compiled by nici · apple professional learning specialist (apls)
apple accessibility updates ios 26 + macos 26
the full log — every feature apple shared, what's new vs enhanced, where to find it, who it helps, and what it means in a classroom.
source: apple education accessibility webcast (jessica & ghek, singapore) · july 2026 · iphone, ipad + mac on tahoe · not exhaustive — the features most useful in schools. more at apple.com/accessibility
why "ios 26"?apple unified version numbers across all platforms — one number for 2026. ios 18 → ios 26.
the frame apple usesdisability as a spectrum, five areas: vision · hearing · speech · mobility · cognitive.
40 years inbuilt in from the start, not bolted on. every feature here is free and already on the device.
status:● new in 26● enhanced
who each feature helps:dyslexialow visiondeaf / hohnon-speakingphysicalfocus / sensory
apple closed the webcast with this. the best three minutes to open a staff session with — it reframes accessibility from "special provision" to everyday independence. play it, then work through the log.
designed for every student
apple · accessibility short film · ~3 min · tap to play
the headline story of the year: every "clean, readable text" idea pulled into one system-wide tool — on the web, in the real world, and everywhere else.
accessibility reader new›
a system-wide reading mode. any long text, stripped to a clean, customisable format — and read aloud.
dyslexialow visionfocus / sensory
classroom:drop any worksheet, pdf or article into a format the child sets themselves — font, colour, spacing, spoken. one tool, every subject.
tune:font · text + background colour · line, word + character spacing · highlight-as-spoken · speech rate.
find:add to control centre (ios) · system settings › accessibility › reader (mac)
magnifier for mac new›
turns a mac + camera into a magnifier. zoom in on a whiteboard; desk view reads printed documents into legible text.
low vision
classroom:low-vision pupil sees the board from their seat via continuity camera; desk view turns a textbook page into readable font.
works with:iphone continuity camera or usb camera · size, font, colour, contrast, colour filters, perspective.
find:magnifier app on macos tahoe
safari reader enhanced›
the original distraction-free reading mode. strips ads and clutter from a web page. now with listen-to-page + ai summaries.
dyslexiafocus / sensory
classroom:research without the visual overwhelm; summarise a dense page to check it’s right before pupils read it.
find:tap the page icon in safari’s address bar › show reader
magnifier reader enhanced›
takes text from the real world — a menu, a label, fine print — into the same clean, spoken, customisable format.
low visiondyslexia
classroom:a handout, a book spine, a display — capture it, hear it, resize it. reading access away from the screen.
find:built into the magnifier app (ios / ipados / mac)
voiceover›
apple’s built-in screen reader. speaks what’s on screen, in braille, or both.
low vision
classroom:full independent device use for blind pupils — no add-on software, works across every app.
find:settings › accessibility › voiceover
braille access new›
turns iphone, ipad, mac or vision pro into a full braille note-taker — notes, nemeth / ueb maths, live captions on a braille display.
low vision
classroom:a braille-reading pupil takes notes, does nemeth maths in a science lab, and reads live captions of the teacher in real time.
supports:70+ refreshable braille displays on ipados · 100+ on macos.
find:settings › accessibility › braille
hearing & sound
deaf · hard of hearing · auditory processing · noisy rooms
less about volume, more about turning sound into something you can see, feel or catch when you miss it.
name recognition new›
the device listens for your name being called and alerts you — for when headphones are in or a room is loud.
deaf / hoh
classroom:a pupil with headphones or hearing loss knows when a friend or the teacher calls them; add custom names + record the pronunciation.
on duty:on the playground or in a busy hall, a member of staff with airpods in or an apple watch on still hears their name called — a faster response when a child needs them.
find:settings › accessibility › sound + name recognition (ios) · system settings (mac)
live captions enhanced›
real-time speech turned to on-screen text. now you can save, copy, and screenshot / screen-record the captions.
deaf / hoh
classroom:captions of a lesson or video the pupil can keep and paste into notes; customise size, place, font, colour.
also:a hearing-impaired pupil follows the carpet story, or a table group’s talk, as live on-screen text. a ta can capture a group’s discussion — reading, role play, agreeing class norms — as a transcript to keep or revisit.
early years + eal:captions put the spoken word and the written word side by side (dual coding) — building vocabulary and supporting immersive, follow-along reading. brilliant for early readers and eal learners.
find:settings › accessibility › live captions
live listen enhanced›
the device’s mic sends amplified audio to airpods, beats or mfi hearing aids. now with live captions + apple watch control.
deaf / hoh
classroom:place the iphone near the teacher; the pupil hears them clearly in airpods and reads captions on their watch — controlled from across the room.
watch:start/stop, go back 10 seconds, skip to live — without interrupting the class.
group work:flip it round — put the iphone with a group and the teacher or ta hears them clearly in airpods: guided reading, role play, or agreeing class norms, without hovering over the table.
find:control centre › hearing (pair headphones/hearing aids first)
music haptics enhanced›
syncs the taptic engine to a song’s rhythm so music can be felt. now split vocals vs accompaniment + adjust intensity.
