Apple Releases iOS 10, Bringing a Range of Enhancements & New Features
Apple has today released iOS 10, proudly claiming
<http://www.apple.com/ios/ios-10/> this latest iteration of the software to
be "more personal, more powerful and more playful":
Everything you love is now even better with iOS 10, our biggest release yet.
Express yourself in bold new ways in Messages. Find your route with
beautifully redesigned Maps. Relive memories like never before in Photos.
And use the power of Siri in more apps than ever.
The New Features That We Think You Will Like
Messages Now Lets you be More Creative and Personal
The Messages app has been significantly redesigned and gained features
intended to bring it more in line with those available on other popular
messaging apps. These include background animations, bubble effects, rich
links, sketching, handwritten notes, hidden "invisible ink" messages, quick
"Tapback" replies and a choice of emoji sizes.
The Messages App now also has its own dedicated App Store, accessible
through the Messages app itself. Until now, this has been limited to apps
from Apple-but it is likely that we will see a number of third-party apps
released in the coming weeks as developers begin to explore and take
advantage of the opportunities that the Messages App Store offers. Likely to
be the most popular are themed "sticker" packs, but Apple has also hinted at
Messages apps which allow you to make payments; collaborative dinner orders;
and even Messages-based games.
One minor new feature in Messages, but one that's likely to be very popular,
is the ability to set read receipts on a per-person basis rather than
globally.
Lock Screen Notifications, the Control Center, & Widgets
iOS 10 features new designs for the Lock Screen and Control Center, as well
as a new location for the widgets previously found in the Today section of
the Notification Center.
A new "Raise to Wake" feature activates the Lock screen of your device
(iPhone 6s/6s Plus and later) when picked up, displaying all information on
the screen without the need to put a finger on the Touch ID Home button.
This can be disabled by going to Settings>Display & Brightness.
The default behavior of Touch ID from the Lock Screen has also changed.
Previously, Touch ID used to simultaneously unlock a device and open it to
the Home screen when a finger was placed on the Touch ID Home button. Under
iOS 10 a physical press is now required as an extra step. However, if you
prefer the previous behavior, a "Rest Finger to Open" option is available in
Settings>General>Accessibility>Home Button.
A three-finger swipe right on the main Lock screen will take you to a new
Widgets panel containing a number of the Widgets previously found on the
Today tab of the Notification Center, as well as a few new built-in widgets
including Mail; Maps; favorite contacts; Music; Notes; & Photos.
A three-finger swipe to the left on the Lock screen now brings up the
camera.
You can now do much more with notifications on the Lock screen. Use the
VoiceOver Actions Rotor to explore what each type of notification offers.
If any of this raises security or privacy concerns, you can limit what's
accessible on the Lock screen in Settings>Touch ID & Passcode.
The Control Center has a new design and new 3D Touch shortcuts for the
Flashlight, Timer and Camera. The Control Center also now features three
separate screens, with music controls now having a dedicated screen and
another for controlling HomeKit devices.
Siri Support Expands to Some Third-Party Apps
Apple has introduced a SiriKit SDK in iOS 10, which allows developers to
integrate Siri with certain types of third-party apps
Siri integration is currently only available for six different kinds of
functions: ride booking, messaging, photo search, payments, VoIP calling,
and workouts. We won't know for certain which apps are taking advantage of
this and how until app updates start to appear after today's release of iOS
10, but WhatsApp, Skype, LinkedIn, WeChat, Pinterest, Vogue Runway, Pikazo,
Square Cash, Monzo, Slack, Looklive, Lyft, Fandango & The Rollr are amongst
the first to be known to be taking advantage of Siri integration.
Other Changes in iOS 10
* More native apps now support 3D Touch.
* A completely new Home app allows you to manage and operate all of
the HomeKit-enabled devices in your home from a single app.
* You can now search your photo library by the people or things in
them, like a beach, a football game, or a puppy. Photos is currently able to
recognize in excess of 4,000 different items across a wide variety of
categories.
* The native Mail app now offers a threaded conversations view which
displays all of the messages together in a single page. You can choose the
sort order of messages or turn threading off completely if you prefer the
traditional view.
* The Music app has been redesigned to make it easier to discover new
content and listen to your favorite songs. When listening to a song, the app
can now show its lyrics.
