Just next month at WWDC, Apple will unveil its biggest iOS update in a decade. Normally, Apple won’t tell you what’s new, but this time it’s an exception. This week, Apple announced a series of “auxiliary features” and confirmed that they will be available later this year – including Apple system software such as iOS 19. These features are mainly aimed at people with disabilities in 1.30 billion people around the world, but trust me, some of these features will be useful to you too. Apple announced the iOS 19 function in advance to 1.30 billion “a small number of people” to let iPhone be your eyes and help you see more clearly. For some visually impaired people, work, study and life are inseparable from a peripheral called “visual aid”. This device generally includes a camera and a screen, which can enlarge both the long-distance blackboard and the books on the table, but the high price and inconvenient device form make this device fail to benefit more visually impaired people. Apple announced iOS 19 function in advance to 1.30 billion “minority crowd”, iPhone and iPad in 2016 has been equipped with functions similar to “amplifier” App, to help visually impaired people better perceive the world in daily life, and this week Apple announced that the amplifier function will also come later this year on Mac products, can better assist the classroom, work and other scenarios. Apple announced iOS 19 function in advance to 1.30 billion “minority crowd” MacBook can connect iPhone or other external cameras, and then open the amplifier App, you can zoom in to view the distant blackboard or nearby printed text. When I was studying in the past, some friends who were sitting in the back row of the classroom and had poor eyesight might use their mobile phones to take a picture of the book on the blackboard and put it in front of them. It can be said that the amplifier of the MacBook is a more convenient solution. This function not only realizes simple enlargement, but also allows users to customize the brightness, contrast, and color filters of the captured picture. With the new “Accessibility Reader” function, the text in the picture can be directly converted into more readable written text. It also supports the customization of font size. Apple announced the iOS 19 function in advance, for 1.30 billion “a small number of people” compared to the big screen visual aid that is not easy to buy and carry, and the MacBook + iPhone combination itself as a productivity and life tool is obviously more convenient, no need to bring an additional set of complex equipment for installation, only a suitable bracket. The Accessibility Reader mentioned above is not only for amplifiers, but a system-level reading mode for people with dyslexia and low vision: similar to Safari browser “Reader” mode, can customize the presentation of document text, including font, color and spacing design, and also supports reading function. In addition to regular screen devices such as iPhone, iPad, and Mac, Apple has also made good use of the ability of Apple Vision Pro to interact with the real world, bringing “amplifiers” and “Accessibility Reader” to the headset. With the Vision Pro’s camera, users can directly select and zoom in on real objects or virtual app content, like an electronic magnifying glass, and use Accessibility Reader to simplify all text content. In addition to providing its ecosystem with a large number of accessibility assistance features, Apple’s ecosystem also opens the door to accessible devices, such as the ability to pair with medical-grade hearing aids iPhone. This year, Apple added support for Braille devices for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro, making it easier to make Braille notes or do Braille math calculations. In addition, Apple devices can also directly open “BRF (Braille Ready Format) ” files, which were previously only accessible with dedicated Braille note-taking devices. There is also a new feature with a wider range of applications: “Vehicle Motion Tips” on iOS 18, also known as “anti-motion sickness” function, also landed on the Mac platform, and the dot animation on each platform can also be customized. Help you listen, help you talk, and help you sleep well. In addition to vision, Apple has also prepared some better auxiliary features for people with other disabilities. “Real-time listening” is basically the most well-known and well-known accessibility feature in Apple’s ecosystem. When users with hearing impairments wear AirPods or hearing aids, they can turn iPhone into a microphone to enhance the radio. 