Apple is giving macOS users a Magnifier app like iPhone and iPad in a massive accessibility drive
Later this year, Apple says, there is big things in store for accessibility. The company has pre-announced a large number of new tools and features that are coming to a number of its devices. One of the more intriguing is a new Magnifier app for macOS.
On the face of things, this is simply a macOS port of the existing iPhone and iPad app, but there is more to it than that. The app can work in conjunction with an iPhone to function as a loupe or magnifying glass. And this is just one of many accessibility options that are scheduled to roll out; there is also Apple’s Accessibility Nutrition Labels for the App Store.
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Curious name aside, Accessibility Nutrition Labels are designed to provide helpful information about apps for users with a range of needs. Essentially a new section for App Store product pages, it will highlight apps’ support for accessibility features such as VoiceOver, Voice Control, Larger Text, Sufficient Contrast, Reduced Motion, captions, and more. This helps with making informed decisions about installing the most appropriate app.
Writing about the upcoming macOS app, Apple says: “This year, Magnifier is coming to Mac to make the physical world more accessible for users with low vision. The Magnifier app for Mac connects to a user’s camera so they can zoom in on their surroundings, such as a screen or whiteboard. Magnifier works with Continuity Camera on iPhone as well as attached USB cameras, and supports reading documents using Desk View”.
The company goes on to say:
With multiple live session windows, users can multitask by viewing a presentation with a webcam while simultaneously following along in a book using Desk View. With customized views, users can adjust brightness, contrast, color filters, and even perspective to make text and images easier to see. Views can also be captured, grouped, and saved to add to later on. Additionally, Magnifier for Mac is integrated with another new accessibility feature, Accessibility Reader, which transforms text from the physical world into a custom legible format.
Other features due to launch later in the year are Braille Access, which “turns iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro into a full-featured braille note taker that’s deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem”, and Accessibility Reader. This latter feature is a new reading mode that can help users with dyslexia, low vision and other disabilities.
There are also Live Captions for Apple Watch users, Eye Tracking on iPhone and iPad, and much more. Apple has more details in a post, but does not provide information about release dates.