Accessibility cards arrive on the Apple App Store: « So we sensitize the community of developers »

This time there is no function that, among all, stands out to be the novelty of the year. It is rather an enrichment of an ecosystem designed to be usable from any type of user. In other words, accessible. Like every spring, Apple he anticipated Some of the updates that will be revealed to WWDC of June and that we will see with the next version of operating systems of its devices. In particular, those related to accessibility. They are functions designed for those who have difficulty seeing, in feeling, in movingbut that – as has already happened in the past – can then be useful to everyone. «When we design them, we always do so by taking into account an individual community that we know may not be able to use our technology without that specific function – he tells us Sarah HerrlingerSenior director for policy and apple’s global accessibility initiatives – but we are happy when they are used by the general public, which finds them useful for productivity or for any other needs. Therefore, while we plan, Let’s already imagine how that idea can be advantageous for everyone».

Herrlinger refers above all to a new app for Mac, called Lens. Already present on iPhone and iPad, on the desk screen it acquires a whole other function. « We thought it for visually impaired people Which, in an educational or working environment, may have difficulty seeing the contents projected ». The iPhone becomes a camera that captures the presentation of a professor or the slides of a work colleague. Through the app it is possible to adjust brightness, contrast, color filters and perspective for Make the texts and easy to read images even for those with vision problems. Or even for those who do not need any glasses but want to have a more precise look at what he is studying. A called section has been integrated Accessibility Readerwhich allows you to transform the text detected into a more legible format.

Perhaps the most interesting novelty concerns theApp Storewhere by the end of the year some will be integrated new cards that will indicate to users what functions of accessibility are supported by each app. In fact, if the Apple devices have been equipped, over the years, the most disparate ways to allow anyone to use them, to create an entire ecosystem that it is really accessible to also involve developers. « The obligation » of giving punctual indications thus transforms into an attempt to sensitize those who create apps. «It is something that, over the years, users have asked us. It is also something that we knew we wanted to do and wanted to do it in the right way. Now it’s time. It’s a big step – assures Herrlinger – Users need to know, when they download an app, if it works for them and again, if there is an update, which will continue to work for them. And this year this aspect is put in the foreground and somehow highlights, for the developers, its priority aspect. At WWDC we will turn the spotlight even more to ensure that the developers understand what is the criterion behind these features, to help them discover the bees we make available to them ».

The cards will appear among the information that can be consulted before downloading an app and will indicate the features that have been integrated. Including VoiceoverVocal control, larger text, sufficient contrast, reduce movement, Transcripts. Speaking of the latter, it also arrives on Apple Watch in the « live » version so that those with hearing problems can have the contents captured by the microphones of the iPhone in a written version directly on the wrist. Several updates on the many functions already present on the devices were then announced. A big improvement will arrive, for example, for «Personal item». Launched in 2023allows you to restore voice to those who are no longer able to speak. At the moment, different audio files of the user’s voice are needed and 15 minutes of « training » of the system. The procedure has been changed and made more immediate: 10 sentences will be enough and a few minutes. «The loss of the voice can take place quickly. Making this process the simplest possible was therefore very important for those people for which we built this tool. And with the ways in which Machine learning has managed to progress in the last two years, we always try to take advantage of any new element and technology possible. The work done with our automatic learning teams brought us to a point where we were able to make this process much easier, easier, continuous, « explains Herrlinger.

And then there is a new device – Very expensive and still not on sale in Italy – But it was thought from the beginning to be a useful tool for those with visual or motor difficulties. The Apple Vision Prothe viewer for the mixed reality, has been equipped with all the accessibility features, and on this product the Herrlinger team continues to study and work: «For us it is essential, and this applies to each product, which Our team is involved from the early stages of the design process. So, even when the Vision Pro was only an idea before becoming a physical object, we were there to work with them and think about how this tool could be used if you have limited mobility, if the eyes are our only interaction tool or if you are part of the blind community. This year we bring A new zoom. It is already possible to zoom on the digital elements on the screen. Now we are building a zoom for the main chamber », so that it is possible to make elements found in the real world more evident.

And then again, improvements in the interaction with braille devices, in the management of background sounds, in the tracing of the eye to control the device by moving the pupils, in the recognition of sounds with the possibility of letting those who are deaf when their name is pronounced by someone close to them. An ecosystem that is made from year to year more accessible and on which Sarah Herrlinger works with a passion that was born in a very specific context: «I started in the Education division of Apple and I looked at this problem from the students’ lens. The most important thing, for me, was to understand that we do not simply want that children survived school experience: we want them to prosperize and become the next generation that will solve the problems of the world. Thanks to the devices present in schools, We were in a unique position to help all these students find the support points they need to be successful. And this has become my passion.