[the-facts-machine] Overview of Accessibility in IOS 8 from MacStories

From: Steve <pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <the-facts-machine@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 12:24:04 -0400
BlankAn Overview of iOS 8's New Accessibility Features
By Steven Aquino

Since this year’s WWDC keynote ended, the focus of any analysis on iOS 8 has 
been its features — things like Continuity, Extensions, and iCloud Drive. 
This is, of course, expected: iOS is the operating system that drives Apple’s 
most important (and most profitable) products, so it’s natural that the 
limelight be shone on the new features for the mass market.

As I’ve written, however, the Accessibility features that Apple includes in 
iOS are nonetheless just as important and innovative as the A-list features 
that Craig Federighi demoed on stage at Moscone. Indeed, Apple is to be 
lauded for their year-over-year commitment to improving iOS’s Accessibility 
feature set, and they continue that trend with iOS 8.

Here, I run down what’s new in Accessibility in iOS 8, and explain briefly 
how each feature works.


Alex. Apple is bringing Alex, its natural-sounding voice on the Mac, to iOS. 
Alex will work with all of iOS’s spoken audio technologies (Siri excepted), 
including VoiceOver, Speak Selection, and another new Accessibility feature 
to iOS 8, Speak Screen (see below). In essence, Alex is a replacement for 
the robotic-sounding voice that controls VoiceOver, et al, in iOS today.

Speak Screen. With Speak Screen, a simple gesture will prompt the 
aforementioned Alex to read anything on screen, including queries asked of 
Siri. This feature will be a godsend to visually impaired users who may have 
issues reading what is on their iPhone and/or iPad. It should be noted that 
Speak Screen is fundamentally different from Speak Selection, which only 
reads aloud selected text. By contrast, Speak Screen will read aloud 
everything on the screen — text, button labels, etc.

Zoom. Apple has made some welcome tweaks to its Zoom functionality in iOS 8. 
The hallmark feature is users now have the ability to specify which part of 
the screen is zoomed in, as well as adjust the level of the zoom. In 
particular, it’s now possible to have the virtual keyboard on screen at 
normal size underneath a zoomed-in window. What this does is makes it easy 
to both type and see what you’re typing without having to battle the 
entirety of the user interface being zoomed in.

Grayscale. iOS in and of itself doesn’t have “themes” like so many 
third-party apps support — and even like OS X Yosemite’s new “dark mode”. 
iOS does, however, support a pseudo-theme by way of Invert Colors 
(white-on-black). In iOS 8, Apple is adding a second pseudo-theme to the 
system with Grayscale. With this option turned on, the entirety of iOS’s UI 
is turned, as the name would imply, gray. The addition of a Grayscale is 
notable because it gives those users who have issues with colorized 
display — or who simply view darker displays better — another way to alter 
the contrast of their device(s).

Guided Access. The big addition to Guided Access is that Apple is leveraging 
its own new-to-iOS-8 Touch ID developer API to enable users to be able to 
exit Guided Access using their scanned fingerprint. This is a noteworthy 
feature because it effectively guarantees that students (or test-takers or 
museum visitors) can’t leave Guided Access to access the Home screen or 
other parts of iOS.

As well, Apple has added a time limit feature to Guided Access, thereby 
allowing teachers, parents, and the like to specify the length of time 
Guided Access is to be used. Especially in special education classrooms, 
features such as Touch ID to exit and the timer can be extremely powerful in 
ensuring an uninterrupted learning experience, keeping students on task yet 
still set the expectation that a transition (i.e., “You can play games now”, 
for instance) will take place in X minutes. In terms of behavior 
modification, Guided Access’s new features are potentially game-changing, 
indispensable tools for educators.

Enhanced Braille Keyboard. iOS 8 adds support for 6-dot Braille input 
system-wide. This feature involves a dedicated Braille keyboard that will 
translate 6-dot chords into text.

“Made for iPhone” Hearing Aids. Apple in iOS 8 has improved its Made for 
iPhone Hearing Aids software so that now users who use hearing aids and have 
multiple devices now can easily switch between them. Moreover, if a hearing 
aid is paired with more than one device, users will now be able to pick 
which device they’d like to use.

Third Party Keyboard API. This topic (as well as QuickType) is worthy of its 
own standalone article, but the accessibility ramifications of iOS 8’s third 
party keyboard API are potentially huge for those with special needs.


A third-party keyboard on iOS 8. (Source: Apple.com)

Anecdotally speaking, I hear from several low vision iOS-using friends who 
lament the default system keyboard, which is essentially the same keyboard 
that shipped with the original iPhone in 2007. The problem, my friends say, 
is that the key caps are too small and the glyphs too hard to read. With the 
new API, though, third party developers such as the team at Fleksy can 
create entirely customized keyboards that users can use instead of the stock 
one. This means developers can control key spacing and size, color, and so 
forth in an effort to create keyboards that accommodate for a wide array of 
visual — and motor — needs.

In fact, at WWDC I had a chance to speak with Fleksy co-founder and COO, 
Ioannis Verdelis, about the keyboard API and his company’s product. While I 
won’t divulge anything that was said at our meeting, suffice it to say that 
Ioannis and his team were stoked at the news of the new API, and are really 
excited for what they have in the works for iOS 8. They really believe the 
new Fleksy will benefit a lot of people with special needs.

Miscellany. iOS 8 brings with it a few housekeeping changes to Settings.app, 
where the Accessibility options are located. For example, the Subtitles & 
Captioning option — which previously was found under Hearing — has been 
moved to a new Media section, right next to a new Video Descriptions toggle. 
Furthermore, the Physical & Motor pane — home to such features as Switch 
Control and AssistiveTouch — has been rechristened Interaction.


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As stated above, Apple’s steadfast commitment to improving Accessibility 
year after year deserves the utmost praise, and 2014 is no different. As 
someone who relies on some of iOS’s Accessibility technologies in order to 
use my devices, the breadth and depth of these features never cease to amaze 
me.

Without any tinge of hyperbole, I often marvel at how truly Accessibility 
reflects Apple’s ethos of designing products for everyone, regardless of 
cognitive or physical impairment. (A sentiment I have expressed numerous 
times elsewhere.) Again, these are signs of real innovation, although they 
(unfortunately) go largely unheralded. It’s my strong opinion that Apple is 
leading the industry in this regard, and iOS 8 takes another step forward in 
extending their lead.

Tags: iOS 8

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Steven Aquino

Steven is a freelance tech writer and iOS Accessibility expert, based in the 
San Francisco Bay Area. His work has appeared in The Magazine, Macworld, 
TidBITS, and more.


Steve
Lansing, MI
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