It has recently been reported that work is underway on new and improved accessibility features for both iOS 18 and macOS 15.
MacRumors, thanks to its industry sources, have given a rundown of some of the upcoming accessibility improvements. However, it should be noted that there is no clear date on when these will become available.
The first feature is called Adaptive Voice Shortcuts, which allows users to link a unique spoken phrase to an accessibility setting. With this feature, users will be able to control certain aspects of their Apple devices with a verbal command, which will hopefully make certain tasks much more fluid. So far it has been reported that this feature could be used with the following: VoiceOver, Voice Control and Zoom.
There will also be some improvements to the Live Speech feature that was introduced in iOS 17. The update will allow Users to organize their phrases into categories, which they can then add an icon and name to. This might not seem like a massive addition, but it will be a lifesaver for those who use a lot of different phrases and want to keep everything organized and easily referable.
Finally, it appears that Apple plans to expand support for the Adjustable Text Size feature. This feature, located within the "Display" section of the "Accessibility" settings panel, allows users to choose custom font sizes for individual apps and select their preferred font size for reading. According to the report, the added apps will be Books, News, Tips, Weather and Stocks.
MacRumors also states that there were some other features in the works, including one that utilizes on-device eye tracking, although no further information was given.
It is important to note that Apple developing these features does not mean we will see them in the next update. We will only know what will be included when Apple makes an official announcement. We do not have a set date for this announcement but it will likely occur during WWDC 2024, which could happen as soon as June, so keep an eye on our hub to get the latest updates.
With this news, it seems that iOS 18 is still on track to be one of the biggest software updates in iPhone history, as stated by Bloomberg's own Mark Gurman.
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