Apple Unveils New iOS 17 Features

For World Accessibility Day, Apple presented the first new features for iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. The announcement was not expected until the WWDC in June, but now Apple is surprisingly giving an initial preview.

iOS 17 will be released this fall, that much is clear. Now there is also an overview of the first new features that Apple will introduce for cognitive accessibility. Apple has now announced this in a press release: “At Apple, we have always believed that the best technology is the one that is made for everyone,” says Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Today we are very excited to announce new features that build on our long history of making technology accessible so everyone has the power to create, communicate and do what they love.”

Simplified overview

Among the new features is a new option called Assistive Access. Apple has revised the display to reduce apps and experiences to their essential functions and thus reduce the cognitive load. An example: The app icons are getting bigger so that they can be tapped better and the range of functions has been adjusted.

For example, the photos app has large thumbnails, the camera app has a large release button, and the phone app has a simplified display for calls.