Top New Accessibility Features in iOS 18 and How to Use Them
iOS 18 introduces new features that change how people with hearing, vision, speech, and mobility issues use their iPhones: Accessibility features. While Apple introduced all of these features to help people with physical disabilities, anyone looking to improve the way they use their iPhone can benefit from them.
Below we will mention the most important new accessibility features that you can now use on your iPhone after updating the operating system to iOS 18:
1- Eye tracking feature:
Apple Vision Pro lets you easily select items by looking at them and tapping them with your thumb and index finger together. Apple has introduced a similar feature to iPhones and iPads to help people who can't navigate their device's screen with their fingers. It's called Eye Tracking .
Eye tracking relies on artificial intelligence to let you navigate through apps and web pages on your iPhone using just your eyes.
After setting up this feature on your phone, you will be able to select items on the screen by staring at them for a few seconds or perform actions such as pressing a button or swiping by focusing on specific areas of the screen.
Unlike the Apple Intelligence AI features exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 , eye tracking is available on all iPhone models supporting the iOS 18 update and you won't need additional hardware or accessories to use it.
To set up this feature, open the Settings app, go to the Accessibility section, select Eye Tracking and enable the feature. You will then follow a dot with your eyes as it moves around the screen to complete the feature setup.
2- Music Haptics feature:
Music Haptics in iOS 18 lets people who are deaf or hard of hearing feel like they're listening to music on their iPhone.
When enabled, the iPhone's Taptic Engine produces vibrations that sync with the beat of the music you're listening to, enhancing the sense of tones and improving the overall listening experience for those with hearing loss. While this feature currently works with millions of tracks available on Apple Music, it may not work with all streaming apps.
To activate this feature, go to Settings, then choose Accessibility, then choose (Music Haptics) and activate the feature.
3- Voice abbreviations:
Apple has introduced several accessibility features, such as Type to Speak, which aims to help people who have speech problems due to cerebral palsy and other conditions that affect the ability to speak.
In iOS 18, Apple introduced a new feature for these people called Vocal Shortcuts. It allows them to teach their iPhone specific phrases to perform specific actions easily and quickly.
This feature eliminates the need to go through the traditional process of summoning Siri by saying, “Hey Siri ,” then asking to do something, then waiting; instead, you can create a voice shortcut for a specific Siri request, making the entire process easier.
Setting up voice shortcuts is easy—all you have to do is choose a specific action or task, then record a phrase associated with performing that task. To set up a voice shortcut, go to the Accessibility section of the Settings app, choose Vocal Shortcut, and then tap Set Up Vocal Shortcuts.
You will then have to choose a specific action, type a custom phrase, and say it several times. This way, your iPhone will be able to recognize it and perform the specified action whenever you say that phrase.
While this feature is intended for people with speech problems, it is useful for anyone looking to make it easier to perform certain tasks on their iPhone.
4- Vehicle movement signals:
Many people experience motion sickness when they are in a moving vehicle, and find it difficult to read or focus on anything that requires a lot of concentration while riding. To help these people, Apple has added a new feature to iPhones called Vehicle Motion Cues.
After you turn this feature on, you'll see moving dots on the edges of your phone's screen. Using built-in sensors, your iPhone can detect when you're in a moving vehicle. The dots will move in sync with the vehicle's forward and backward motion, the vehicle's acceleration or deceleration, and the vehicle's rotation.
Apple explains that motion sickness is caused by a sensory mismatch between what a person sees and what they feel. When you focus on your iPhone while everything around you is moving, you may start to feel dizzy. Moving dots help reduce this feeling by visually simulating what your body feels, and allowing your brain to better adjust to the moving surroundings.
Vehicle Motion Cues may not eliminate motion sickness entirely, but this feature can make reading or using your iPhone in a moving vehicle more bearable. To enable this feature, go to Settings, then Accessibility, then choose Motion, then Show Vehicle Motion Cues.
5- Hover Typing feature to facilitate writing texts:
People with low vision often have problems with the text on their iPhone screen being blurry when they want to type text or messages. To help them, Apple has introduced Hover Typing, a feature specifically designed to alleviate this problem. It displays larger text than the text in the text field directly above the field while you are typing.
To enable this feature, go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Keyboard & Typing, then select Hover Typing.
This feature is highly customizable; you can customize the font style, size, background color, and choose to display misspelled words in a different color.