Accessibility is a catch-all term for a large number of features, apps, and adjustments that Apple designs to improve access to kinds of things that may be harder for some people, whether due to motor limitations, eyesight or hearing, or the language they speak.
Many of these features can benefit a much larger group of people than any narrowly defined as “disabled”; automatic, high-quality captioning of video content is a great example, as is having a voice read text aloud from webpages or describe images.
Apple’s key accessibility features for iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 relate to describing things in a visual field, captioning, and understanding.
Act on what you see
Apple has offered three features independent of one another that have brought a lot to the table for accessibility for people with low vision or who are blind, as well as more generally:
- VoiceOver: Apple’s VoiceOver accessibility feature, added to iPhone in 2009 and iPad in 2010, describes what’s on screen, such as buttons, interface elements, and text.
- Magnifier: A Control Center item, Magnifier (from 2016 on iPhone and iPad) provides a toolbox full of options for your cameras—zoom, contrast, flashlight, capture, and more—which can make the tiny, low-contrast, and hard-to-see for whatever reason much easier to get a look at.
- Visual Intelligence: This camera-based feature requires Apple Intelligence and first appeared in 2024 (in iOS 18.2, for select models). Visual Intelligence lets an iPhone identify objects, buildings, and other things, read text aloud, and more.
With iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, Apple has brought aspects of Visual Intelligence into the VoiceOver and Magnifier contexts.
You can use VoiceOver and enable a sub-feature that used to live only in Magnifier, called Live Recognition, to read aloud or provide a summary, details, or analysis of what it sees. You can set Live Recognition features at Settings > Accessibility > Live Recognition, though the features aren’t available unless you have VoiceOver enabled.
In Magnifier, if the Ask button isn’t present, go to Magnifier > Settings > Ask Magnifier > Show in Control Panel. Tap Ask, which triggers Live Recognition as well. For example, point it at a bill and ask it what the bill’s total is.
Where’s the Action, Apple?
Apple said in their accessibility preview press release in May 2026, before the June 2026 announcement of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, “With updates to Live Recognition, VoiceOver users can press the Action button on iPhone to quickly ask a question about what’s in the camera viewfinder and get a detailed response.” They also wrote, “Magnifier also works with the Action button so users can quickly ask questions and get answers.”
These options for the Action button haven’t appeared. I’ll update this information if and when the Action button function appears for VoiceOver or Magnifier.
Apple also rebuilt Accessibility Reader, added generated captions for any uncaptioned video, and taught Voice Control to take plain descriptions of what you want tapped. Those are covered in the Apple Intelligence accessibility features.
