Apple will be adding a suite of new accessibility features on its devices this year, including Braille support, on the next iterations of its operating systems, as it prepares for its annual developer conference.
The writing system for the visually impaired will be integrated for note taking, maths and science calculations, live captions and transcriptions, and reading Braille Ready Format files, Apple said on Tuesday, ahead of the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
The WWDC, Apple's main event for software, is expected to introduce iOS 19 for the iPhone, alongside the corresponding systems for the iPad, Mac, Watch and TV. The new version of iOS is typically released with the next generation of iPhones, which are expected in September.
Braille was invented by Louis Braille in the 1820s to help people with vision impairments read and write. While technology and audio aids have increased in recent years, it remains a key learning tool, said the New England College of Optometry.
The system is used by about six million visually impaired people around the world, according to the Louis Braille Museum, east of Paris.
Apple will also be introducing Accessibility Nutrition Labels, which show users if features such as voice control, magnified text and reduced motion are available on apps.
An enhanced magnifier for Macs and “enhanced view” for the Vision Pro augmented reality headset will also be added, Apple said. The latter is specifically aimed at helping people who are blind or have low vision. An accessibility reader to help those with dyslexia or low vision will also be introduced.
Apple's upcoming accessibility features are “tools to help people access crucial information”, chief executive Tim Cook said.
The set of updates comes as Apple continues to focus on health technology, which has become a key driver of its services unit, which has boosted revenue in recent years.
In March, Apple launched its latest Hearing Aid and Hearing Test services in Saudi Arabia, giving people in the kingdom free access to the health technologies.
