Vision

For every point of view.

Woman with low vision wearing AirPods and walking with service dog

VoiceOver

Hear what’s happening on your screen.

VoiceOver is an industry‑leading screen reader that tells you exactly what’s happening on your device. VoiceOver can describe people, objects, text, and graphs in greater detail than ever. Auditory descriptions of elements help you easily navigate your screen through a Bluetooth keyboard or simple gestures on a touchscreen or trackpad. And with unique rotor gestures that function like a dial on touchscreens and trackpads, you can make content such as websites a breeze to browse. VoiceOver is available in more than 60 languages and locales, with dozens of voices for you to choose from.1

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod

VoiceOver is an industry‑leading screen reader that tells you exactly what’s happening on your device. VoiceOver can describe people, objects, text, and graphs in greater detail than ever. Auditory descriptions of elements help you easily navigate your screen through a Bluetooth keyboard or simple gestures on a touchscreen or trackpad. And with unique rotor gestures that function like a dial on touchscreens and trackpads, you can make content such as websites a breeze to browse. VoiceOver is available in more than 60 languages and locales, with dozens of voices for you to choose from.1

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Updates:

New languages and voices. VoiceOver is now available in more than 20 additional languages and locales, including Bangla (India), Bulgarian, Catalan, Malay, Spanish (Chile), Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. Users can also select from dozens of new voices that are optimized for assistive features.

AssistiveTouch with VoiceOver. If you use VoiceOver with iPhone, you can now use AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch to modify VoiceOver settings on your iPhone.

Braille and keyboard support for VoiceOver on Apple Watch. VoiceOver users can pair compatible Bluetooth-enabled braille devices and keyboards with Apple Watch.

Text checker for VoiceOver. Discover common formatting issues such as repeated spaces, empty lines, and mistakenly capital letters in documents and email on your Mac, so you can make edits before sharing with others.

VoiceOver + braille

Customize your braille experience.

VoiceOver describes exactly what’s on your screen, even in braille. You can use a refreshable braille display connected via Bluetooth to your Apple device or enter braille directly on the touchscreen using Braille Screen Input. Braille is automatically converted to text in a caption panel on Mac so sighted people can follow along with VoiceOver descriptions. Refreshable braille displays and compatible Bluetooth-enabled braille keyboards can be used with Apple Watch.2 And with more than 70 refreshable braille displays compatible with iOS and iPadOS, and more than 100 with macOS, you can find the right braille experience for you.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV

VoiceOver describes exactly what’s on your screen, even in braille. You can use a refreshable braille display connected via Bluetooth to your Apple device or enter braille directly on the touchscreen using Braille Screen Input. Braille is automatically converted to text in a caption panel on Mac so sighted people can follow along with VoiceOver descriptions. Refreshable braille displays and compatible Bluetooth-enabled braille keyboards can be used with Apple Watch.2 And with more than 70 refreshable braille displays compatible with iOS and iPadOS, and more than 100 with macOS, you can find the right braille experience for you.

Set up VoiceOver + braille on:

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Updates:

Braille and keyboard support for VoiceOver on Apple Watch. VoiceOver users can pair compatible Bluetooth-enabled braille devices and keyboards with Apple Watch.

2D braille support. iOS and macOS now support new 2D braille displays.

Spoken Content

Go from written word to spoken word.

With Speak Screen, you can hear the content of your entire screen read aloud to you, while Speak Selection lets you select and hear a specific range of text. These features can even highlight words, sentences, or both as they’re spoken in a customized color and style. You can also control the pace of the reading more precisely during speech playback with Speech Controller. Or activate Typing Feedback to hear every letter you type. Spoken Content is available in more than 60 languages and locales, along with dozens of new voices optimized for assistive features.1 And languages are automatically detected to switch seamlessly between voices, so your spoken content won’t feel impersonal at all.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac

Spoken Content

With Speak Screen, you can hear the content of your entire screen read aloud to you, while Speak Selection lets you select and hear a specific range of text. These features can even highlight words, sentences, or both as they’re spoken in a customized color and style. You can also control the pace of the reading more precisely during speech playback with Speech Controller. Or activate Typing Feedback to hear every letter you type. Spoken Content is available in more than 60 languages and locales, along with dozens of new voices optimized for assistive features.1 And languages are automatically detected to switch seamlessly between voices, so your spoken content won’t feel impersonal at all.