* Apple Maps now offers proactive suggestions for routing and allows
you to search for things along your route. You can also book a table through
apps like OpenTable, and a ride with Uber without leaving Apple Maps.
* The native News app has been redesigned to make it easier to find
articles that are likely to interest you and also now offers push
notifications.
* A new 'Universal Clipboard' makes it easy to copy and paste content
between iOS 10 and macOS Sierra devices which are linked to the same iCloud
account.
* You can now type in two languages at the same time without having
to switch between onscreen keyboards.
* Many native Apple apps have now been moved to the iOS App Store as
standalone downloads, allowing them to be deleted from your Home screen, but
to still be available for re-download if you decide that you want them back.
It's worth noting that this process doesn't actually delete any files from
your device, so you should perhaps best think of this as a way of removing
app icons from your Home screen.
For a more complete list of what's new in iOS 10, MacRumors
<http://www.macrumors.com/roundup/ios-10/> offers a good overview.
And What About Accessibility?
For more information about accessibility-related changes in iOS 10, read our
other posts elsewhere on the site:
What
<http://www.applevis.com/blog/apple-braille-ios-news/what-s-new-ios-10-acces
sibility-blind-low-vision-and-deaf-blind-users> 's new and changed in iOS 10
Accessibility for blind, low vision and deaf-blind users
A list of new accessibility-related bugs that we believe to have been
introduced in iOS 10
<http://www.applevis.com/blog/apple-ios-news/accessibility-bugs-ios-10-blind
-and-low-vision-users-serious-minor>
A list of longstanding accessibility-related bugs that we believe to have
been fixed in iOS 10
<http://www.applevis.com/bugs/ios/fixed?field_fixed_in_value=16&field_bug_ca
tegory_value=All&field_severity_value=All>
In addition, Thomas Domville has recorded a podcast in which he explores
many of the changes and new features in iOS 10
<http://www.applevis.com/podcast/episodes/exploring-some-new-and-changed-fea
tures-ios-10> .
How to Update to iOS 10
iOS 10 is compatible with most iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models capable
of running iOS 9, with exceptions including the iPhone 4s, iPad 2 and 3,
original iPad mini, and fifth-generation iPod touch.
iOS 10 is available via Over-the-Air Update (Settings > General > Software
Update) or via iTunes on a Mac or PC.
Before updating, we strongly recommend making a full and complete backup of
your device (either in iTunes or iCloud, depending on personal preference).
This will ensure that, in the unlikely event that something goes wrong
during the update process, you will have a current backup of your phone on
hand in case a device restore becomes necessary. Also, if using OTA update,
we recommend plugging your device into a power source for the duration of
the download/installation process - so as to prevent the unlikely event of
your battery going dead during the update.
More information on how to update the software on your iOS device is
available on this Apple Support page
<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204204> .
What's New in iOS 10 Accessibility for Blind, Low Vision & Deaf-Blind Users
Another fall is upon us, which means football season has started,
temperatures are starting to drop, and that a new version of iOS is coming
out. Another seemingly established tradition is that another article
discussing the new accessibility features is in order. Just like the past
several years, there are many changes to iOS that are mainstream and will be
welcome changes. Some of the new features include a revamped Music app; a
new Home app; new 3d Touch functionality in Apple apps; and much more. Many
articles will cover these changes, but the aim of this piece is to cover
accessibility changes that are specific to blind, low vision, & deaf-blind
users.
Mainstream Stuff Impacting Accessibility
Wow, Siri Can Do That?
One of the major enhancements in iOS 10 is the development of SiriKit.
<https://developer.apple.com/sirikit/> Specifics aren't really known about
this exact functionality just yet, as SiriKit-enabled apps are only being
released alongside the public version of iOS 10. However, what we do know is
that there are many potential benefits to SiriKit. For example, if Uber were
to implement SiriKit, one could simply tell Siri, "book an Uber for me to go
to Central Park". In theory, at least, Siri should now be able to carry out
that exact action. According to this article,
<http://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/08/31/ios-10-siri-third-party-integration
-hands-on/> apps that will utilize SiriKit the day iOS 10 is released are
WhatsApp, LinkedIn, WeChat, Pinterest, Vogue Runway, Pikazo, Square Cash,
Monzo, Slack, Looklive, Lyft, Fandango & The Roll. It's not possible to know
how each app will utilize Siri Kit remains, I'm sure someone will cover it
in great detail by the time you are reading this article.
