Tech giant Apple is getting recognition for its latest Voice Control feature that's a part of the latest iPhone and Mac betas.
Thanks to one leading disability campaigner, we have news about the latest accessibility breakthrough. At first, the new Voice Control might sound like a small change. However, those users relying solely on the feature realize it overcomes the challenges faced by Siri on Apple devices.
While Siri allows users to dictate commands via text on phones, Macs, and iPads, it’s not as flexible for those who need a little more. For instance, disabled individuals solely rely on voice commands and not text. Therefore, the new beta overcomes the drawbacks seen on Apple's voice assistant.
Voice Control was first launched in the iOS 13 lineup of Apple products. It gave users the chance to dictate and make commands. Simply, users can scroll and control the entire screen’s device by using only their voice. In the end, they got full access to all major functions across the operating system.
This includes gesturing voices to produce more diverse commands like tapping, swiping, and clicking anywhere on the screen. It’s almost like using a mouse or a touchscreen. All in all, Apple says the user experience is consistent for all of its iOS lineup. But the biggest difference in this new rollout is differentiating dictated text from command.
In 2022, the same disability campaigner spoke about an issue they faced with Voice Control. This had to do with Custom Vocabulary. Users would use some technical words and names that the system could better understand. However, capitalization was ignored and it might lead to some serious problems.
While the system could comprehend the names of people and firms in terms of pronunciation, it could not capitalize it. Hence, even if it’s located in contacts, dictation doesn’t recognize it. Now, thankfully, the problem is resolved in the new iOS and macOS beta. There is even a short demo video that shows the problem fixed. So while the wait was long, it’s worth it for the latest Voice Control feature.
Other than capitalizing pronouns, there is better grammar and greater productivity. So as a whole, it’s a big win for accessibility and Apple of course.
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Thanks to one leading disability campaigner, we have news about the latest accessibility breakthrough. At first, the new Voice Control might sound like a small change. However, those users relying solely on the feature realize it overcomes the challenges faced by Siri on Apple devices.
While Siri allows users to dictate commands via text on phones, Macs, and iPads, it’s not as flexible for those who need a little more. For instance, disabled individuals solely rely on voice commands and not text. Therefore, the new beta overcomes the drawbacks seen on Apple's voice assistant.
Voice Control was first launched in the iOS 13 lineup of Apple products. It gave users the chance to dictate and make commands. Simply, users can scroll and control the entire screen’s device by using only their voice. In the end, they got full access to all major functions across the operating system.
This includes gesturing voices to produce more diverse commands like tapping, swiping, and clicking anywhere on the screen. It’s almost like using a mouse or a touchscreen. All in all, Apple says the user experience is consistent for all of its iOS lineup. But the biggest difference in this new rollout is differentiating dictated text from command.
In 2022, the same disability campaigner spoke about an issue they faced with Voice Control. This had to do with Custom Vocabulary. Users would use some technical words and names that the system could better understand. However, capitalization was ignored and it might lead to some serious problems.
While the system could comprehend the names of people and firms in terms of pronunciation, it could not capitalize it. Hence, even if it’s located in contacts, dictation doesn’t recognize it. Now, thankfully, the problem is resolved in the new iOS and macOS beta. There is even a short demo video that shows the problem fixed. So while the wait was long, it’s worth it for the latest Voice Control feature.
Other than capitalizing pronouns, there is better grammar and greater productivity. So as a whole, it’s a big win for accessibility and Apple of course.
I should add that this custom vocabulary improvement works in iOS 18 public beta 3 as well as macOS Sequoia public beta 3 used for this video demonstration
— Colin Hughes (@ColinHughesUK) August 7, 2024
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