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Update:

New languages and voices. Spoken Content is now available in more than 20 additional languages and locales, including Bangla (India), Bulgarian, Catalan, Malay, Spanish (Chile), Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. Spoken Content also offers dozens of new voices that are optimized for assistive features.

Magnifier

Use your camera to get a closer look.

Magnifier works like a digital magnifying glass. It uses the camera on your iPhone or iPad to increase the size of any physical object you point it at, like a menu or sign, so you can see all the details clearly on your screen. Use the flash to light the object, adjust filters to help you differentiate colors, or freeze a specific frame to get a static close-up. With Split View on iPad, you can use Magnifier to increase the size of a physical object on one side of your screen and take notes or write an email on the other. Detection Mode in Magnifier combines the camera, LiDAR Scanner, and on-device machine learning to offer intelligent tools like People Detection, Door Detection, and Image Descriptions, which give you rich details of your surroundings.3 Use People Detection to determine a person’s proximity to you. Door Detection can help you navigate the last few feet to your destination by identifying doors, text, and the presence of symbols such as a restroom symbol, a no smoking symbol, or an accessible-entrance symbol.4 And Image Descriptions lets you hear more about items in the field of your camera.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad

Magnifier works like a digital magnifying glass. It uses the camera on your iPhone or iPad to increase the size of any physical object you point it at, like a menu or sign, so you can see all the details clearly on your screen. Use the flash to light the object, adjust filters to help you differentiate colors, or freeze a specific frame to get a static close-up. With Split View on iPad, you can use Magnifier to increase the size of a physical object on one side of your screen and take notes or write an email on the other. Detection Mode in Magnifier combines the camera, LiDAR Scanner, and on-device machine learning to offer intelligent tools like People Detection, Door Detection, and Image Descriptions, which give you rich details of your surroundings.3 Use People Detection to determine a person’s proximity to you. Door Detection can help you navigate the last few feet to your destination by identifying doors, text, and the presence of symbols such as a restroom symbol, a no smoking symbol, or an accessible-entrance symbol.4 And Image Descriptions lets you hear more about items in the field of your camera.

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Updates:

Improvements to Detection Mode. Detection Mode now includes Door Detection and Image Descriptions in addition to People Detection. Door Detection and Image Descriptions combine the camera with LiDAR and on-device machine learning to help you identify doors and their distance from you, as well as hear text in signage read out loud.

Magnifier activities. Magnifier activities help you save your preferred Magnifier controls, including camera, brightness, contrast, filters, and more, for recurring tasks and situations. Just tap your saved activity to quickly revert back to your preferred Magnifier customization for a given environment, task, or time of day.

Text Size

Apps can adapt to larger, bolder type.

Increase text legibility and visibility with simple font adjustments. Larger Text lets you adjust the size using an accessibility slider. Or you can turn on Bold Text to give words weight on your screen. Your preferred settings can be applied to only the apps you choose.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch

Increase text legibility and visibility with simple font adjustments. Larger Text lets you adjust the size using an accessibility slider. Or you can turn on Bold Text to give words weight on your screen. Your preferred settings can be applied to only the apps you choose.

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Adjust Text Size from Control Center on Apple Watch. Apple Watch now offers a quick way to dynamically adjust Text Size directly from Control Center.

Display Settings

Find the right view for you.

Change your display to work the way you do, and apply these settings on an app-by-app basis in iOS and iPadOS. Choose from a range of color filters to support your color blindness, or turn on Invert Colors to instantly change the values and contrast in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Increase the pointer size in macOS so it’s easier to find and use. You can also customize your mouse pointer to make it easier to spot as it moves or changes on your screen. Choose from common settings like button shapes, transparency levels, and more. And when you’re all set, enable On/Off labels on your iPhone or Apple Watch to better distinguish what’s on and what’s not.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV

Change your display to work the way you do, and apply these settings on an app-by-app basis in iOS and iPadOS. Choose from a range of color filters to support your color blindness, or turn on Invert Colors to instantly change the values and contrast in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Increase the pointer size in macOS so it’s easier to find and use. You can also customize your mouse pointer to make it easier to spot as it moves or changes on your screen. Choose from common settings like button shapes, transparency levels, and more. And when you’re all set, enable On/Off labels on your iPhone or Apple Watch to better distinguish what’s on and what’s not.

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Zoom

Enlarge your screen to your liking.

