Apple has been at the forefront of built-in accessibility features since the initial launch of the iPad, and a recent announcement at the Worldwide Developer Conference proves that Apple is showing no signs of slowing down on the accessibility front. During the conference, it was announced that among the many tweaks and updates coming for iOS 13, a new accessibility feature would be added to the already impressive list of built-in accessibility features available for iOS.

Voice Control will allow users to control their Mac, iPhone, or iPad entirely through voice commands. This technology will take advantage of Siri’s built-in speech recognition software, but, unlike Siri, it will not require an internet connection to function. According to Apple, this feature will work with virtually any app and will even allow users to perform gestures such as swiping, tapping, and scrolling using only their voice.

By combining the accessibility features already available for iOS devices in conjunction with this newly announced technology, assistive technology users with visual or mobility-based challenges can take a truly hands-free approach to using their Apple technology.

While the update won’t be available until sometime this fall, the public beta will be available sometime in July. Stay tuned for a follow-up article once the update has been formally released.

Tags: assistive technology, AT HelpDesk