These Are All the New Accessibility Features in IOS 17.
iPhone accessibility features are designed for people with disabilities, but they can make smartphones better for everyone. In iOS 17 , Apple made several accessibility improvements to iOS, including making a voice that sounds just like you , phonetic fixes for voice control, and making Siri faster or slower.
Speed up or slow down Siri
If you want Siri to speak slower or faster, you can decrease or increase her speaking speed. To do this, go to Settings > Accessibility > Siri , then under Speech Rate, move the slider to adjust the speed. You can slow it down to 0.8x the original speed or speed it up to 2x the original speed. Apple says Siri now sounds better with high-speed speech feedback.
Type text and let your iPhone speak for you
A new accessibility feature called Live Speech lets you type what you want to say and your iPhone speaks for you. You can use this feature during phone calls, FaceTime and personal conversations. Although this feature is intended for people with speech problems, it is also useful for many people. For example, you may be good at writing a language but not at pronunciation, as is the case with non-native speakers of multiple languages.
You can enable this feature by going to Settings > Accessibility > Live Speech and turning on Live Speech .
Create an AI voice that sounds like yours
Personal Voice is a great accessibility feature for those at risk of losing their voice. With it, iOS can “clone” your voice and use it for Live Speech. This way, every time your iPhone speaks, it will sound like you speaking, not someone else’s. Setup takes about 10–15 minutes of dictation. To get started, go to Settings > Accessibility > Personal Voice . Please note that you will need an iPhone 12 or later to use this feature.
Use the Cognitive Accessibility Tool
Assistive Access completely changes the look and feel of iOS, helping users with cognitive impairments better use their iPhones. This feature simplifies the entire process by displaying only the most important buttons, elements and images. For example, the Phone app displays large buttons for contacts, making it easy to tap one to make a call, while the Camera app displays a viewfinder next to one large Take Photo button. The Home screen has also been redesigned, displaying only large versions of apps with a white background to make each one stand out.
Learn how to use voice control
You can control your iPhone using voice commands using the voice control feature, which is great for people who can’t use the touch screen effectively. iOS 17 added a tutorial that shows you how to use this feature, so you don’t have to learn it yourself.
Your iPhone can recognize text
In iOS 17, your iPhone can effectively use Magnifier detection mode to help you read text. This is great for copying your MacBook’s serial number or other text you find difficult to read .
Your iPhone can read text out loud in real life
In iOS 17, Magnifier has another improvement: when you point the camera at text, it reads it.
Easily correct text using voice control
Voice Control allows you to edit text using your voice, and in iOS 17, your iPhone will allow you to speak the correct text. Apple says iPhone can now recognize similar-sounding words like “finger” and “tug” and make it easy to correct those words.
Automatically pause GIFs
When you see GIFs in Messages or Safari iOS 17, they automatically pause after playing. You can watch them again, but this automatic pause is useful for people who are uncomfortable looking at looped images.
Customize built-in voices
You can now customize the pitch range for each voice that comes with Spoken Content, a feature that prompts your iPhone to read articles out loud . To adjust the pitch, go to Settings > Accessibility > Speech Content > Voices, select a language, then your preferred voice, and press the i button next to the voice name. On this page you can adjust the pitch range to make it comfortable for your ears.
Virtual game controller for your iPhone
Switch Control is a great feature for those who have difficulty pressing the screen. In iOS 17, you can use this feature to set up back touch, sound actions, and head movements as an alternative to tapping the screen. This makes the Switch Control a useful virtual gaming controller and could potentially make many games more accessible. You can customize this by going to Settings > Accessibility > Switch Management > Switches > Add New Switch .