![]() ![]() There is a tonne of stuff you can't do hands-free with your voice on Apple gear, which is very limiting. The annual keynote is where the company unveils details of the next major releases of its operating systems, such as iOS 15, watch0S 8 and macOS.ĭespite the welcome introduction of the answer calls feature there is still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to accessibility in the company's forthcoming 2021 software updates. Room for improvementĪpple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) kicks off in a few weeks on 7th June. So far, the company has said nothing.Įxpanding on this inclusive approach, the next AirPods advert, rather than showing a fit young person dancing down the street, it would be great if Apple could show how AirPods and Siri can help a disabled user answer phone calls and keep in touch with friends and family more easily. I think the tech giant should be more proactive in their marketing and product information, in terms of reaching out to disabled users and saying: "Hey, we have this great new feature, it's for everyone and does X, Y, and Z and we think it will be really helpful for people with physical motor disabilities". However, I do have a slight worry that some disabled users may miss out, should Apple fail to properly market it. I hope this is because the company has taken an inclusive design approach, which sees accessibility features incorporated into the core product, rather than siloed off as part of the operating system where they can be ignored. Accessibility feature or inclusive design approach?Ĭuriously, Apple hasn't explicitly highlighted this new 'answer calls with Siri' ability as an accessibility feature. If you too could do nothing about someone wrenching your phone from its holder as bold as brass and strolling off with it, you too would prefer to have it stowed away and rely on Siri through your AirPods as your main interface to all your iPhone's functions. In any case, Voice Control relies on your iPhone being out and on display and unlocked with Face ID, but this is not my preferred setup when out and about. Unfortunately, Apple’s accessibility speech recognition app Voice Control can’t answer and hang up calls. I always found this situation untenable and it is good to see the company has finally acted. Almost since Siri launched, you could place a call with a voice command, but until now you couldn't answer a call in the same way. I’ve lobbied Apple to include this ability for the past four years. It will change my life going forward as I can now easily and spontaneously answer the numerous phone calls, I receive each day hands-free with just my voice. When I first tried the new capability last week, I was crying tears of joy at its simplicity and effectiveness. ![]() The beauty of it is Apple doesn’t even categorise it as an accessibility feature, which makes it very inclusive. The new option can be found under Settings > Phone > Announce Calls.Īs someone with a severe physical motor disability, who can't touch the iPhone screen, this is the company’s most life changing feature in a long time. There’s no need to say, “Hey Siri,” you just need to say “answer” or “decline.” However, in addition to telling you the name of the caller, Siri now understands the commands to answer the call. The option is part of the Announce Calls with Siri feature, which lets users hear the name of who is calling when using AirPods, the company’s popular headphones. ![]() IOS 14.5 now lets users answer calls using the company's virtual assistant Siri without having to press anything. However, one new feature received less attention than the headline grabbers, but is great news for disabled users. IOS 14.5 brings lots of new features to your iPhone that let you do things like stop apps from tracking you, and unlock your iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask. Colin is a former BBC producer who campaigns for greater access and affordability of technology for disabled people. Colin is a regular contributor to Aestumanda. ![]()
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