Zoom is a screen magnifier that lets you enlarge the content you see on your device. Choose full‑screen magnification or picture‑in‑picture view, which shows the magnified area in a separate window while the rest of your screen stays the same.5 Zoom also works with VoiceOver, so you can better see and hear what’s happening on your screen. Split screen zoom on Mac lets you see content up close and at a distance simultaneously. With two displays, you can keep one zoomed in while the other stays at a standard resolution for a customizable, multizoom setup.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV

Zoom is a screen magnifier that lets you enlarge the content you see on your device. Choose full‑screen magnification or picture‑in‑picture view, which shows the magnified area in a separate window while the rest of your screen stays the same.5 Zoom also works with VoiceOver, so you can better see and hear what’s happening on your screen. Split screen zoom on Mac lets you see content up close and at a distance simultaneously. With two displays, you can keep one zoomed in while the other stays at a standard resolution for a customizable, multizoom setup.

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Hover Text

Get a quick size boost of what you’re reading.

Hover Text makes it easier to view text on your iPad or Mac or while you’re watching Apple TV content. If a paragraph, text box, caption, or headline is too small to read, just hover over it with your pointer and press the activation key for a bigger, high‑resolution version of your selection. You can even choose the fonts and colors that work best for you.

Available on:

iPad, Mac, Apple TV

Hover Text

Hover Text makes it easier to view text on your iPad or Mac or while you’re watching Apple TV content. If a paragraph, text box, caption, or headline is too small to read, just hover over it with your pointer and press the activation key for a bigger, high‑resolution version of your selection. You can even choose the fonts and colors that work best for you.

Set up Hover Text on:

Updates:

Hover Text for iPad. Easily read input fields, menu items, button labels, and other text on your iPad display.

Hover Text for Apple TV. Use Hover Text to zoom in on small text while watching content on Apple TV.

iWork

Create a workflow that works for you.

Pages, Numbers, and Keynote include several features that can help you create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations that are accessible for both you and your audiences. Add descriptions to images, audio, or video so people using assistive technologies can better understand your presentations. Or make Pages documents more scannable by adding headings that screen readers can easily identify and navigate. A layout rotor for VoiceOver helps you automatically align selected elements so that your documents look and sound exactly the way you like. Use VoiceOver Audio Graph support to better communicate data, or improve how you read and edit documents with line- and word-spacing tools. And the new text checker tool can help you discover common formatting issues such as extra spaces or mistakenly capitalized letters, which makes proofreading documents, spreadsheets, and presentations even easier.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac

Pages, Numbers, and Keynote include several features that can help you create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations that are accessible for both you and your audiences. Add descriptions to images, audio, or video so people using assistive technologies can better understand your presentations. Or make Pages documents more scannable by adding headings that screen readers can easily identify and navigate. A layout rotor for VoiceOver helps you automatically align selected elements so that your documents look and sound exactly the way you like. Use VoiceOver Audio Graph support to better communicate data, or improve how you read and edit documents with line- and word-spacing tools. And the new text checker tool can help you discover common formatting issues such as extra spaces or mistakenly capitalized letters, which makes proofreading documents, spreadsheets, and presentations even easier.

Set up iWork on:

Update:

Text checker for iWork. Discover common formatting issues such as extra spaces or mistakenly capitalized letters, which makes proofreading documents, spreadsheets, and presentations even easier.

Audio Descriptions

Hear the whole scene.

Watch movies with detailed audio descriptions of every scene on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV. Just check for the AD icon under the movie title on the Apple TV app or on the iTunes Store.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Windows PC, Smart TV

Watch movies with detailed audio descriptions of every scene on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV. Just check for the AD icon under the movie title on the Apple TV app or on the iTunes Store.

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Accessibility Shortcut

Keep your apps close and your settings closer.

Easily add, organize, and customize shortcuts for the tools and settings you use the most in Control Center or System Settings. The Accessibility Shortcut, which offers the option to triple-click the side button, Digital Crown, or power button, lets you quickly access frequently used accessibility features on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Add Magnifier, Text Size, and Sound Recognition to Control Center so they’re always handy. And even add Hearing to quickly access Live Listen and Headphone Accommodations, all without leaving the app you’re using.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch

Easily add, organize, and customize shortcuts for the tools and settings you use the most in Control Center or System Settings. The Accessibility Shortcut, which offers the option to triple-click the side button, Digital Crown, or power button, lets you quickly access frequently used accessibility features on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Add Magnifier, Text Size, and Sound Recognition to Control Center so they’re always handy. And even add Hearing to quickly access Live Listen and Headphone Accommodations, all without leaving the app you’re using.