Describe it for Me, Please?
Another major change is that iOS will now attempt to add automatic image
descriptions to your photos. According to a presentation as part of the
World Wide Developer Conference,
<http://www.apple.com/apple-events/june-2016/> iOS performs eleven billion
calculations per picture to determine what objects are in your photos. It
cannot only detect objects, but also facial recognition which can then
compare pictures in your lists of contacts to tag people automatically.
Indeed, it is now included as part of the information on each photo in my
library. While Apple indicated that your photos are not sent to a server for
recognition-meaning that it's all done on your device-it's not clear to me
how long it takes for these descriptions to show up.
Press Home to Unlock
In iOS 10, you can now unlock your iDevice simply by pressing the Home
button. While this was always possible on Touch ID-equipped devices, it is
now possible on non-Touch ID devices as well. If you do not have a passcode
set up, pressing the Home button, waiting for a second, and then pressing it
again will now land you on the Home Screen of your device. If you find that
you prefer the older way of unlocking your device, you can still do this.
Head over to Settings>General>Accessibility>Home Button>, and turn "rest
Finger to open" on.
I read you loud and mostly clear
Another new feature in iOS 10 is the introduction of Voice Mail
transcription. For those who can't hear their voice messages, or for those
who just don't want to listen to the phone, it's no longer mostly required.
It is, however, necessary, to play the message to make the transcription
show up. You will find the transcribed text next to the "More Info" button.
The transcription is fully accessible with VoiceOver and braille, but comes
with the same caveats any automatic transcription does: it's not 100%
accurate, and any kind of noise or accent will greatly decrease accuracy.
Raise to Shut up?
There is a new feature in iOS called "raise to Wake" which wakes up your
phone each time you pick it up. It also sometimes will wake up when
unwanted. While this may be a welcome feature for many, especially for
VoiceOver users utilizing speech, it may be annoying. You can turn "raise to
Wake" off if you would like. You will find the ability to turn this on and
off under Settings>Display & Brightness.
VoiceOver
Moving Apps is No Longer a Drag!
When you get to your Home screen with iOS 10 and VoiceOver is enabled, you
will now hear that there are Rotor actions available; these options relate
to moving apps. Rotor over to the "Actions" item, then flick up or down to
the "Arrange app" action and double tap. This puts you in "Screen Edit"
mode, just as if you had used the old "double tap and hold" method to begin
editing apps. Next, find an app you wish to move, then flick up or down once
to specify your desire to move this app. (You can also perform a two-finger
double tap on an app to mark it as being ready to be moved.) Now, you can
freely move around your home screen, even changing pages if you prefer,
until you find exactly where you would like to move the app you choose. Once
you locate the place where you would like to put the app, flick up or down
to see different options: you can move it to the right of the app VoiceOver
currently has focus on; move it to the left of VoiceOver's current position;
create a folder with those 2 apps; or cancel the move entirely. Canceling
will place you on the page you are currently editing, and the app you choose
to cancel the move returns to its original place. (Pressing the Home button
to exit Screen Edit mode will also cancel any app move you had in progress.)
Even better still is the fact that this system works great with both
Bluetooth keyboards & braille displays!
