Tag: voice control

iOS 17 Edition Released

It’s here! Today I’m releasing iOS Access for All: Your Comprehensive Guide to Accessibility for iPhone and iPad. The book is bigger than ever, with two completely new chapters, each covering major new accessibility features of Apple’s mobile platforms. You’ll also find detailed descriptions of updates to the accessibility suite. The title says it all: this book not only covers all accessibility features of iOS and iPadOS, but addresses how a user can get the most from all system features and apps included as part of these mobile OSes.

What’s New

Along with complete updates to address changes in iOS 17, including the recent iOS 17.2 release, the book takes on three brand-new accessibility features from Apple: assistive access, live speech and personal voice. Assistive access is designed to assist users with cognitive challenges, by providing a simplified iPhone interface, and streamlined versions of several important iOS apps. Live speech allows someone who has difficulty speaking to type or store commonly-used phrases in their device, and have them spoken aloud when communication with others is desired. People at risk of losing their ability to speak can use personal voice to generate a synthetic representation of their own voice, which can then be used with live speech or with augmentative alternative communication (AAC) tools.

Along with these new features, the book addresses updates for iOS users with blindness, low-vision, hearing impairment and physical/motor access needs.

Get the Book!

I appreciate the many notes of encouragement ant anticipation I’ve received from people who have purchased past editions of the book, and those who wonder what it’s all about. It all keeps me motivated to produce the best work I can for you – a book that covers territory no other resource in the assistive tech or mainstream world can.

For the patient upgraders: If you purchased any version of the iOS 16 edition after September 18, 2023, your free copy of the new book is on its way.

ePub Edition

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PDF Edition

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Apple Books edition

iOS 17 Released: New Book Coming Soon

Apple released iOS 17 today, September 18. I’m working hard on an updated edition of iOS Access for All: Your Comprehensive Guide to Accessibility for iPhone and iPad. iOS 1y is packed with new features, including cool new accessibility options like Live Speech and Assistive Access. The accessibility features are so momentous that you’ll notice a few changes this year, including two entirely new chapters; one covering speech access, while the other addresses cognitive accessibility features. Everything else will be updated, too, of course.

As in years past, I want to be sure that anyone who wants a copy of the new book can get it as soon as it’s ready. So, if you buy the iOS 16 edition between the day iOS 17 is released to the public and the day I release the iOS 17 edition, I’ll send the new book to you free when it’s ready. You don’t need to do anything. Your updated book will arrive as soon as it’s published. Unfortunately, I can’t offer this deal if you buy the book via the Apple Book Store.

I expect to release iOS Access for All (iOS 17 edition) in mid-November.

Here’s where you can buy the iOS 16 edition. Or you can wait until the iOS 17 book is ready.

ePub Edition

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PDF edition

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ePub and PDF Combo

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Thank you to the many loyal readers who have purchased multiple editions of iOS Access for All over the years.

iOS 16 Edition Released

I’m thrilled to announce the iOS 16 edition – the tenth – of iOS Access for All: Your Comprehensive Guide to Accessibility for iPhone and iPad is now available. The book covers iOS and iPadOS features through iOS 16.3. I know some of you have waited awhile for this, and I’m grateful for your patience and your enthusiasm. It’s a good update, and the addition of “dot release” coverage brings the word count to a whopping 225,000.

If you purchased any version of the iOS 15 edition after September 12, 2022, your free copy of the new book is on its way.

The cover of the book, iOS Access for All. On a light blue background, a stylized rendering of an accessibility symbol appears. The symbolic person stands, and has outstretched arms and legs. The symbol is set in a green circle, surrounded by a collage of different devices, from iPhone size to tablet size. The screens are displayed in vertical orientation. Near the upper-right corner of the cover, a red badge reads, “tenth edition.” The book's title appears at the top; the author's name, Shelly Brisbin, appears at the bottom.You will notice a few “big picture” changes to the book. For one thing, the title is a little shorter, with the iPod Touch out of Apple’s product lineup, and no past model offering support for iOS 16. Makes for less awkward sentence construction, which I like. I’ve also adopted a new typeface that’s designed to be easier to read. Atkinson Hyperlegible is freely available from the Braille institute. Though I miss my beloved Futura, I’m excited to make the book easier to read for people with all kinds of vision.

Because this is the tenth edition of iOS Access for All, I’ve also had a cool new cover designed by New York Times bestselling author, Antony Johnston. It’s a little like hiring a painter to take your passport photo, but it is a big anniversary, after all! Please check out Antony’s writing. You’ll also notice that the book cover image comes with detailed alt text, written by a reader.

ePub Edition
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PDF edition

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ePub and PDF Combo
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Apple Books edition

As usual, the book is fully updated for the latest version of iOS and iPadOS, including coverage of updated accessibility features, like door detection and custom sound recognition. Mainstream features like Focus, Stage Manager and new privacy and security features get their due in these pages, and I cover how Apple has enhanced features in Safari, Mail, Messages, Books, and more.