The 'Justice League' director plans to host a viewing party for 'Man of Steel', 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice', and 'Justice League' to raise money for good cause.

On the 'Life is Short with Justin Long' podcast, the 'Army of the Dead' director additionally suggests that Aaron Sorkin could write the script and Mark Ruffalo would play John 'D.J.' Des Jardin.

The '12 Years a Slave' actress says the sudden passing of her co-star is 'still extremely raw' for her and she can't imagine returning to the movie set without him.

The 'Maleficent' actress explains she was drawn to her character in new thriller 'Those Who Wish Me Dead' because the woman is broken but manages to overcome it.

The big-screen version of the Japanese manga series and the live-action adaptation of the popular video game once again go neck and neck in their second week at the domestic box office.

In a video posted on his social media accounts, an officer named John Dobkowski tells the 'Deadpool' star to get the 'Logan' actor in the upcoming movie, or else he will be ticketing Reynolds.

Less than two weeks before his heist thriller hits select theaters, the 'Zack Snyder's Justice League' director also stresses that any references to the global health crisis were purely coincidental.

The promo that also celebrates the past MCU movies offers a look at Angelina Jolie's Thena, Richard Madden's Icarus, Kumail Nanjiani's Kingo and Gemma Chan's Sersi among other Eternals.

The upcoming Man of Steel project is said to be standalone like Matt Reeves' 'The Batman' and Todd Phillips' 'Joker', with a possibility of being a period piece.

Reportedly part of an upcoming Catwoman documentary, the footage also features Zoe Kravitz describing her iteration of the anti-hero in the Matt Reeves-directed movie.

In this episode, Thomas Domville introduces us to Aiko, a free, high-quality on-device transcription app that can easily convert speech to text from meetings, lectures, and more. The app is powered by OpenAI's Whisper running locally on your device, which ensures that the audio never leaves your device. Whether you need to import an existing audio or video file or record directly within the app, Aiko offers flexibility and convenience. Aiko prioritizes accuracy over speed. Transcriptions can be exported the to various file formats and the app supports over 100 different languages.

In addition to the iOS app demonstrated by Thomas, Aiko will also work on a Mac where it is recommended that you have at least 16GB of RAM.

In this episode, Majid Almaadeed gives us a demonstration of Cisco Packet Tracer for Mac, a versatile network simulation and visualization tool designed for learning and practicing networking concepts. It provides a virtual environment where users can create, configure, and simulate network topologies and devices, enabling them to gain hands-on experience with networking technologies without the need for physical hardware.

Cisco Packet Tracer for Mac allows individuals to design and simulate complex network setups. It supports a wide range of Cisco devices, such as routers, switches, and wireless access points, enabling users to configure and interconnect them to create functional networks. You can explore various networking concepts, including routing, switching, wireless communications, and network security. It facilitates the simulation of network protocols and their behaviors, allowing users to understand how data flows through different network layers and devices.

In addition to its simulation capabilities, Cisco Packet Tracer for Mac offers a range of learning resources and activities, making it an ideal tool for educational institutions and self-paced learning. It allows users to test their network configurations, troubleshoot issues, and visualize the impact of changes before implementing them in real-world scenarios.

In this episode, Tyler demonstrates how to assign your own keyboard shortcuts to menu bar commands that lack default shortcuts in macOS.

An example of where this may be useful is in System Settings, where many settings can be quickly accessed from the View menu, however none of these commands have default keyboard shortcuts mapped to them. To create your own shortcut for a command:

1. Open the app that contains the command, and note exactly how it's displayed in the menu bar; you'll need to enter this later.
2. Open System Settings > Keyboard, and click Keyboard shortcuts.
3. Select "Application shortcuts" in the table, and click Add.
4. Choose the app the shortcut will apply to from the "Application" popup menu. note that you cannot map a shortcut that's already in use by that app.
5. Type the exact name of the command in the "Menu title" field. To enter an ellipsis (…) sign as part of the command, press Option-Colon.
6. In the "Shortcut" field, type the shortcut you want to assign to that command, and click Done to dismiss the dialog.
7. If the app containing the command you assigned a shortcut to is open, quit and reopen it for the change to take effect.