You Say 'Tomotto', I Say 'Tomato'
However you'd like VoiceOver to pronounce words, you can now customize this
with the new Pronunciation Dictionary. Find it under Settings> General>
Accessibility> VoiceOver> Speech> Pronunciation. If you have not created any
pronunciation entries yet, you will only find an "Add" button. Double tap
this to begin creating your first entry. You will then land on the "Phrase"
text field. This is where you would type what the actual word VoiceOver
reads but doesn't pronounce how you would like. For example, the Alex voice
pronounces my last name without the "a" sound, so I would type "Davert" in
this field. Next to the "Phrase" field you will find the "Substitution" text
field. This is where you can try to make VoiceOver say the word in the way
in which you wish, so in my case I would type "Davvirt". Flicking one more
item to the right, you will find an option to dictate how you would like the
phrase to be pronounced by saying or spelling it out. To the right of this
option, you will see a "Languages" button; double tapping this will allow
you to choose which languages the pronunciation applies to. Going back to
the previous screen and continuing to the right of the "Languages" button,
you will find a "Voices" Button; double tapping this button will present you
with all of the available voices for that language that you can apply the
pronunciation to, or you can choose all. In the above example, Alex is the
only voice which mispronounces my name, so I can double tap on that voice,
and it will only change this pronunciation for Alex. It's also possible to
adjust whether the substituted phrase applies to upper or lowercase letters,
and which apps in which the pronunciation is used. This could come in handy
in certain circumstances, as you can adjust what VoiceOver says based on
context. If you turn "apply to all apps" off, a list of the apps installed
on your device will appear below this under the "assign to" heading. Note
that once you add something to your Pronunciation Dictionary, it will then
be available on all devices connected to your iCloud account once everything
has been synced. When you are done creating an entry, activate the "Back"
button. Back in the main Pronunciations screen, after the "Add" button, you
will now see all of your entries listed in alphabetical order. You can then
double tap on any entry to edit it, or flick down and double tap to delete
it.
Tom? present! Fred? accounted for! Allison? ready for action!
iOS 10 brings a host of new voices to users of features related to
accommodations that utilize speech such as Speak Screen and VoiceOver, as
well as to third-party apps which have the ability to use built-in iOS
voices like Voice Dream Reader. These voices are familiar to Mac users, who
have had them available for a few years. The new U.S. English voices now on
iOS include Fred, Tom, Allison, Ava, Victoria, and Susan. To check out these
new voices, go to Settings> General> Accessibility> VoiceOver> Speech. Once
you find the "Speech" button, activate it and you will now see a button
which is labeled "Voice," followed by the name of the voice you are
currently using. Flick to the right, and you will find the "rotor languages"
heading-below which are listed any secondary languages you have configured.
If you only wish to have one voice onboard and quickly available, you only
need to set up the default option. If you are finding file sizes along with
the voice name, this means that voice is not currently downloaded to your
device. Double tap the download button to the right of the voice name to
begin the download. As has been the case in the past, you will need to be
connected to Wifi to download any voices not currently on your device
besides Fred. Once the download has completed, double tapping the name of
the voice will then present you with a few options. Next to the heading of
the voice you will find an "Edit" button. This will allow you to delete the
voice you have put on your system. You can also achieve this through
flicking up wherever VoiceOver indicates that there are actions available.
Flicking down one more time will allow you to speak a sample. Sadly, this
option is only present when you have already downloaded that particular
voice. It would be nice if there was a way to hear a sample prior to
downloading.
Continuing to flick right, you will also see the options to do the specified
rotor action items listed above as icons on the physical screen. If you
choose the name of the voice that is just to the right of the "edit" button,
you will choose the default version of the voice. After the "Speak Sample"
button for the default voice, you will find the "Enhanced" flavor of the
voice. At the time of this writing, it's not possible to use the default
voice after deleting the enhanced version.
VoiceOver Settings, Expanded & Reorganized
Many of the options in the "settings" screen have been moved around. This is
also true of the VoiceOver settings. One new sub menu is called "Verbosity";
this series of options now contains the "Speak Hints" option which we all
already know. It also has a new feature called "Emoji Suffix," which speaks
the word "Emoji" after telling the user what the Emoji is. Another new
VoiceOver settings submenu in iOS 10 is called "Audio". In the "Audio" menu,
you will find some familiar options, as "Use Sound Effects" and "Audio
Ducking" have both been moved here. A new feature, called "Auto-Select
Speaker in Call," will allow you to control whether call audio automatically
gets routed to your speaker when you move your phone away from your ear.
Turning this off will prevent the audio from auto switching to the
speakerphone.
If you have headphones either connected or plugged in to your device, you
will also find another option under this sub menu called "channels". This
allows you to determine what channels will be heard through your connected
Bluetooth or other audio output method. You can choose to have either your
speech or the system sounds routed to one channel or another. It's not
possible to deselect both channels. Also, if you have a mixer or DJ
controller that supports it, you now have the ability in this menu to
configure whether VoiceOver uses your mixer or another sound source for
speech output.
