Apple adds AI-powered accessibility features to its devices

Apple has announced several new accessibility updates powered by Apple Intelligence, the company’s artificial intelligence platform. These updates are expected to arrive later this year, and they are likely to be part of Apple’s upcoming iOS 27 release. The announcement came on Tuesday, ahead of Google’s annual I/O developer conference.

Among the updates is a new feature that allows users of the Vision Pro, Apple’s spatial computing headset, to control a compatible wheelchair using only their eyes. This eye-tracking capability is scheduled to launch in the U.S. and will support alternative drive system providers Tolt and LUCI. The feature is designed to work under varying lighting conditions without requiring recalibration, supporting both wired and Bluetooth accessory connections.

The update also introduces enhancements to VoiceOver, Apple’s screen reader feature, and Magnifier, an accessibility app for users with low vision. VoiceOver will use image-recognition capabilities to describe photographs, personal records, and documents in greater detail, such as reading out the amount and due date on a bill. For users with low vision, the Magnifier app can be assigned to the action button to display content on a high-contrast interface. Users can also control these tools using natural language voice commands to zoom in or turn on the flashlight. This voice control extends to other applications, allowing users to perform actions like selecting restaurant guides in Apple Maps or issuing the command “Tap the purple folder” in the Files app, as spoken by a user.

Additionally, Apple is updating its Reader tool to support documents with complex layouts, such as scientific papers with multiple columns, tables, and images. The updated reader is designed to cater to different disabilities such as dyslexia and low vision, allowing users to view AI-generated summaries or read text with custom fonts and colors. For video content, Apple is introducing AI-generated subtitles for clips that lack pre-generated captions, which will work across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. Finally, the name-recognition feature, which alerts users with hearing disabilities when someone speaks their name, has been expanded to support 50 languages.

Why it matters

Apple is embedding its new ‘Apple Intelligence’ AI capabilities into core accessibility features, signaling a shift toward using generative AI to lower barriers for users with disabilities.