Apple's Voice-Mimicking Feature Lets iPhones Talk In Your Voice

Apple has offered a sneak peek at its upcoming accessibility-focused updates designed to accommodate a range of users, including those with cognitive, vision, hearing, and mobility challenges. The highlight of these updates is a new feature that will allow users to create a synthesized voice that sounds like their own, designed especially for individuals who have lost their speech.

"Accessibility is woven into the fabric of what we do at Apple," said Sarah Herrlinger, Apple's senior director of global accessibility policy and initiatives. She added that these cutting-edge features were developed with continuous input from disability communities to help users connect in innovative ways.

The personalized voice feature works by having users read aloud a series of text prompt for 15 minutes on their iPhone or iPad. This voice can then be utilized in conjunction with the live speech feature, enabling users to type their desired message and have it read in their own voice. Apple assures that this function utilizes on-device machine learning, ensuring user information remains private and secure, without the need for cloud storage.

Apple's streamlined versions of core apps will incorporate a new feature known as "Assistive Access," designed to aid users with cognitive disabilities. This aims to strip down the app experience to essential functions, thereby reducing cognitive burden. Accordingly, a unified phone and FaceTime app has been introduced, along with modified versions of the Messages, Camera, Photos, and Music apps. These present high-contrast buttons, large labels, and other accessibility tools.

Last year, eagle-eyed users spotted a custom accessibility mode in an iOS 16.2 beta release. This feature is anticipated to be officially announced later this year, potentially at next month's WWDC as part of the iOS 17 reveal.

Another new feature is the Magnifier mode, designed to assist blind users or those with limited vision. This feature enables users to interact with physical objects that have multiple text labels. By aiming the iPhone’s camera at an object, such as a microwave's keypad, the system reads aloud as the user moves their finger across the controls.

Many of these innovations will also be introduced to Mac, including the ability for the deaf or hard of hearing to pair iPhone-compatible hearing devices. Other helpful additions include simpler text size adjustments in Finder, Messages, Mail, Calendar, and Notes.

Finally, users will be able to pause GIFs in Safari and Messages, adjust Siri's speaking rate, and use Voice Control for phonetic suggestions while editing text. These updates add to the already comprehensive suite of accessibility features available on Mac and iPhone, which encompass live captions, a voiceover screen reader, door detection, and more.