iOS 15 Accessibility features: Magnifier app, sound actions for Switch Control, explore images with VoiceOver and more

Announced at WWDC 21, iOS 15 includes several new features for Wallet, Photos, Weather, and Apple Maps including new animations, graphics, and more. As is custom with Apple’s software updates, iOS 15 comes with a ton of new Accessibility features that are aimed at maximizing the usefulness of iPhone for all users.

iOS 15 Accessibility features

All the new Accessibility features coming to iPhone with iOS 15

With iOS 15, users can explore people, objects, text, and tables within images in more detail with VoiceOver. In addition to this, users can navigate receipts and nutrition label values intelligently in logical order. Moving a finger over a photo can now help users discover a person’s position relative to other objects within images.

Another new accessibility feature in iOS 15 is VoiceOver image descriptions in Markup. Markup now lets users add image descriptions that can be read by VoiceOver. Image descriptions remain even when shared and can be read in a range of supported apps on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Sound actions for Switch Control lets users control their device with simple “mouth sounds — such as a click, pop, or “ee” sound — without the need for physical buttons, switches, or complex verbal commands.” On the topic of sounds, background sounds play balanced, bright, or dark noise, ocean, rain, and stream sounds continuously in the background to conceal unwanted external noises and helps users focus, stay calm, or rest.

Voice Control in iOS 15 features support for Mandarin Chinese (China mainland), Cantonese (Hong Kong), French (France), and German (Germany).

Users can now customize display and text size settings per app rather than adjusting the settings for the entire operating system. There are also new accessibility offerings available in Memoji including cochlear implants, oxygen tubes, and a soft helmet so users can better represent themselves.

Magnifier becomes a native app with iOS 15, so users can use their device to zoom in on objects near them. Finally, users can import paper or PDF audiograms in Settings and quickly customize Headphone Accommodations to adjust sounds and frequencies based on their test results.

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About the Author

Asma is an editor at iThinkDifferent with a strong focus on social media, Apple news, streaming services, guides, mobile gaming, app reviews, and more. When not blogging, Asma loves to play with her cat, draw, and binge on Netflix shows.

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