In this episode, Tunmi13 walks us through how to activate iOS and iPadOS beta updates.

To do this, first sign in with your Apple ID at either developer.apple.com, to access the developer beta, or beta.apple.com, to access the public beta. Then, once signed up for either program, go to Settings > General > Software update > Beta updates, and select the beta you signed up for. You can then go back one level in Settings, and the beta should appear like any other update that you can download and install.

Important: Beta versions of iOS and iPadOS may contain serious bugs, which is why it's generally advised, if possible, to install them on another device specifically designated for beta testing, or have a full and complete backup of your data in case a downgrade from the beta, which involves a full restore of your device, becomes necessary. For more information, check out this introduction to iOS and iPadOS beta testing.

In the second episode of his series learning Logic Pro X for Mac, Ming introduces two main sections. In the first part, Ming explains why the Interface and Microphone are important in professional recording and music editing, and how the Interface works. Ming uses logic to demonstrate how to slice and dice regions, efficiently move regions to neighboring regions, and export and merge projects into different audio formats. These shortcuts include:

Command + B: Bounce your project

Option + [ ] "Align the current region to the left or right of other regions.

Pause or play: Space bar.

See also: Learning Logic Pro X: Episode 1 - Creating a New Project

Note: Logic Pro X is a professional grade digital audio workstation (DAW) and MIDI sequencer. It is suggested to have some familiarity with Digital Audio Workstations to get the most from this series.

In this episode, Thomas Domville gives us short looks at some of what's new and notable with Accessibility features in iOS 17.

Topics include:

• New Haptic sensation
• Open Per Voice Settings
• Text Detection
• Point and Speak
• Sound Curtain
• Fast long-press speed option
• Siri (Voices sound natural and expressive)
• Listen to Page
• React with your Hands in FaceTime
• Level Tool for Camera
• Audio Transcription in Messages

In this episode, Ida gives us an in-depth look at the iOS app Widget Baby.

In Widget Baby you can adopt and take care of a cute digital companion. The app allows you to track the widget baby's health stats, provide food, sleep, soothing, and diaper changes as needed. You can play mini-games together with your widget baby and climb leaderboards. The widget baby will grow over time and have new stories and adventures to share. You can customize the widget baby's home and collect supplies to keep them healthy. Additional subscription features include capturing augmented reality memories, linking with friends to care for the same widget baby, and sending the widget baby on unique escapes. Widget Baby aims to be a fun, interactive app for users who enjoy virtual baby games.

In this episode, Ida gives us an in-depth look at the iOS app Widget Pet.

In Widget Pet, you can adopt and care for a virtual pet. You can select and customize a dog, cat, bunny or other virtual pet from the in-app WidgetPet pet shop. Once selected, the pet can be incubated and hatched. You then feed, play with, and care for your virtual pet, impacting its mood and triggering activities. As the pet grows, it unlocks new capabilities like mini-games and virtual vacations. The app features a customizable widget that follows the pet's health, hunger and happiness levels on iOS screens. It provides real-time updates on the pet's emotions and activities throughout the day. The widget can be added to iOS devices and Apple Watch to keep the virtual pet close by.

In this episode, Tyler demonstrates how to create and use Safari website shortcuts or "Web apps" on macOS.

This feature allows you to create shortcuts to websites on your dock that when opened, behave as if the website was its own app. This may be useful for VoiceOver users, as web apps are included when pressing Command-Tab to cycle through open apps, making them easy to switch to and from. In addition, these web apps can be mapped to commands in Keyboard Commander so they can be accessed with a single keystroke.

To create a web app, go to a website in Safari and choose File > Add to Dock. Change the name and icon of the web app if you wish, and click Add. It can then be accessed via the Dock, or in the Applications folder in your Home folder, accessed by choosing Go > Home in Finder, or pressing Command-Shift-H. To map the web app to a command in Keyboard Commander, open Voiceover Utility > Commanders > Keyboard, click Add, type the key that you want to open the app when pressed, choose "Custom commands > Open application" from the menu, and navigate to and select the web app in the Open dialog.

iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have an Action button in place of the Ring/Silent switch. You can choose which function you want the Action button to perform when you press it, making it useful for actions you perform often. In this episode, Thomas Domville discusses and demonstrates how to configure and use the Action button.

