Inside Apple's iOS 5: LED flash on calls, custom accessibility gestures & vibrations
Apple is poised to add several significant advancements to accessibility in iOS 5, such as LED flash on calls, custom gestures and personalized vibration alerts.
Apple unveiled iOS 5 on Monday at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, touting a number of major improvements to the customizability of iOS for users with disabilities. The update is due out this fall.
"iOS 5 comes with innovative new features that make it easier for people with mobility, hearing, vision, and cognitive disabilities to get the most from their iOS devices," Apple notes on its website. "iOS 5 works with specialized hardware accessories.
"The LED flash and custom vibration settings let you see and feel when someone?s calling. And improvements to VoiceOver include custom element labeling. These are just a few of the ways iOS 5 continues making advances in the field of accessibility."
As the iPhone maker has steadily ramped up accessibility features in iOS, adoption among users with disabilities has increased. Apple's iPad and iPhone have been praised by members of the blind community recommending the devices.
A new Assistive Touch feature will allow customized gestures as macro shortcuts. The feature is still under development, however, as there doesn't yet appear to be a way to link new gestures to specific actions.
iOS 5 on iPhone now supports use of the LED flash as an alert. Apple has also added a Speak Selection feature with an adjustable Speaking Rate slider for vocalizing text selections.
Custom vibration alerts can also be activated in iOS 5. Personalized vibrations can be recorded for individual contacts by recording a series of taps on the screen. A viewer displays visual ripples indicating the force and frequency of the taps during recording and playback.
For more, see AppleInsider's extensive coverage of iOS 5, including the in-depth features below:
Inside Apple's iOS 5: Calendar improvements help make iPhone, iPad PC-free
Inside Apple's iOS 5: iTunes Tone Store will offer more text alert options
Inside iOS 5: Notification Center, banner alerts
Inside Apple's move to open up SMS-style messaging to not-mobile clients
Inside Apple's iOS 5: Reminders app offers location-aware to-do lists
Inside Apple's iOS 5: Safari Reader, private browsing, tabs on iPad
Inside Apple's iOS 5: PC Free setup, keyboard shortcuts
Apple unveiled iOS 5 on Monday at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, touting a number of major improvements to the customizability of iOS for users with disabilities. The update is due out this fall.
"iOS 5 comes with innovative new features that make it easier for people with mobility, hearing, vision, and cognitive disabilities to get the most from their iOS devices," Apple notes on its website. "iOS 5 works with specialized hardware accessories.
"The LED flash and custom vibration settings let you see and feel when someone?s calling. And improvements to VoiceOver include custom element labeling. These are just a few of the ways iOS 5 continues making advances in the field of accessibility."
As the iPhone maker has steadily ramped up accessibility features in iOS, adoption among users with disabilities has increased. Apple's iPad and iPhone have been praised by members of the blind community recommending the devices.
A new Assistive Touch feature will allow customized gestures as macro shortcuts. The feature is still under development, however, as there doesn't yet appear to be a way to link new gestures to specific actions.
iOS 5 on iPhone now supports use of the LED flash as an alert. Apple has also added a Speak Selection feature with an adjustable Speaking Rate slider for vocalizing text selections.
Custom vibration alerts can also be activated in iOS 5. Personalized vibrations can be recorded for individual contacts by recording a series of taps on the screen. A viewer displays visual ripples indicating the force and frequency of the taps during recording and playback.
For more, see AppleInsider's extensive coverage of iOS 5, including the in-depth features below:
Inside Apple's iOS 5: Calendar improvements help make iPhone, iPad PC-free
Inside Apple's iOS 5: iTunes Tone Store will offer more text alert options
Inside iOS 5: Notification Center, banner alerts
Inside Apple's move to open up SMS-style messaging to not-mobile clients
Inside Apple's iOS 5: Reminders app offers location-aware to-do lists
Inside Apple's iOS 5: Safari Reader, private browsing, tabs on iPad
Inside Apple's iOS 5: PC Free setup, keyboard shortcuts
Comments
Or maybe I'm just not understanding this fully...
