5 Accessibility Features iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 Bring to Your iPhone and iPad

iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 introduce features that change the way people with disabilities use their Apple devices. Here are some of the best accessibility features you can use on your iPhone and iPad right now.

1. Eye Tracking feature

If you’re familiar with the Apple Vision Pro headset, you probably know how it lets you select elements just by looking at them and touching your thumb and index finger together. Apple has introduced a similar concept to the iPhone and iPad, designed to help people who can’t navigate their device’s screen with their fingers.

Eye Tracking is one of the most anticipated accessibility features of iOS and iPadOS 18. It harnesses the power of AI to let you navigate your iPhone or iPad using just your eyes.

Once Eye Tracking is set up, Dwell Control is also automatically turned on. This feature lets you select items by staring at them for a few seconds, or perform actions like pressing buttons or swiping by focusing on specific areas of the screen.

Unlike Apple's Intelligence features, Eye Tracking is available on iPhone SE (2022) and iPhone 12 and later. The best part is that you don't need any additional hardware or accessories to use it — just a device that supports iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 with a working front-facing camera.

To set it up, open the Settings app , then go to Accessibility > Eye Tracking and turn it on. You'll then track a dot with your eye as it moves across the screen to complete the setup.

While the feature seems a bit buggy at the moment, the ability to control an iPhone or iPad with just your eyes has always felt like a futuristic idea, and it's nice to see Apple taking a step in that direction.

2. Music Haptics

One of the best ways to unwind after a long day is to put on some headphones and listen to some relaxing music. Music Haptics in iOS 18 allows people who are deaf or hard of hearing to experience music on their iPhone.

Using the iPhone's Taptic Engine, the device creates taps, textures, and vibrations in sync with the beat of the song you're listening to. While Music Haptics currently works with millions of songs on Apple Music, availability may vary depending on the streaming app you're using.

To enable Music Haptics, go to Settings > Accessibility > Music Haptics and turn it on.

Unfortunately, Music Haptics is exclusive to iPhone as the iPad doesn't have Taptic Engines yet.

3. Vocal Shortcuts feature

Apple has introduced various accessibility features over the years, like Type to Speak, which is aimed at helping people with speech disabilities due to cerebral palsy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Building on these efforts, Apple has now introduced a feature called Vocal Shortcuts that allows users to teach their iPhone or iPad to recognize specific phrases, allowing for quick and easy actions.

This feature essentially eliminates the need to go through the usual process of invoking Siri by saying “Hey Siri,” asking it to perform an action, and then waiting. You can even create Vocal Shortcuts to trigger Siri requests, simplifying the whole process.

Setting up Vocal Shortcuts is easy. All you have to do is choose an action, then record a phrase to teach your iPhone or iPad to recognize your voice.

You can create Vocal Shortcuts to automatically trigger custom iOS Shortcuts you've created. This opens up a lot of possibilities!

You’ll then have to select an action, enter a custom phrase, and say it a few times. This way, your iPhone or iPad will be able to recognize the action. While this feature is primarily intended for people with speech disabilities, it’s useful for anyone who wants to simplify the number of commands required to perform a task on their iPhone or iPad.

4. Vehicle movement warning

Even if you don't suffer from severe motion sickness, you may find it difficult to read or focus on anything that requires too much attention during the ride. If you're like me, Vehicle Motion Cues is definitely a feature you should turn on.

Once enabled, you'll see animated dots in the margins of your device's screen. Using built-in sensors, your iPhone or iPad can detect when you're in a vehicle, and the dots will move in sync with the motion of your vehicle—forward and backward as it accelerates or decelerates, and side to side as it turns.

Apple explains that motion sickness occurs due to a sensory conflict between what a person sees and what they feel. This makes sense because focusing on a stationary iPhone or iPad while everything around you is moving can cause you to feel dizzy. The moving dots help reduce that conflict by visually mimicking what your body is feeling, tricking your brain into adjusting better.

Vehicle Motion Cues may not completely eliminate motion sickness, but it can make reading or using your iPhone or iPad while in a moving vehicle much more pleasant. While it's off by default, you can turn it on by going to Settings > Accessibility > Motion > Show Vehicle Motion Cues .

One thing I love about this feature is the Automatic option , where the dots will automatically appear when motion is detected and disappear when you reach your destination and stop moving.

5. Hover Typing Feature

Texting can be frustrating at times, especially when you struggle to see what you're typing and have to hold your iPhone close to your eyes.

Thankfully, Apple introduced Hover Typing, a feature designed specifically to fix this problem. It displays larger text above the text field as you type.

To turn on Hover Typing, go to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard & Typing > Hover Typing .

This feature is extremely customizable - you can customize the font, size, text and background color and even set misspelled words to display in a different color.

While Apple introduced all of these features to help people with physical disabilities, anyone who wants to improve the way they use their iPhone or iPad can set them up and use them!