Officially from Apple, there’s a preview of what’s coming to iOS in a future update. WWDC 2024 is in June. It’s apparently a major update this year, and we’ll get more home screen customization, a much better Siri experience, Chat GPT in the UI, and a possible revamp to the entire user design, including the icons and first-party apps.
Apple might leave 2D flat icons behind and enter into the new design era of glass morphism with shadows and depth, with circular icons like on VisionOS. While all the new features are very exciting to look forward to, a new CarPlay feature is also coming.
Apple CarPlay enables you to use your car’s dashboard as a multimedia-style display. It’s an effortless way to control playback, get navigation directions, and make calls on the go. In a nutshell, CarPlay helps you make your driving experience more convenient, safer, and seamless.
As mentioned, Apple CarPlay is getting new accessibility features. As per the preview, these CarPlay accessibility features will be released around September 2024 alongside iOS 18 and iPad OS 18, which are getting other accessibility features like Eye tracking, music haptics, and vocal shortcuts.
All this is around the same time as the launch of the iPhone 16 lineup. It’s also the same time when all the other iPhones will get the iOS 18 update.
These new CarPlay accessibility features are color filters, voice control, and sound recognition.
Color filters, as the name suggests, will help colorblind people. However, the CarPlay interface will also get other visual features like bold and large text.
The voice control feature will let you navigate and control the CarPlay interface using voice commands. There is not much to this, and it’s more of a convenience feature for many out there than accessibility.
Lastly, the sound recognition feature will help people with hearing impairment. This will be done by having an option to enable alerts for car horns and sirens.
From what has been released so far, it’s safe to say these features will be very beneficial if implemented correctly. These new accessibility features will improve the driving experiences for millions across the globe.
If Apple implements these in the best way possible, these features also have the potential to enable driving as a concept to millions out there. We hope Apple does its best in its power with these features to make driving better and safer for all.
