Apple officially announced: iOS 16 has these powerful new features

Generally speaking, new systems and new hardware that have not yet been released are kept strictly confidential by the authorities. The renderings and videos we see are "leaked" by whistleblowers, supply chain personnel, analysts and other groups, and their authenticity is questionable.

However, today, Apple officially announced some new features in the upcoming new systems such as iOS 16.

The press release on Apple's website showed off some of the "innovative software features" that will be available later this year. These powerful updates combine the company's latest technologies to give users unique tools that can be personalized, continuing Apple's long-standing commitment to making products that work seamlessly for everyone.

Door detection

This feature helps users locate the door, telling them how far away it is and whether it is open or closed. If the door is closed, it can also tell the user whether it can be opened by pushing, pulling or turning the handle. Door detection can also read aloud the signs and symbols on and around the door, such as the room number of the office, or the barrier-free entrance sign.

Users can find the door detection function in the Magnifier App. Since the lidar scanner is required, it is only available for iPhone 12 Pro/13 Pro/iPad Pro (2020 and later) series users.

Live subtitles

A real-time subtitle feature will be added to the new systems of iPhone, iPad, and Mac. In scenarios such as phone calls, FaceTime, video calls, and even face-to-face conversations, the sound will be converted into text in real time and displayed on the screen.

Limb and sports assistance

This feature allows iPhone to remotely control Apple Watch, such as using iPhone's voice control and switch control and other auxiliary features to control Apple Watch, and using voice commands, sound commands, head tracking and other input methods instead of tapping on Apple Watch.

In addition, users can also use gestures such as "double pinch" and "clenching fist" to answer or hang up calls, play/pause music, etc. instead of clicking the screen.

There are also new features such as voice control, sound recognition, Buddy Controller, etc., which will be added to new systems such as iOS 16.

Seeing this, many students may ask: What are the uses of these functions? They don’t seem very practical.

You are right that these features are not practical for most users because they are accessibility features for people with disabilities. For example, "Door Detection" is for people with visual impairments, "Live Captions" is for people with hearing impairments, and "Limb and Motor Assist" is for people with physical or motor impairments.

Tomorrow (May 19th) is the 11th Global Accessibility Awareness Day.

According to a survey by the World Health Organization, more than 1 billion people in the world live with inconveniences caused by disabilities, which means that one in every seven people on the planet needs the help of barrier-free facilities.

In China, there are 16.91 million visually impaired people, 27.8 million hearing-impaired people, 70 million people with dyslexia, 29.77 million people with physical disabilities and 260 million people aged 65 and above. They are collectively referred to as the "disabled groups."

Technology is just "icing on the cake" for ordinary people, but it is "a timely help" for people with disabilities. With these "useless" auxiliary functions, they can finally "see" pictures and "hear" sounds, and enjoy the convenience brought by technology like ordinary people.

In addition to Apple, companies such as Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo are also exploring and practicing in the field of information accessibility. Although China still has a certain gap with developed countries in terms of the accumulation of barrier-free infrastructure, I believe that this gap is gradually narrowing.