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Michael Doise

iOS 8.2

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It is known that Apple gave us a lot to go over yesterday, and one of these things is iOS 8.2. iOS 8.2 is a major update to iOS which contains support for the Apple Watch, but also contains fixes for and stability improvements for VoiceOver. I have updated to this version on both my iPhone and iPad and noticed two major differences.

  1. The new Apple Watch app has been added to help users pair and get started with their Apple Watch. This is a neat app to use currently to learn about the watch.
  2. Quicker Access to iOS has finally come in this version. I am very happy about this as iOS 8 has been quite slow on all iOS devices. I also have noticed quicker responses with Zoom and VoiceOver as well. 

There are several other changes made to the OS that I probably have not noticed, so please post any other changes that I have missed in the comments. 

    

The Apple Watch and Accessibility

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Yesterday, Apple released the long awaited details on its watch. We now know how much it costs, how it works, and when we can get one, but we still do not know anything about accessibility. Apple states that they take accessibility very seriously, but have not mentioned how it would be implemented in this new product. While watching videos on the watch, I also never see any indications of accessibility settings, and there is no mention in the Apple Watch app in iOS 8.2 as of yet. 

With that being said, it is worth noting that the Apple Watch could be made accessible with ease. The watch does have a speaker, and could support speech streamed from the iPhone if needed. 

The new Taptic engine on the watch also would allow for the use of the watch through vibrations. For example, a blind user would be able to open a glance, which is kind of like a widget, and the watch would do a certain vibration sequence to let the person know what time it was.  

There are many other examples of how the Apple Watch could help blind users, but I hope that Apple sees the usefulness of accessibility on this device.  I plan to get an Apple Watch next month, and I will write a detailed review on Apple Watch accessibility.

The Magic Tap isn’t so Magical

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If you use VoiceOver for iOS you probably are aware of a neat gesture called the Magic Tap. This gesture lets you take two fingers and double tap the screen to do any number of actions. These may include:

  • Answering/hanging up phone calls
  • Playing/pausing audio or music
  • Starting dictation through Siri (if available)

Developers are expected to add these functions to their apps, and if they don’t do this then blind users can point at them and laugh, but how well does the Magic Tap gesture work right out of the box? Lets just say that while it is like magic for the user, it is not magic for the developer. Developers already have to carefully plan how their apps are written, and make sure that they are up to date on the latest APIs or application programming interfaces from Apple. This means that they have to write code in the way Apple tells them to write code.

Magic Tap by default, is integrated in to a few places, the music player, and in the video player. If you do not conform to these two things, then your app will not pause or play your audio when your outside the app’s views. This means that if you go to the Facebook app with a podcast playing in another app, if the developer does not write the app correctly, you can not pause or play your audio. You can still do so from your headphones or through Control Center, but this is not as magical as the magic tap as it takes more steps.

To make things worse, Apple does not state how to properly implement audio so that this feature will work, and the only documentation on the Magic Tap gesture is on how to use it inside of your own app.

So, while this gesture is a great addition to the VoiceOver feature list, it is a problem for developers who are not familiar with the methods for properly implementing audio playback. 

I have posted this on developer websites, and will soon post about this on Twitter, but I think Apple should make changes to their documentation so that this feature can be implemented into more audio based apps without causing the developer to take days on researching a solution.

Resources

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Online Resources

There are many online resources for VoiceOver.

Apple Accessibility
The home page for Apple’s accessibility department.

AppleVis
AppleVis is the biggest online repository of information on iOS app accessibility.

The iAccessibility Report
The iAccessibility Report is a blog dedicated to reviewing iOS app accessibility.

App Store Resources

Resources in the app store by iAccessibility

App Store – Michael Doise
VoiceOver and Braille Resources in the App Store

Automatic App Updates

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Automatic app updates from the App Store is a great new feature for iOS and OS X, but it is not the best feature for VoiceOver users.

When a developer makes an update to their app, they typically make changes to the user interface of that app, which can make part or all of that app inaccessible to VoiceOver users. Because of this fact, it is probably a good idea for VoiceOver users to disable their automatic app updates for their devices.

<h2>Disable Automatic App Updates</h2>

<ol>
<li>From your home screen, go to <strong>settings.</strong></li>
<li>From the main menu in Settings, go to <strong>iTunes and App Store</strong></li>
<li>Find the section that says <strong>Automatic Downloads</strong></li>
<li>double or split tap the switch next to <strong>Updates</strong></li>
</ol>

This process makes sure that any currently accessible apps stay accessible until an accessible update becomes available.

Making and Receiving Calls

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There are very few changes to VoiceOver. One important change is that VoiceOver no longer announces notifications during phone calls. This means that while you are in a call, VoiceOver will remain silent. Your notification sound will play, but VoiceOver will not speak until you end your current call.

Notification Center

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If you have used VoiceOver in previous versions of iOS, you’ll notice that Notification Center works the same in iOS 7 as it would in iOS 6 and earlier. This section will discuss the new changes made to Notification Center and how they affect VoiceOver.

