May 20, 2026, 1:50 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
The iPhone hides a lot of practical features behind accessibility options. While these are primarily intended for people with visual, hearing, or mobility impairments, they can also improve usability for others. Apple’s already strong offering of assistive tools is now being expanded with AI support.
In a press release, the company announced updates for VoiceOver, Magnifier, and Voice Control, which are set to roll out for the iPhone and other devices later this year. The individual tools are gaining enhanced capabilities based on Apple Intelligence. More details about the changes in the AI suite will be revealed by the company during the WWDC keynote on June 8.
Control iPhone Completely by Voice
The accessibility options already offer the ability to control the iPhone by voice with Voice Control. However, users currently need to name buttons precisely for it to work–and these are not always clearly labeled. The new voice control, however, understands commands in natural language and can identify the correct button or desired spot on the screen based on user input.
Descriptions like “tap the blue folder” in Files or “enlarge ‘Solar'” in a text document will suffice in the future. Additionally, users with visual impairments can use the “Speak what you see” option to have what’s on the screen read aloud–such as in complex visual views like Apple Maps.
The latter is an extension of the VoiceOver accessibility feature, which also gains additional capabilities thanks to Apple Intelligence. The screen reader function will soon be able to accurately describe photos, documents, or invoices. Users can also ask questions about visible content and request further details–for example, about the amount on an invoice and the payment deadline.
The Magnifier app, which uses the iPhone camera to recognize surroundings, is also getting an update. Apple Intelligence can provide detailed descriptions of what is visible in the camera viewfinder. Voice commands like “zoom in” and “turn on flashlight” further simplify operation.
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New Features for Reading and Subtitles
The Reader for accessibility options can already display text from documents and websites in a more readable format. In the future, the tool will also be able to simplify more complex content such as scientific texts with multiple columns, tables, and images. Additionally, users can view summaries of an article. New is also the translation into preferred languages while maintaining the font and layout.
For videos without existing subtitles, Apple is introducing automatically generated subtitles. This feature has long been available on Android. Like Google’s solution, Apple relies on local transcription of spoken content–there is no outsourcing to external servers. This is important as the feature is available for all types of videos–in the browser, in streaming apps, or in the personal photo gallery.
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Further Innovations for Accessibility
For Apple Vision Pro, Apple is announcing a new control for electric wheelchairs. The headset uses integrated eye control to operate compatible systems. Initially, systems from Tolt and LUCI in the U.S. are supported.
The Hikawa Grip & Stand for Phone is now available worldwide in the Apple Store and makes it easier for people with various disabilities to operate the device.
Additionally, vehicle motion alerts are coming to visionOS, which can help prevent motion sickness when using Vision Pro in a car. Larger font sizes for tvOS, improved setup and use of hearing aids, and support for the Sony Access Controller in iOS have also been announced by Apple.