×

New ways to control your Apple Watch with accessibility

100% reliable
5 mins
38.86K views
Accessibility
  • New software features are coming to the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.
  • WatchOS will allow users to control their Apple Watch without having to touch the display.
  • You will be able to control your watch by clenching and pinching.

Apple has recently told us that a new variety of software features are coming to the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. All of these features focus on Accessibility, including AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch, eye-tracking support for iPad, and much more. For example, using the Apple Watch just by pinching and clenching your hand.

Apple says that AssistiveTouch for watchOS will allow users to control their Apple Watch without having to touch the display, especially useful to those users with limited mobility.

To support users with limited mobility, Apple is introducing a revolutionary new accessibility feature for Apple Watch. AssistiveTouch for watchOS allows users with upper body limb differences to enjoy the benefits of Apple Watch without ever having to touch the display or controls. Using built-in motion sensors like the gyroscope and accelerometer, along with the optical heart rate sensor and on-device machine learning, Apple Watch can detect subtle differences in muscle movement and tendon activity, which lets users navigate a cursor on the display through a series of hand gestures, like a pinch or a clench. AssistiveTouch on Apple Watch enables customers who have limb differences to more easily answer incoming calls, control an onscreen motion pointer, and access Notification Center, Control Center, and more. — Apple Newsroom

The company has also explained we will be seeing eye-tracking support for the iPad. iPadOS will support third-party eye-tracking devices, making it possible for people to control the iPad with just the movement of their eyes. Further into this year, compatible MFi devices will track where a person is looking onscreen and the pointer will move to follow the person’s eye, while extended eye contact performs an action, like a tap for example.

At Apple, we’ve long felt that the world’s best technology should respond to everyone’s needs, and our teams work relentlessly to build accessibility into everything we make. With these new features, we’re pushing the boundaries of innovation with next-generation technologies that bring the fun and function of Apple technology to even more people — and we can’t wait to share them with our users. — Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives.

We are also going to see the introduction of a more enhanced VoiceOver, “an industry‑leading screen reader for blind and low vision communities.” Building on recent improved updates that brought Image Descriptions to VoiceOver, users can now explore even more details about the people, text, table data, and other objects within images...awesome, right? More information on upcoming accessibility features can be found on Apple Newsroom.

Recommended by the editors:

Thank you for visiting Apple Scoop! As a dedicated independent news organization, we strive to deliver the latest updates and in-depth journalism on everything Apple. Have insights or thoughts to share? Drop a comment below—our team actively engages with and responds to our community. Return to the home page.

Published to Apple Scoop on 23rd May, 2021.
Stories related to Accessibility

Apple’s Biggest Product Failures: Top 10 Design and Business Flops

100% reliable20 mins

Top 10 Rare Apple Prototypes You've Never Seen

98% reliable22 mins

Apple Watch SE 3 Rumors: Release Date, Pricing, Features, and More

58% reliable8 mins

Apple Watch Ultra 3: Rumors, Leaks, Features, Release Date, and More

60% reliable8 mins

Upcoming Apple Product Releases: Here’s What’s Coming in 2025

59% reliable17 mins

Apple Ring May Not Be Dead After All

56% reliable8 mins

Apple iOS: 20 Facts You Didn’t Know

100% reliable17 mins

What Happened to Apple AirPower? Why Was It Cancelled?

87% reliable10 mins

100+ Minimalist Wallpapers for All Apple Devices (iPhone/Mac/iPad/Watch)

100% reliable6 mins

What is the Halo Effect? Apple’s Secret to Brand Loyalty

100% reliable12 mins

Apple Rumor Roundup: iPhone 17 Air Details, M4 MacBook Pro Leaks, Apple Ring Cancelled

63% reliable14 mins

50+ Fun Facts About Apple Inc.

100% reliable28 mins

Apple Smart Ring Reportedly 'Cancelled'

58% reliable8 mins

Apple Watch History: Series 0 to Series 10 (2015-2024) – A Complete Timeline

100% reliable23 mins

Apple Watch Series 11: Latest Rumors

100% reliable9 mins

Apple's Upcoming Smart Ring: Everything We Know So Far

60% reliable12 mins

Apple Ecosystem Explained: Why It’s So Hard to Leave

100% reliable12 mins

The Top 5 Most Iconic Apple Products of All Time

100% reliable9 mins

Top 10: The Most Expensive Apple Products Ever Released

100% reliable14 mins

Apple Watch Series 10: Everything New and Why It’s Worth the Hype

100% reliable10 mins
Apple

Apple

Microsoft

Microsoft

Google

Google

Samsung

Samsung

Meta

Meta

More stories

Apple’s Foldable iPhone: Why It’s Still Years Away

67% reliable9 mins

Price Hike Expected for iPhone 18 Pro

68% reliable8 mins

Apple’s 2026 MacBook Pro: OLED Display With No Notch

61% reliable8 mins

Why Did Apple Discontinue the iPod?

100% reliable9 mins

Spotify vs. Apple Music: Which Streaming Service Wins in 2024?

100% reliable12 mins

8 Reasons Why Apple Products Are So Expensive

100% reliable14 mins

MacBook Air M4: Release Date, Rumors, Specs, Design, and More

64% reliable13 mins

Apple’s Marketing Secrets: 7 Strategies Behind Their Advertising Success

100% reliable18 mins

Apple Vision Pro: Low Sales and Low User Engagement Persists

71% reliable11 mins

iPhone 17 Air Rumored to Launch With These 8 New Features

67% reliable15 mins

Say Goodbye to Green Bubbles: What iOS 18.2 Means for Your iPhone

100% reliable12 mins

Is 5G Coming to Apple Vision Pro and MacBooks? Here's What We Know

60% reliable12 mins


More stories
Looking for the perfect wallpaper?
Explore thousands of free, high-quality wallpapers from Apple Scoop, specially crafted for your Apple devices.

Gradient

Apple

4K

HD

Landscape

Beach

Marble

Space

City

Pattern

Sunset

Ocean

Moon

Architecture

Quote




More wallpapers