Accessing Notification Center

    Since the introduction of notification center, VoiceOver users tap once on the status bar then swipe down with three fingers. Now, VoiceOver users can access Notification Center from the lock screen by using the same method.
    <h2>Notification Center Areas</h2>
    There are three areas now in Notification center that inlcude <strong>Today</strong>, <strong>All</strong>, and <strong>Missed</strong>. VoiceOver users can get to each of these areas by finding desired tab at the top and double/split tapping on it
    <h2>The Today Tab</h2>
    The today tab is different for each user and each device. For example, a user's iPhone may display their home and work calendar, their alrms, driving time to work, bookmarked stocks, and the weather. That user's iPad may only display their home calendar, and weather. Another user may see totally diffrent items on their Today tab
    <h2>the All Tab</h2>
    The All tab is simply a history all received notifications. This tab displays the same information as notification center in previous versions of iOS.
    <h2>the Missed Tab</h2>
    The Missed tab shows all notifications that were missed on other devices. Notifications on this tab are displayed in the same format as the All tab, and can be removed by tapping the clear button next to the app's name.

Multitasking

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In ioS 6 and earlier, double clicking the Home button opens the app switcher. This has not changed with the release of iOS 7, but the format of the app switcher has.

Switching Apps

    <p>The app switcher experience in iOS 7 remains relatively unchanged in iOS 7. Flick left or right to move between the apps on your device. VoiceOver will now announce the status of that app. For example, VoiceOver will announce, "running" when an app has active background services
    VoiceOver will announce the home screen option when you flick left to the first option in the list of the open app list. Double/split tapping this option will bring you to the last visited page of the home screen.
    <h2>Closing Apps</h2>
    While in the app switcher flick left or right to find the app you would like to close and swipe up with three fingers to close it.

Control Center

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Control center is a new feature in iOS. Control Center lets users change common settings without the need to open the Settings app. Some settings include WIFI, Brightness, BlueTooth, Volume, Airplane Mode, AirDrop, and Airplay. There are even shortcuts to the camera, and calendar apps in the control center.

Accessing Control Center

    To access Control Center, simply find the status bar with your VoiceOver cursor, and swipe up with three fingers to open control center.

Lock screen

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The lock screen in iOS 7 is very similar to the lock screen of iOS 6 and earlier, but with some improvements.

Widgets

    iOS 7 uses a style similar to widgets on other mobile platforms. The standard widget is the time, but if you are playing audio, then the standard lock screen widget will be the audio player widget. If you are near a location that uses passbook, you can see a small picture of your card, along with the option to unlock to scan your card there on the lock screen.
    <h2>Unlocking your device</h2>
    Below are the current/new ways to unlock your device from the lock screen.
    <ul>
        <li>As with earlier releases of iOS, you can unlock your device by finding and double/split tapping the slide to unlock button.</li>
        <li>Also in previous versions of iOS, double tap a notification to unlock your device to that application.</li>
        <li>New to iOS 7, take three fingers and flick right from anywhere on the screen. This will unlock your device and bring you to your last location.</li>
    </ul>
    <h2>Control and Notification Centers</h2>
    Control center and Notification center can now be accessed from the lock screen as well. open those sections of this app to learn more about them. accessing these features work the same even if your on your lock screen.

    There have been many improvements to the lock screen, so it's really a good idea to explore this area, and see what changes or aditions you can find that we have not discussed here.

VoiceOver Settings

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Two new options have been added to the VoiceOver settings page in the Settings app. Languages and dialects, and Large Cursor

Languages and Dialects

VoiceOver in iOS6 had an option called Language Rotor, which let users place their favorite languages on the rotor. In iOS 7, Languages and Dialects contains settings for switching the default VoiceOver voice, and to add multiple languages to VoiceOver. There is also an option to download the enhanced version of that voice, and iOS will even report the size of the enhanced voice.

Large Cursor

When VoiceOver is focused on content or controls, a small box is shown around the focused item. This is called the VoiceOver Cursor. The Large Cursor setting transforms the VoiceOver cursor into a thickly lined box with a red border to emphasize focus.

iOS 7 Change Summary

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While the release of iOS 7 introduces many visual changes, VoiceOver has remained relatively unchanged. Consequently, VoiceOver users should notice very few changes to the day to day operation of their devices.

VoiceOver Settings

There are two new settings in the Voiceover settings section of the Settings app. Languages and Dialects, and Large Cursor. Go to the VO Settings section to learn more about these options.

The Lock Screen

The lock screen is similar to what you know, but now it’s even easier for VoiceOver users to unlock their devices.

Control Center

Control Center is a new feature offered in iOS 7that lets you switch common settings on or off from any app. Choose that topic to learn how to access it.

Multitasking

iOS has had a simple form of app switching for some time. now, with iOS 7, multitasking and app switching works a bit differently., so this section will explore how this works and how to close running apps.

Notification Center

Notification Center is a handy place to keep track of all of your notifications. In iOs 7, there are several new features and areas in notification center. Open this section to learn more about these new features.

Phone Calls

While little has changed in making calls with VoiceOver, there are still changes that a new user should be aware of. Read this section of the app to learn more. 

Automatic App Updates

Automatic app updates are a nice way to make sure that your apps stay up to date and secure, but sometimes this can remove accessibility in those updated apps. read the automatic app updates section of this app to find out how to disable this feature.

Resources

<

p dir=”ltr”>We will post several resources sections as the app updates. These sections will point you in the direction of online learning resources, and to other apps in the iOS App Store to help you find out new ways to use VoiceOver It is also a good idea to follow accessibility.net and AppleVis for the best online VoiceOver resources and help.

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