Set up Accessibility Shortcut on:

Reduce Motion

Simplify onscreen movements.

When you turn on Reduce Motion, you can decrease the movement of onscreen elements. Some screen actions, such as moving between apps or launching apps, become visually simpler for motion sensitivity or to lessen strain on the eyes. Apply the Reduce Motion setting for only the apps you want.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV

When you turn on Reduce Motion, you can decrease the movement of onscreen elements. Some screen actions, such as moving between apps or launching apps, become visually simpler for motion sensitivity or to lessen strain on the eyes. Apply the Reduce Motion setting for only the apps you want.

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Dictation

Everything you say goes.

Dictation lets you type by speaking — and it works in more than 60 languages. To turn your speech into text, just tap the microphone button on the onscreen keyboard in any text field, or activate Dictation through the Accessibility settings in System Settings on your Mac. While dictating, you can move fluidly between voice and touch, so you can type with your keyboard, move your cursor, and add QuickType suggestions, all without needing to stop Dictation.6 Dictation automatically punctuates your text with periods, commas, and question marks as you speak.7 And you can easily insert emoji into messages using only your voice.8

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV

Dictation lets you type by speaking — and it works in more than 60 languages. To turn your speech into text, just tap the microphone button on the onscreen keyboard in any text field, or activate Dictation through the Accessibility settings in System Settings on your Mac. While dictating, you can move fluidly between voice and touch, so you can type with your keyboard, move your cursor, and add QuickType suggestions, all without needing to stop Dictation.6 Dictation automatically punctuates your text with periods, commas, and question marks as you speak.7 And you can easily insert emoji into messages using only your voice.8

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Commands for dictating text on Mac

Dark Mode

Make everything easier on the eyes.

Dark Mode transforms every element on your screen into a dark color scheme to make reading easier. Toolbars and menus recede into the background as your content takes center screen. Light text against darker backdrops in apps like Mail, Safari, and Calendar makes text easier to read in low light.9

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV

Dark Mode transforms every element on your screen into a dark color scheme to make reading easier. Toolbars and menus recede into the background as your content takes center screen. Light text against darker backdrops in apps like Mail, Safari, and Calendar makes text easier to read in low light.9

Set up Dark Mode on:

Siri

Find what you’re looking for without looking at all.

Siri can help you complete the tasks you do every day. You can ask it to find files, set reminders, turn your accessibility features on or off, and so much more. If you need to streamline a series of actions or tasks, you can use Siri to run shortcuts through the Shortcuts app. Create a custom shortcut and run it by saying “Hey Siri,” then the name of the shortcut you created. No matter the Apple product, your favorite assistant is always ready to assist.10

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod, AirPods

Siri can help you complete the tasks you do every day. You can ask it to find files, set reminders, turn your accessibility features on or off, and so much more. If you need to streamline a series of actions or tasks, you can use Siri to run shortcuts through the Shortcuts app. Create a custom shortcut and run it by saying “Hey Siri,” then the name of the shortcut you created. No matter the Apple product, your favorite assistant is always ready to assist.10

Set up Siri on:

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Updates:

Siri pause time. Now you can adjust the time between your questions and responses from Siri.

Siri Announce Notifications for hearing devices. Made for iPhone hearing device users now have the option to use Siri to announce notifications for iPhone and iPad.

End calls with Siri. When you’re ready to end a Phone or FaceTime call, just say “Hey Siri, hang up.”11

Switch auto-answer for calls. Ask Siri to switch auto-answer for Phone and FaceTime calls on or off.

AssistiveTouch on Apple Watch. Use Siri to turn AssistiveTouch on Apple Watch on or off.

Get more out of your features.

Learn tips, tricks, and how-tos for vision features straight from Apple Support on YouTube.

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Additional Resources

Hadley

Explore instructional tutorials on using vision accessibility features for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.

Learn more

AppleVis.com

Join a community of blind and low‑vision users of Apple products.

Learn more

Braille User Guides

Download the Unified English Braille version of Apple product user guides or order an embossed copy.

Learn more

Make yours. showing Speak Selection feature.

Discover more about Apple accessibility features.

Learn more