deaf / hoh
classroom:deaf / hard-of-hearing pupils feel music in a performance or dance; pairs with timed, translated lyrics.
find:settings › accessibility › music haptics
sound recognition›
on-device listening that alerts you to 15 everyday sounds, and can be trained on your own.
deaf / hoh
classroom / site:alerts for alarms and bells; on homepod detects smoke/co alarms; in carplay, a crying baby plus horns + sirens.
playtime / outside:on duty away from the building, sound recognition connects to iphone + apple watch, so staff are alerted to key sounds — alarms, sirens, a distress signal you’ve trained it on. a practical way to build the situational awareness Martyn’s Law (Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025) asks schools to develop.
find:settings › accessibility › sound recognition
speaking & communicating
non-speaking · aac · atypical speech · voice loss
built-in aac. no extra app, no extra cost — a voice and a way to be heard, on the device already in the room.
personal voice enhanced›
creates a synthetic voice that sounds like you, on device. now far faster: 10 phrases, a voice in under a minute.
non-speaking
classroom:a pupil at risk of losing their voice, or who tires reading, banks a voice that’s genuinely theirs — then types to speak with it.
languages:english (us), mandarin, now spanish (mexico) · syncs end-to-end encrypted via icloud.
find:settings › accessibility › personal voice
live speech›
type what you want to say and the device speaks it — on calls, facetime, or in person. save common phrases.
non-speaking
classroom:a non-speaking pupil answers the register, orders lunch, joins a conversation from saved phrases; pairs with personal voice.
find:settings › accessibility › live speech
moving & controlling
physical disability · motor · access without touch
more ways to drive a device with whatever a pupil can reliably move — eyes, head, voice, a single switch.
head tracking new›
the camera follows your head to move a pointer, and reads facial gestures as actions. dwell to select.
physical
classroom:hands-free device control for a pupil with limited hand movement; snaps to on-screen items to make selecting easier.
find:settings › accessibility › head tracking
eye tracking enhanced›
control iphone or ipad with your eyes. now with switch control integration, better typing, and face-pose calibration.
physical
classroom:a pupil navigates and types by gaze alone — no extra hardware needed.
find:settings › accessibility › eye tracking
voice control enhanced›
run the whole device by voice, including the mac. now with advanced workflows + a programming mode in xcode.
physical
classroom:full navigation, dictation + commands by voice; opens coding to pupils with limited mobility.
find:settings › accessibility › voice control
assistive touch + centre stage›
single-tap access to complex gestures; centre stage front camera auto-frames a selfie however you hold the device.
physical
classroom:easier physical access to actions; centre stage helps wheelchair-mount users get themselves in frame.
live demo:great for a teacher, ta or a pupil to demo the screen live — mirror the ipad to the board and centre stage keeps them in frame, so the whole class can follow every tap as it happens.
the quiet, universal wins — regulation, focus and reducing sensory load. often the most-used features in a classroom.
background sounds enhanced›
ambient sound to focus, calm, or mask a noisy room (helps tinnitus too). now with an equaliser, timer + shortcuts.
focus / sensory
classroom:a focus or regulation tool during independent work; new sounds include rain on roof, steam, boat, quiet night.
curriculum:set the scene for topic work and role play — rain and wind for a weather topic, waves for the seaside, a soft background hum behind the class shop or home corner. real-world listening from ks1 up, and a calm way into imaginative play.
the evidence:the colours of noise here — white, pink, brown — are the same ones studied for attention. a 2024 systematic review found white and pink noise can give a small boost to focus and task performance for some children with adhd; worth trying, not a fix for all. read the research
add accessibility controls — text size, magnifier, accessibility reader, contrast — and resize the icons with labels.
low visionfocus / sensory
classroom:put a pupil’s two or three key tools one swipe away, with big labelled buttons. the single best set-up habit.
find:control centre › + › accessibility (ios) · control centre › edit controls (mac)
home screen tint + larger icons›
customise app icons — dark, clear or tinted — and make icons larger, with a colour wheel.
low visionfocus / sensory
classroom:bigger, calmer, higher-contrast home screen for easier targeting and less visual noise.
find:long-press home screen › customise
sharing settings & choosing apps
shared devices · transparency · independence
two features aimed squarely at real institutions — shared ipads, kiosks, and knowing an app works before you download it.
share accessibility settings new›
temporarily push your own accessibility settings to another device — airdrop-style — then take them back off.
low visionphysical
classroom:a pupil lands their exact set-up (larger text, contrast, voiceover, touch accommodations) on a shared class ipad in seconds, and it reverts after. apple’s own example: hospital ward ipads.
find:settings › accessibility › (bottom) share · or add to control centre
accessibility nutrition labels new›
app store pages now show which accessibility features an app supports — before you download it.
classroom:check an app supports voiceover, larger text, captions, contrast etc. before buying it for a class or a pupil.
find:app store › any app page › scroll to "accessibility"
want help putting this to work?the barrier was never the tech — it's awareness, set-up, and checking it reached the child. that's the work unbarrier does.
