Live captioning coming to Apple devices

The moment many of us have been waiting for is finally here! Apple has released new, innovative accessibility features on a variety of its devices to accommodate multiple disabilities. The big one for the deaf community is live captioning.

Live Captioning and other Features for the Deaf Community

• Live Captioning: People with hearing loss often scramble to find sources of captioning for our technology, and now we don’t have to. Live captioning can be utilized with any audio content. If you’re on a FaceTime call, on social media, or even just having a conversation with someone in person, you can use live captioning. The font size can be adjusted. During FaceTime, the live captioning will make clear who is speaking. If using this feature on a Mac, you have the option to type a response and have it spoken out loud to others in the conversation.
• Siri Pause Time: Have you ever gotten frustrated when you try to ask Siri to do something and it cuts you off midway? For individuals with speech delays or disabilities, this allows you to dictate how long Siri waits before responding.
•  Sound Recognition: The sound recognition feature has been with Apple for some time now. This feature lets your phone alert you when certain sounds are recognized such as a doorbell, alarm, or oven timer. The feature has been updated, however. Now the iPhone and iPad can be trained to recognize sounds specific to your environment.

These features will be available later this year with software updates.

Read more: Clubhouse app introduces long overdue live captioning 

SignTime 

In addition to Apple’s new release of these accessibility features, there’s even more exciting news to share! The SignTime sign language app that Apple has used in store in the U.S. to accommodate Deaf customers has launched in Canada. Now Apple users seeking support from Apple or the Apple Store will now have access to American Sign Language on-demand.

Now Apple users seeking support from Apple or the Apple Store will now have access to American Sign Language on-demand.

Read more: Snapchat gets new ASL fingerspelling feature

Last week, Apple also highlighted the use of ASL in their Apple Fitness + App where one of their trainers used ASL to demonstrate the different features available.  ASL is also included in all workouts and meditation sessions in addition to all videos being closed captioned.

“Apple embeds accessibility into every aspect of our work, and we are committed to designing the best products and services for everyone,” said Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of Accessibility Policy and Initiatives in a press release. “We’re excited to introduce these new features, which combine innovation and creativity from teams across Apple to give users more options to use our products in ways that best suit their needs and lives.”

• Author Details

Author Details

Danielle Guth

Hi, my name is Danielle! I’m an Psy.D. graduate psychology student with an immense passion for writing and helping and inspiring others in any way I can. I am an anti-bullying and mental health advocate, blogger, and public speaker through my personal blog and social media campaign, “Compassionately Inspired”. I was born with a severe conductive hearing loss and hope to inspire others both in the hard of hearing and deaf community as well as the hearing community. “Everybody has a story”; that’s my motto and I hope my stories inspire you in one way or another.

https://compassionatelyins.wixsite.com/mysite