Tuesday, May 18, 2021

VoiceOver Image Descriptions

Apple (via Hacker News, Dave Mark):

With VoiceOver and Image Descriptions turned on, you can hear a description of what you’re taking pictures of in the Camera app.

This is pretty impressive, with much more detailed descriptions than seem to be available to the Photos app. It also works with images in apps.

You can turn off VoiceOver with Siri or by triple-tapping the side button.

Update (2021-05-25): Mattt Thompson:

Happy Global Accessibility Awareness Day! #GAAD

To celebrate, I’d like to share my favorite a11y easter egg in iOS: the delightfully baroque VoiceOver descriptions provided for built-in wallpapers.

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While you have Voice Over enabled, head over to the Wallpaper settings and listen to the wonderful accessibility descriptions provided for the built-in backdrops. For example, "Red stone unfolds into a landscape of absurd rock motifs, centrally punctuated by a concave peak of rocky outcropping. Button."


Dave Robeson

@Mattt Thanks for that -- had no idea. The descriptions are great, especially the Live ones.

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