receive, summarise them and organise them in a way that prioritises what’s most important to you. Priority notifications appear at the top of the stack on your Lock Screen, letting you know what to pay attention to at a glance. And notifications are summarised, so you can scan them faster, lightening your cognitive load.

There are countless ways Apple Intelligence can support people with cognitive challenges — all without compromising privacy.

Background Sounds help minimise distractions and increase your sense of focus, calm and restfulness to the tune of distant rain or ocean waves. Choose from balanced, bright and dark noise and ocean, rain and stream sounds to continuously play in the background and mask excess environmental or external noise. These sounds can also mix into or duck under other audio and system sounds that are playing through your device.

Sometimes navigating the web can be sensory overload. Safari Reader is an assistive technology feature that shows a web page article in one page, formatted for easy reading and presented without navigation or other distractions. Adjust the font, font size and background colour to fully customise your viewing experience. You can also have text read aloud while you are using Safari Reader. For compatible sites in Safari that offer Reader view, simply tap Listen to Page in the Page Settings menu or say “Hey Siri, read this”. And with the redesigned Safari Reader, you can get the gist of an article with a high-level summary and table of contents.³⁴

With Guided Access, you can temporarily restrict iPhone to a single app. This can be useful when you let a child use your iPhone or when you want to stay focused on a task. You can set a time limit and customise which features, hardware buttons and areas of the screen are available. You can even restrict access to the keyboard, disable touch input on certain areas of the screen on iPhone or iPad. Whether you’re a parent, a teacher or a caregiver, or are trying to help yourself focus, you have all the options you need to customise your experience with Apple products.

Dictation enables you to talk where you would type — and it’s available in more than 60 languages and locales. If you have strong verbal skills, but your spelling or typing could use an assist, just go to any text field and tap the microphone button on the onscreen keyboard to start dictating. And you can activate Dictation through Keyboard settings on your Mac to turn your speech into text. Fluidly switch between voice and touch, so you can continue to interact with your onscreen keyboard to move the cursor or insert QuickType suggestions.³⁵ Punctuation like commas, periods and question marks are automatically added to your text as you speak.³⁶ You can even insert emoji into messages using just your voice.³⁷

Features are subject to change. Some features, applications and services may not be available in all regions or all languages. See iOS and iPadOS or macOS for feature availability.

With Focus, it’s even easier to home in on what’s most important to you. Activate different Focus areas like Do Not Disturb, Work or Sleep to silence device notifications that may disturb or distract you in the moment. Reduce Interruptions understands the content of your notifications and shows you the ones that might need immediate attention, like a text about picking up your child from daycare later today.³⁸ A streamlined setup for Focus enables you to select the apps or people you want to receive notifications from by either allowing or silencing them.

You can connect your Lock Screen to your Focus of choice so the look and feel of your iPhone matches how you want to use it at that time — simply swipe to the corresponding Lock Screen to activate a Focus. And Focus filters help you set boundaries in Apple apps like Calendar and Messages, as well as third-party apps, by hiding distracting content. Choose a set of Tab Groups to show up in Safari while in the Work Focus, or hide your work calendar altogether when you’re using the Personal Focus. You can even set a Focus area to turn on at a certain time or location or when you’re using a specific app.