Apple Expands Accessibility Tools With On-Device Intelligence And Eye-Controlled Wheelchair Support

Apple says the next set of accessibility upgrades, driven by its on-device intelligence, will let people with sensory and mobility challenges interact with Apple products in new ways — including steering compatible wheelchairs with eye movement. The company unveiled enhancements that sharpen image description in its screen reader, add conversational camera reading, and generate captions for personal videos across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Vision Pro.

The maker of the iPhone said its screen reader, VoiceOver, will offer richer descriptions of photos and documents by recognizing fine-grained details such as line items on a bill. Users will be able to point the camera and ask follow-up questions about what’s in view. People with low vision can map the Magnifier tool to the hardware action button for a high-contrast display, and issue simple spoken commands — like “increase zoom” or “turn on the torch” — to control what they see.

Apple also broadened natural-language control across apps so people can describe an on-screen task instead of navigating a menu. In Maps you might tell the phone to “open the local dining guide,” and in Files you could say “select the folder named Projects.” The updated Reader will better reflow complicated layouts such as multi-column research papers, documents with embedded artwork, and data tables, and can produce concise summaries or vocalize text while maintaining custom fonts and color choices. Apple said those Reader improvements are intended to help users with dyslexia and limited sight.

For video, the company is adding autogenerated subtitles for clips that lack captions — including recordings made on a device or shared by friends. The captions will be produced locally on devices and can be adjusted for size and style. Apple noted the subtitle feature will operate across its ecosystem so a clip watched on a TV set-top device can show the same generated text as one played on an iPhone or a headset.

The company also provided rollout details and other updates. Eye-driven wheelchair controls will launch in the U.S. with partners Tolt and LUCI and will support both Bluetooth and wired setups, Apple said, adding the system adapts to different lighting without frequent recalibration. Name-detection alerts for people who are hard of hearing will expand to about 50 languages, tvOS will gain larger-text options, and Made for iPhone hearing aids will switch more smoothly between devices. A disability-technology consultant, Erin Cole, said these changes could reduce daily friction for many users but cautioned that real-world testing will determine how reliable the tools are. Apple expects to ship the features later this year, likely as part of iOS 27.