Apple previews AI accessibility features for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro

Apple has previewed a major suite of new accessibility features powered by its on-device Apple Intelligence system, set to launch later this year across its iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro devices. The announcement, timed ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 21, focuses on enhancing tools for users with visual, hearing, mobility, and cognitive disabilities.

The updates bring significant artificial intelligence enhancements to core features. VoiceOver, which describes on-screen and real-world environments for blind and low-vision users, will now provide more detailed descriptions of images, scanned documents, and photographs. A Live Recognition feature allows users to press the iPhone's Action button to ask questions about what the camera sees and pose follow-up queries. The Magnifier tool receives similar AI-powered visual descriptions and can be controlled with voice commands like "zoom in."

Voice Control is gaining natural language support, enabling users with physical disabilities to navigate devices by describing on-screen elements in their own words instead of memorizing specific labels. For example, a user could say "tap the guide about best...