Auditory Validation
In iOS 10, there are new sounds specifically associated with VoiceOver for
several events. When you lock your screen, there will now be a sound instead
of the verbal confirmation that the screen is locked. (As an aside, there is
also a new screen lock sound in iOS 10.) If you press the home button, and
Touch ID does not recognize your fingerprint, there will also be a different
sound played than when it does recognize it.
Jumping Through Messages Means Action!
The way in which message threads in the Mail app are displayed has changed.
Instead of having each message in its own window in Portrait view, now all
of the messages in a thread show on the same screen. A new Rotor option
called "Messages" allows you to quickly jump from message to message to help
VoiceOver users more efficiently navigate among messages with this change.
This rotor option will simply show up when you have the option to organize
by threads enabled. Braille users should be aware of a bug, which you can
find listed below in the "Braille" section of this review.
Speaking of Mail, the way in which previews are shown has changed. Prior to
now, VoiceOver would simply read the previews of messages. As of iOS 10, you
now have to perform a 3 finger single tap to get VoiceOver to read the
preview.
Braille
3D Braille!
With iOS 10, one can now press space with dots 3-5-6 on a braille display to
perform a 3d Touch action. This comes in handy when wishing to launch a menu
for an app, but when you have your iPhone stored in your pocket.
You Can Work with This
Contracted Braille users may have noticed that this heading only contains
words that are contractions. This is in recognition of the fact that Braille
Screen Input users will now receive spoken feedback when they type using
contracted Braille. This was not possible in either iOS 8 or iOS 9, where
only uncontracted Braille feedback was given.
Yes, I Remember Who it's From!
With the release of every new software comes bugs, or what the technology
community affectionately refers to as unwanted features. For Braille users
who use the Mail app, there is certainly one unwanted feature present.
Whenever you organize messages by thread, the number of the message you are
currently reading is displayed on each line, along with the name of the
sender. This includes the header information as well as the body of the
email. If you disabled "Organize by Thread", you will only see the
information about who the message is from. For example, if I have my
messages organized by thread, and the first line of the message says "hello
Jim," braille users will see the following: "message 1 of 1 Scott Davert
Hello Jim". All of the information proceeding the word "hello" will be shown
on each line of the message.
Ironically, I have started using Outlook for iOS to circumvent the reading
of email messages. However, there is a bug which prevents the proper editing
of emails you are writing, so I have decided to read my email in one app,
and reply in the default Mail app. It works quite well with Braille, though
there seems to be no efficient way to navigate among messages when sorted by
thread with Outlook. I hope that Apple will fix this bug soon, so that I
don't have to use 2 apps to manage my email.
A Bug Squashed!
In iOS 9, speech users of VoiceOver did not lose the ability to know which
wifi connection they were currently connected to. Braille users, however,
only saw the signal strength followed by "SSID" instead of the actual name
of the network. This has been resolved in iOS 10.
Low Vision
While I have taken the information presented in this section from the
feedback of a few low vision testers, I cannot attest to its accuracy. I am
sure that any errors are on my part, and would strongly encourage users with
low vision to check out iOS 10 on another device before installing it on
their own to ensure the new operating system will work for them.
More Magnification
Among the enhancements to iOS 10 for low vision users is the addition of a
magnifier. Find it under Settings> General> Accessibility> Magnifier. As the
name implies, you can use your device's camera to magnify items in your
environment. It also joins the features you can turn on and off with the
Accessibility Shortcut (triple-clicking the Home button), though I'm not
able to turn it on with Siri. The software behind the Magnifier seems to
resemble that of the Photos app; as such, auto-stabilization appears to be
only as good as in the aforementioned Photos app, and the same is true of
autofocus. This could have interesting implications for the new dual cameras
found on the back of the new iPhone 7 Plus, as all of these features could
be effected by having dual lenses.
There is also an auto brightness function which can automatically adjust
contrast and brightness according to lighting conditions. It's also possible
to use any sort of filtering or other visual settings you have applied to
iOS, which opens up a lot of possibilities. My conclusion from all of this
information is that the new Magnifier feature is going to be a welcome one,
but will not replace a dedicated video magnifier.
More Mixing of the Old & New
A new menu under the "Vision" heading is the Display Accommodations menu.