We'd love to hear from you in the comments about how you are customizing and using the new Action button on your iPhone 15 Pro. Are you setting it up for quick access to commonly used apps or actions like switching to the camera or recording a voice memo? Or are you taking advantage of its support for shortcuts to improve your iPhone experience and workflow?? Let us and other listeners know what creative ways you've found to utilize this handy new feature.

In this episode, Thomas Domville delves into the new feature introduced in iOS 17 that allows users to automatically delete one-time verification codes after they have been used. This feature is useful for keeping your Mail inbox and Messages app clutter-free.

To enable this feature:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Scroll down and double-tap Passwords (you’ll be prompted to use Face ID or Touch ID to authenticate the next screen).
3. Double-tap Password Options, and toggle the "Clean Up Automatically" switch on.

In this episode, Tyler demonstrates how to change Safari's default search engine on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

To do this on iOS and iPadOS, go to Settings > Safari and double-tap "Search engine" to specify the search engine for standard browsing windows, or "private search engine" if you want to specify a different search engine to be used in private browsing windows. On macOS, in Safari, choose Safari > Settings (or press Command-Comma) click the Search button in the toolbar, and choose from the "Search engine" or "private browsing search engine" popup menus.

In this episode, Thomas Domville takes us on a journey through the world of FruitPot 2, a fun-filled slot machine game for iOS. FruitPot 2 is a game that will take you back to the 80s with its retro graphics and sounds. The game features an ever-changing fruit machine slot, as well as more than 15 mini-games that appear as you progress through the game. With the Bucks you earn, you can purchase items from stores at the mall. FruitPot 2 is a great game to play when you're looking for something to relax and have fun with.

FruitPot 2 is available for free on the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fruitpot-2/id6444378324?l=en

Do you ever get the sense that you’re being monitored on the internet? In this episode, Thomas Domville will demonstrate Apple’s Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection, a fresh addition to the privacy tools in iOS 17.

Picture this: You click on a link, and all of a sudden, advertisements for that exact product begin to appear everywhere. It’s unsettling, isn’t it? This is the effect of cross-site tracking, powered by concealed IDs within links.

However, there’s no need to worry! Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection is designed to protect you. It accomplishes this by:

Removing tracking IDs from links: Those crafty “tags” that track your every click? They’re history! Preventing fingerprinting scripts: Advertisers employ cunning code to fingerprint your device and create a unique profile. This feature disrupts their scheme. The greatest aspect? It’s integrated and automatically turned on for private browsing. But if you wish to have more control, here’s how to enable it for all browsing:

Navigate to Settings > Safari. Select Advanced > Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection. Opt for “All Browsing”. Now, you can browse with assurance. Say goodbye to intrusive ads and the sensation of being scrutinized digitally. It’s just you, the web, and the liberty to discover.

In this episode, Thomas Domville introduces a new feature that enables Siri to interact with and record data from the Health app for health and fitness inquiries.

Users can query Siri about their sleep duration, Activity ring progress, or blood glucose levels if they have a linked monitor. Supported queries include checking steps, heart rate, blood oxygen level, Exercise ring, Move ring, average walking heart rate, and calories burned. Furthermore, Siri can record data in the Health app, such as weight, spotting, medications taken, body temperature, period start, blood sugar, and blood pressure.

To activate this feature, users must enable “Access Health Data” in their iPhone’s Health settings or “Allow Siri Access to Health Data” on their Apple Watch.

In this AppleVis Extra, Thomas Domville talk to Zach Tidwell, the developer of Zanagrams, the word game that won the 2023 AppleVis Golden Apples Award for the Best Game of the year. Zanagrams is a fun and challenging game that tests your vocabulary and spelling skills. Zach shares his inspiration, challenges, and tips for creating an accessible and engaging game for blind and low vision users. Tune in to hear his story and learn more about Zanagrams.

You can contact Zach at:
contact@darkhorsegamestudios.com

You can follow Zach on X at:
@ZachCTidwell

Articles mentioned in this episode: Dark Horse Game Studios
https://darkhorsegamestudios.com/programming/

In this episode, Tyler demonstrates how to encrypt an external disk on macOS for improved security of the disk's contents.

