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Apple adding video live captions accessibility feature on Mac & iOS

There's also a new Door Detection feature to help iPhone and iPad owners find doors at new locations.

Morgan Shaver

May 17, 2022 11:05 AM

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Apple is expanding its offering of accessibility features with an announcement today that live captions are being made available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, along with a new Door Detection feature for iPhone and iPad owners.

In the official press release from Apple, both of these accessibility features will be available later this year, and will come courtesy of software updates across Apple platforms.

Digging into each of these features even further, the press release notes that Live Captions can be used during FaceTime calls, video conferencing and social media apps, streaming media content, and more. Font size can be adjusted, and on Mac users can type a response and have it read aloud for others.

Taking a closer look at Door Detection, the press release outlines how it can not only help users find doors when visiting new locations, it can also communicate door attributes such as if the door is open or closed, and how it can be opened (push, pull, turn knob, etc.). Door Detection is also able to read signs and symbols around doors like room numbers and does this by combining technology such as LiDAR and on-device machine learning.

Other accessibility features detailed in Apple’s press release includes Apple Watch Mirroring which enables users to control their Apple Watch remotely using their iPhone.

Users can also use hand gestures to control Apple Watch thanks to the new Quick Actions feature. Outside of Apple Watch, there are a few bulleted items mentioned such as Siri Pause Time which lets users adjust how long Siri waits before responding, and Voice Control Spelling mode which lets users dictate custom spellings using letter-by-letter input.

And that’s not even everything that Apple has included in their press release in terms of new and improved accessibility features. For an even better idea as to how additions like Live Captions and Door Detection can help Apple users, among other new accessibility features, be sure to read through the full press release.

After hearing about Apple adding Live Captions and Door Detection features, we’re curious what other accessibility features you think Apple should add. Let us know in Chatty, and for more on Apple, check out our coverage of how Apple (AAPL) is giving anti-union talking points to retail managers.

Morgan Shaver

Senior Editor

Morgan is a writer from the frozen wastelands of Maine who enjoys metal music, kpop, horror, and indie games. They're also a Tetris fanatic who's fiercely competitive in games like Tetris 99... and all games in general. But mostly Tetris. You can follow Morgan on Twitter @Author_MShaver.