This contains several options, but also new features. Invert Colors and
Grayscale have been moved here, but otherwise appear to be unchanged. New in
iOS 10 are a new series of color filters; these filters are designed to
assist individuals who are color blind in differentiating text on the
screen. It's also possible to adjust the intensity and hue of the filter to
further accommodate this need.
An older option, Reduce White Point, was moved from the Increase Contrast
menu and placed under Display Accommodations. In iOS 9, you could turn this
on or off, but now White Point is an adjustable item which gives you more
control over just how much it is reduced.
Covering More Highlights
When "Speak Selection" is turned on, there are new options for the
highlighting of content when it is spoken. In older versions of iOS, this
could only be turned off or on. It now has several ways in which you can
specify what is spoken. You can choose to highlight words, sentences, or
both words and sentences. You can also choose if you'd rather have the
highlight style be with the text underlined, or with the background color.
I Need Further Feedback
Once you navigate to Settings>General>Accessibility>Speech, you will find a
new icon called "Typing Feedback". Within this menu, you can get feedback on
what you type independent of VoiceOver. You can have each character, word,
and auto-text. While auto-text has been previously an option, the other 2
are new. Also added to this menu is the ability to have predictions spoken
if this feature is enabled. If you tap and hold on the prediction, it will
be spoken aloud.
Now for a Special Announcement
The Pronounciation Dictionary I covered in great detail in the "VoiceOver"
section of this document applies to the "Speak Screen" functionality as
well. Any entries you add to one place, they will also apply to the other.
Hearing
TTY Comes TO the iPhone!
iOS 10 brings a new set of features to the iPhone for users of TTY. What
this means is that the user cannot only call from TTY to TTY, but can also
use Relay services such as 711. Find the settings for this under Settings>
General> Accessibility> Hearing> TTY. For more general information on what
TTY is, please see this article. <http://www.abouttty.com/>
TTY on the iPhone has 2 components: Software and Hardware. The Software TTY
option allows the user to utilize the TTY software built in to iOS 10. The
hardware function allows the user to connect a TTY they may already have and
to use the iPhone to make TTY and text relay calls. Note that an adapter
<http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MA854G/A/apple-iphone-tty-adapter> is
required to connect the iPhone to an external TTY. It's worth noting that
the iPhone 7 does not have a built-in 3.5 MM headphone jack, which is
required to use the external TTY functionality; it's unclear at the time of
writing whether the included lightning adapter will then allow for the same
type of connectivity with an external TTY.
Looking at the software option, you have the ability to set up a number to
call to access relay services; the ability to send text as you type it or to
send as one larger block of text; and the ability to set up your iPhone so
that it always answers with TTY, regardless of whether the person calling
you also has a TTY. However, if this option is selected and one receives a
voice call, it will not be forwarded to the relay number configured in the
appropriate settings. If the TTY Software option is turned on, but not the
feature to always answer calls as TTY, with VoiceOver at least, there
appears to be no way to accept a TTY call.
Making a TTY call could be easier. TO make a call, after turning the TTY
Software Option on, launch the Phone app and dial the number. Tap call when
you are ready, and a pop up will appear asking if you would like to place a
voice, TTY, or relay call. After selecting TTY or relay, the call will then
go through, with the keypad and time elapsed on the call shown. TO begin
using the TTY functionality, it's necessary to hide the keypad, then select
the TTY button to begin the conversation. It would seem to make more sense
to begin the TTY call immediately, instead of making the person hide the
keypad first and then select TTY, but maybe there is a reason for this that
I'm not aware of.
Once the call is connected via TTY or relay, as a visual user familiar with
TTY, the text experience is much the same as far as I can tell as long as
you have the option to send the text immediately enabled. If disabled, you
will receive messages in larger chunks, but they will still continue to
appear in the same block of text until the other person in the conversation
types something. There is also a set of abbreviations at the bottom of the
screen which may be helpful for new TTY users.
When working with a Braille display, I turned the option to send immediately
off, as I was working with an eighteen-cell Braille display. As noted above,
when you receive multiple messages using this format, they will appear
immediately after the last message. For example, if I type "good afternoon"
and then send it, followed by "how's the weather in Charlotte today?" Even
though the messages were sent at different times, if the other party on the
line has not typed anything, the 2 messages will appear on the same line.