I'm not sure that I "get" the LED flash alert. 90% of the time, the phone is either in your pocket or laying flat on its back -- who would lay an iPhone face down on a table?
Or maybe I'm just not understanding this fully...
I'm sure a person with a hearing impairment would appreciate the option.
My guess is that the next version of the iPhone will have some kind of indicator light much like the Macbooks.
I looks like they've gone through all the complaints on the phone and tried to fix them. An indicator light being one of those complaints.
kudos to the uniquely abled for pushing the development envelope.
I'm not sure that I "get" the LED flash alert. 90% of the time, the phone is either in your pocket or laying flat on its back -- who would lay an iPhone face down on a table?
Or maybe I'm just not understanding this fully...
Unless I have a specific reason to have my iPhone 4 face up, I would say I do 50% of the time.
Nevertheless, an LED flash would be noticeable even if my phone was face down. Certainly equally intrusive under the mass of papers on my desk and less annoying than a ring or a sound alert in the board room.
I prolly sound negative but I think a small indicator LED should have been on the phone from the very beginning.
It's awesome that they are working on making the phone more accessible. More companies should do that.
I'm not sure that I "get" the LED flash alert. 90% of the time, the phone is either in your pocket or laying flat on its back -- who would lay an iPhone face down on a table?
Or maybe I'm just not understanding this fully...
You are not. If someone knows it will flash, they will take advantage of it. If you don't need it, you can disable it.
I'm not sure that I "get" the LED flash alert. 90% of the time, the phone is either in your pocket or laying flat on its back -- who would lay an iPhone face down on a table?
Or maybe I'm just not understanding this fully...
It might be cool if you use a wraparound case made of clear plastic.
It should make the whole case glow...
Kudos to Apple for the enhanced accessibility features.
These options are pretty cool.
I'm not sure that I "get" the LED flash alert. 90% of the time, the phone is either in your pocket or laying flat on its back -- who would lay an iPhone face down on a table?
Or maybe I'm just not understanding this fully...
I'm sure a person with a hearing impairment would appreciate the option.
I think he has a point. If you're hearing impaired why wouldn't you just place the iPhone face up to get the info?
PS: iOS 5.0 is amazingly stable for a first beta. Apple has had GMs that weren't this stable. I wonder if the devs were are all focusing on a April timeframe for the first dev beta so the extra time afforded is just gravy with a few extra features thrown in.
'Bout bloody time on the LED flashing to indicate a call or message. I'd prefer the LED to flash intermittently than turn my screen off and on to see if I missed a call or messages. Now they just need to put an alert one on the giant black areas on the top or bottom in the front.
I prolly sound negative but I think a small indicator LED should have been on the phone from the very beginning.
It's awesome that they are working on making the phone more accessible. More companies should do that.
I still don't understand why they can't even provide an audible alert. I'd like my phone to produce a tone every minute or so if I miss a call. Seems pretty dang simple, but still a missing feature.
I think it a great accessibility feature. Others might like it as well as just another option.
These options are pretty cool.
I think he has a point. If you're hearing impaired why wouldn't you just place the iPhone face up to get the info?
PS: iOS 5.0 is amazingly stable for a first beta. Apple has had GMs that weren't this stable. I wonder if the devs were are all focusing on a April timeframe for the first dev beta so the extra time afforded is just gravy with a few extra features thrown in.
Aren?t there already Jailbreaks for these ?new features?
Your point being?
Aren?t there already Jailbreaks for these ?new features?
Yeah, this is for people who aren't interested in going the JB route.
I just want to know if there will be an option to have the phone use it's text to speech to tell ms who is calling when I have my headphones in. Same voice that confirms who I ask to call when I do voice activated calling.
Uh yeah I'd also like to know why my autocorrect corrects me to mr or ms about 1 time out of 4. I've tried typing me me me me me me and correcting it when it tries to change it, but no avail. Bah!