Apple previewed suite of accessibility updates using Apple Intelligence to bring new capabilities to features users rely on every day. The company announced updates for VoiceOver, Magnifier, Voice Control, and Accessibility Reader coming later this year. Apple also announced on-device generated subtitles for uncaptioned video content and new feature for Vision Pro users to control compatible wheelchairs.
VoiceOver and Magnifier become more powerful with Apple Intelligence. Image Explorer in VoiceOver uses Apple Intelligence to give more detailed descriptions of images systemwide including photographs, scanned bills, personal records, and visual content. VoiceOver users can press Action button on iPhone to quickly ask question about camera viewfinder getting detailed response.
Voice Control becomes more intuitive using natural language to help users with physical disabilities navigate iPhone and iPad entirely by voice. Users can describe onscreen buttons with natural language instead of memorizing exact labels. Accessibility Reader works on complex source material like scientific articles handling text with multiple columns, images, and tables.
Apple announced generated subtitles displaying transcriptions of spoken audio automatically when captions not already provided. Subtitles generate privately using on-device speech recognition appearing automatically for uncaptioned videos on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Vision Pro. Feature works for clips recorded on iPhone, received from friends and family, or streamed online.
Apple Vision Pro gets power wheelchair control feature leveraging precision eye-tracking system offering responsive input method for compatible alternative drive systems. Feature launches with Tolt and LUCI alternative drive systems in United States. Pat Dolan, founder of GeoALS stated option to control power wheelchair on own is gold to him.
New accessibility features will arrive later during 2026 across supported Apple operating systems and compatible hardware devices globally. Developers also receive updated frameworks helping applications integrate accessibility tools more effectively throughout Apple’s expanding software ecosystem.