The problem with this, for a Braille user, is that if you are reading along,
and do not get the cue to go ahead, once you have panned past what has
already been written, you will be back in the area where you can type a
text. If you need to scroll back to see if further messages have been sent,
you first have to scroll past everything you have already read to get to the
new content. If you send a short text, such as ok, the new block of text
will appear separate from the old one, as you have sent a short message.
The other issue for Braille users specifically is that, while you are
notified that the other person or relay operator is typing, while visually
it may be easy to read the text while this is happening, it is not for a
Braille user. This is because when the other person is typing, you see "top
of document" or "bottom of document" shown on the Braille display. This
makes reading what is being typed an issue, which can decrease the pace of
an already slow process of utilizing the phone system. I can tell you from
experience, that even under the most ideal conditions, business owners and
people not familiar with how relay works tend to hang up on relay calls if
they are slow.
I have provided the above feedback to Apple with the hope that it will lead
to a better user experience for Braille users. I commend Apple for taking an
old technology (TTY) and modernizing it to make it a solution again.
Conclusion
Just like previous iOS releases, whether you should upgrade or not depends
on whether the bugs present in the new release will impact you on a greater
level than you can tolerate-and whether you feel the new features are worth
the upgrade. To check out a list of bugs related to VoiceOver and Braille,
check the AppleVis <http://www.applevis.com/> website. To download the
update over the air, go to Settings> General> SoftwareUpdate, and follow the
prompts onscreen. Alternatively, you can update your device through iTunes.
Apple Releases watchOS 3, Bringing a Range of Enhancements & New Features to
the Apple Watch
Apple has today released watchOS 3, proudly claiming
<http://www.apple.com/watchos/> that this release will let you "do more in
an instant":
With the latest watchOS, apps launch instantly and are easier to access. You
can choose from a range of watch faces and share your daily activity with
friends. The Breathe app helps you stay healthy by taking a moment for
yourself every day. And messages are more expressive and delightful. It's
the world's most loved smartwatch - now with even more to love.
The New Features That We Think You Will Like
Faster Apps and a More Streamlined Design
The Apple Watch has gained a Dock to provide quick and easy access to the
apps that you most frequently use. You choose which apps are shown here, and
Apple claims that those selected should load much faster than in previous
versions of watchOS as they are quietly keeping themselves up-to-date in the
background.
The Dock is accessed by a single press of the side button on the Watch.
Previously, this would have provided quick access to a list of your
'Friends'. This feature is now gone, as are Apple Watch 'Glances'. New in
watchOS 3 is a Control Center, providing you access to the most used
settings.
Other Changes in watchOS 3
* More watch faces are available, with more complication options, and
an easy way to quickly change the current face (see the accessibility
changes later in this post).
* You can now share your Activity Rings with others to increase
motivation.
* The Activity app now supports wheelchair users.
* It's now easier to monitor Workouts and keep track of the most
important metrics.
* A new Breathe app guides you through a series of deep breaths that
can help you better manage everyday stress or just experience a few calming
moments.
* Sending and replying to Messages from the Apple Watch has got
quicker, whilst features such as larger emoji, stickers and effects make the
experience similar to that on iOS 10.
* An Apple Watch can now be used to securely unlock your Mac if it is
running macOS 10.12 Sierra.
* Press and hold the side button and no matter where you are in the
world, SOS initiates a call with local emergency services. SOS can also send
a message to quickly alert your emergency contacts. This can be disabled by
going to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, then to General> Emergency
SOS>Hold to Auto Call.
For a more complete list of what's new in watchOS 3, MacRumors
<http://www.macrumors.com/roundup/watchos-3/> offers a good overview.
And What About Accessibility?
watchOS 3 brings a number of substansive new features and enhancements for
blind and low vision users:
* Taptic time-telling is now native. You configure this in the Watch
app on your iPhone. When it's on, quickly double-tap the watch face when
it's locked to feel the full time, or triple tap for just the minutes. You
can choose from a range of vibration patterns that will tell you the time.
Think TimeBuzz <http://www.applevis.com/apps/apple-watch/utilities/timebuzz>
, but now built in to watchOS.
* You can select one or more Complications to be spoken when you wake
your Watch. Simply touch the complication, swipe up to "Enable Auto Speak,"
and double-tap. Repeat for any Complications you want. When you tap your
Watch, it will now speak the time, followed by the complication(s) you've
set to be auto-spoken. Use the same process to turn the feature off.
