apple’s upcoming braille access is a big deal

this week, on the occasion of global accessibility awareness day on May 15th, apple announced a wide range of accessibility updates coming later this year. one of the most exciting is a new feature called braille access, which brings powerful braille tools directly to iphone, ipad, mac, and apple vision pro.

what we know so far

braille access is designed to turn these devices into full-featured braille note takers. with it, users will be able to:

• launch apps using braille screen input or a connected braille device
• take notes and perform math using nemeth braille
• open and read brf (braille ready format) files
• follow conversations in real time with captions sent directly to braille displays

for people who read and write in braille—whether at school, at work, or at home—this makes the tools they already use even more useful. no need for separate hardware. no complicated setups. just access, built in.

more accessibility features

this update is part of a broader push from apple to make every part of its ecosystem more inclusive. other features coming later this year include:

• a new magnifier app for mac, which lets users zoom in on the world around them using their device’s camera
• accessibility reader, a customizable reading mode that helps people with dyslexia, low vision, or other reading needs focus on text
• accessibility nutrition labels in the app store, so users can see if an app supports features like voiceover, larger text, or captions before downloading
• live captions on apple watch, paired with live listen for real-time transcription
• updates to personal voice, head tracking, eye tracking, music haptics, and even support for brain-computer interfaces

apple says these features will be available later in 2025. together, they show what’s possible when accessibility is part of the design from the start.

experience the most accessible ai assistant today

in the meantime, the ally app is a free, voice-first assistant that works today with screen readers and braille input. you can talk to it, type to it, it’s built to be simple, helpful, and ready whenever you are. simply ask your questions and ally will provide helpful answers and act as an accessible lens to the world if you need it.

ally works alongside apple tools and is like a a friend who always listens, no matter how you ask.

you can try ally everywhere now on iOS, Android or web. no setup needed. just open the app and call your ally.