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In addition to affecting hearing, tinnitus can also cause continuous psychological damage to patients. In iOS 18.4, Apple introduced a new feature called Background Sound for iPhone and iPad, which can relieve the symptoms of tinnitus. This feature will also usher in more personalized updates, allowing users to set equalizers and timers, as well as quick command automation, which is perfect for bedtime listening. In addition to these soothing white noise background sounds, Apple also announced a series of “Sound Therapy” playlists in partnership with Universal Music Group, which is more focused on mental health and improves users’ concentration and sleep quality. ” The “Sound Therapy” playlist has collaborated with famous musicians such as Imagine Dragons, Katy Perry, AURORA, Kacey Musgraves, etc., to launch special versions of hot hits such as lengthened and instrumental music, including three categories: “Focus”, “Relax” and “Sleep”. At present, the relevant playlist has been officially launched on Apple Music. You can see the “Sound Heals Body and Mind” section on the search page, and you can also search for relevant keywords, or find relevant albums and playlists on the partner artist interface. If you are also troubled by insomnia, you may wish to listen to this playlist, which may help you fall asleep better. The “Create Personal Voice” feature launched last year can clone their own voice for some users with vocal impairments to help them better communicate with others in their daily lives. Previously, to create a personal voice with iPhone, it required up to 150 statements and took 1 day to process. The upcoming “Personal Voice 2.0” feature only needs to record 10 statements and can create a voice clone of comparable quality in 1 minute. Dark Zone End Game is officially launched, download and send 30 gun skins for free. Advertisements “Dark Zone Breakout: Infinity” Dark Zone End Game is officially launched, download and send 30 gun skins for free. However, because of the need for stronger machine learning performance, only devices prepared for “Apple Smart” can support this new feature – if next time someone asks you what is the use of mobile AI? You can introduce him to this new feature. The best technology should be Accessibility Today, the third Thursday in May, is also “Global Accessibility Awareness Day”. This year, the 14th year of this movement, our lifestyle may have changed a lot, but for many people, these changes also mean that the threshold of life is getting higher. The public’s understanding of “accessibility” may still stop at “lowering the threshold”, such as basic functions such as narration, voice control, and real-time subtitles, allowing people with disabilities to use technology products freely. But with technological advancements, device updates, and lifestyle changes, the usage scenarios of “accessibility” are also becoming more and more complex. As Apple CEO Tim Cook advocates: The best technology should always adhere to the concept of accessibility. Since Apple added the “voice narration” function to Mac OS X in 2005, Apple has been working on accessibility for 20 years. It can be said that simply making the device “usable” is no longer Apple’s goal. They want to help people with disabilities live a better life. If people with disabilities want to live, work, and study normally, they cannot do without the assistance of some external devices. These devices are not cheap, nor may they be convenient to carry. More importantly, using these peripherals may bring shame and some negative psychological feelings to these groups. Apple devices and features may not be considered medical and professional-grade products, but at least they can directly use the products they already have, or some products that are more common to users. The AirPods hearing aid feature that sparked a lot of debate last year is also a very clear example. It transforms a hot-selling noise-canceling headset into a quasi-medical apparatus that can detect and assist hearing impairment, helping more people with hearing loss to find and get help in time. We can also find that Apple has brought us a lot of “artificial intelligence” features this year: Accessibility Reader’s text extraction function, and “Personal Voice 2.0”, which obviously make good use of the machine learning ability of the device. This application may not be as well known as the generative AI assistant, nor will it be a feature that will be promoted at the press conference, but it can help those who need help very well. Like Apple, a leading brand whose every move has attracted much attention, their efforts on device accessibility assistance can not only arouse social and industry discussions, but also drive the entire industry. In recent years, we can also see more and more domestic manufacturers adding barrier-free functions to their products, and there are more measures to benefit people with disabilities. ▲ Huawei has launched “sign language” customer service and public cognition. What is a bit biased is that people with disabilities are not a minority group. In fact, there are more than 1.30 billion people in the world, accounting for more than 15% of the global population. From a utilitarian perspective, of course, it can be said that companies develop barrier-free functions for this 1.30 billion market. But leaving no one behind, and enabling everyone to live better lives through technology — I prefer this technocratic perspective.