* The VoiceOver 1 finger flick up or down gesture has been changed to
include the new Control Centre, Enable Auto Speak, and Activate Item.
Notification Centre is still included.
* A two-finger swipe left or right on your watch face will move
between all your enabled faces.
* In the new Application Dock, accessed with a single press of the
side button, swiping up or down with one finger will offer three options.
You can remove the selected app from the dock; move left; or move right,
similar to how movement through glances worked in watchOS 2.
* On the Watch screen that displays all available apps, swiping up or
down with one finger will offer two options. You can 'Activate' the app or
'Arrange Apps'. Selecting the second of these will allow you to now use the
one-finger swipe up or down to move the position of the selected app either
left or right.
* Some Complications are now available on the Xtra Large watch face.
* Although not specifically related to accessibility, some may be
pleased to know that watch faces can now be managed from the Watch app on
the iPhone. This includes changing colors and choosing Complications.
Scott Davert has recorded a podcast in which he showcases some of these new
features and changes
<http://www.applevis.com/podcast/episodes/exploring-some-what-s-new-blind-an
d-low-vision-users-watchos-3> .
How to Update to watchOS 3
watchOS 3 is available by going to the Watch app on your iPhone and
navigating to General> Software Update. To install the update, your Watch
must be connected to its charger and have at least 50% battery power.
More information on how to update the software on your Apple Watch is
available on this Apple Support page
<https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204641> .
Apple Releases tvOS 10, Bringing a Range of Enhancements & New Features to
the Fourth-Generation Apple TV
Apple has today released tvOS 10 for the fourth-generation Apple TV, proudly
claiming that with this release the "Apple TV keeps getting better and
better":
With the tvOS update, Apple Music has been totally redesigned. A new Remote
app lets you control your Apple TV with your iPhone. You'll even be able to
adjust the house lights and thermostat straight from your TV.
The New Features That We Think You Will Like
Single Sign-On
Cable and satellite TV subscribers should find that tvOS 10 significantly
reduces the number of times when you will be asked to enter your username
and password:
Now when you enter your cable or satellite subscription credentials on Apple
TV, you get immediate access to all the apps in your pay TV package that
support single sign-on. So you authenticate once and you're done. Cue the
applause sign.
Siri Has Gotten Smarter
Improvements to Siri in tvOS 10 should help to make it easier and faster to
get to the content that you want:
Have a good idea of what you want to watch? With the new tvOS, Siri not only
lets you search for a specific topic, it allows you to combine multiple
criteria in the same search. For example, ask Siri to "Show me movies about
time travel".
tvOS 10 also offers the option to search YouTube via Siri. For example,
asking Siri "find me YouTube videos with cats" will launch the YouTube app
and show the relevant search results.
Other Changes in tvOS 10
* Choose between a light or dark background for the tvOS interface.
* A new Memories feature automatically finds and displays photos and
videos from your iCloud Photo Library which you haven't viewed or thought
about for a while.
* Apple Music has gained a new look and some new features to make the
user experience more consistent with that on iOS and macOS.
* You can now control your HomeKit-enabled devices
<http://www.apple.com/ios/homekit/> right from your Apple TV.
* Automatic App Downloads mean that when you download a universal app
to your iOS device, it automatically downloads to your Apple TV.
For a more complete list of what's new in tvOS 10, MacRumors
<http://www.macrumors.com/roundup/tvos-10/> offers a good overview.
And What About Accessibility?
* For VoiceOver users, High Quality voices; a pronunciation editor;
and support for audio routing are now available.
* A number of new color filters are available to assist users with
color blindness and other vision challenges.
* The Apple TV now has Switch Control support for users with physical
motor limitations. This includes the ability to control other connected
Apple devices from an Apple TV.
We've not been able to test tvOS 10 prior to today's release of the final
version, so have not yet been able to explore these new features or check
for any further changes which will effect blind or low vision users.
How to Update to tvOS 10
To install tvOS 10 on a fourth-generation Apple TV, go to the Settings
channel, then look for the System section near the bottom. From here, look
for Software Updates under Maintenance, then select Update Software and
Download and Install.
More information on how to update the software on your Apple TV is available
on this Apple Support page <https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT202716> .