To encrypt a disk formatted as Apple File System, (APFS) connect it to your Mac, focus on it on the Desktop or Finder sidebar, and choose "Encrypt [disk name]" from the context menu (accessed by pressing VO-Shift-M). You'll then be prompted to create a password for the disk, which will be required to access its contents. As this password is the only way to access the disk's contents, it should be reasonably difficult for others to guess, but easy enough for you to remember.

The next time you connect the disk to your Mac, you'll be prompted for this password, and given the option to remember it in your Mac's Login keychain. This way, you won't need to enter the password when connecting the disk to your Mac, but others will if connecting the disk to theirs. Saved passwords in your Mac's Login keychain can be viewed and edited in Keychain Access (located in the Utilities folder).

If the disk you want to encrypt uses a different file system, like Mac OS Extended or XFAT, you must erase and reformat it as APFS. Note that this process will erase all data on the disk, so be sure to move anything you want to keep to another location before doing so. To erase and reformat a disk:

1. Open Disk Utility (located in the Utilities folder) and choose View > Show all devices (or press Command-2).
2. Select the top level of the external disk in the table and choose Edit > Erase (or press Command-Shift-E). If you’re unsure of what disk is what, you may wish to disconnect other external disks to avoid inadvertently erasing the wrong one.
3. In the resulting dialog, give the disk a name and choose “APFS (Encrypted),” from the format popup menu.
4. Enter the password you want to encrypt the disk with, click Choose, and then click Erase to begin the process.

Note: APFS-formatted Disks are not natively compatible with non-Apple platforms like Windows or Linux. To use an APFS-formatted disk with a non-Apple platform, use something like APFS for Windows, or APFS for Linux.

In this episode, Tyler demonstrates how to start your Mac in safe mode and explains in what situations this may be useful.

Safe mode is a feature of macOS that disables login items, third-party drivers, and legacy system extensions at startup, useful if an incompatible item in one of these groups is causing a problem with your Mac. In addition, system caches are cleared, and a light check of your startup disk is performed when starting up in safe mode, which can identify possible issues that could be causing slower than expected performance.

To start up in safe mode, start up the Mac while holding down the Power button, and interact with your startup disk (usually called Macintosh HD) in the grid that appears. Focus on the Continue button and route the mouse pointer to it by pressing VO-Command-F5, (or VO-Command-Globe-5 if you’re using a Mac with a Touch Bar) hold down the Shift key, and click the mouse. Maintenance tasks are completed once the Mac has finished starting; restart your Mac to exit this mode.

If you’re trying to isolate a particular issue, attempt to reproduce it when in safe mode, and again once you leave this mode. If the issue no longer occurs, it was likely resolved by the maintenance tasks that macOS performed. If it doesn’t occur when in safe mode but returns once you leave this mode, you may want to remove login items for third-party apps, update, remove, or reinstall any third-party drivers or legacy system extensions, or contact their developers for assistance. For more information, check out the Apple Support article “Use safe mode on your Mac”

Note: VoiceOver only works in safe mode on Macs with Apple Silicon.

transcription:

Disclaimer: This transcript is generated by AIKO, an automated transcription service. It is not edited or formatted, and it may not accurately capture the speakers’ names, voices, or content.

Hey AppleVisers, Tyler here, with a quick tip for how and when to start your Mac in safe mode.

Safe mode is a feature of macOS that prevents certain software components like login items, third-party drivers, and legacy system extensions from loading at startup.

If you're having trouble starting your Mac or have some other issue that's tough to pin down, an incompatible item in one of these groups may be the culprit, and thus starting up in safe mode can help you rule that either in or out.

In addition, when starting in safe mode, a light check of your startup disk is performed, similar to what happens when running first aid in Disk Utility, and your system caches are cleared, which can potentially improve the performance and responsiveness of your Mac if such files have become corrupted over time.

Safe mode is a feature that's existed in macOS for a long time.

The problem for voiceover users prior to Apple Silicon was that, as part of this mode, the audio driver was disabled, and thus the Mac could not provide any audible feedback, making voiceover effectively useless.

However, with Apple Silicon, audio is supported, and thus voiceover users can use macOS in safe mode as if they were using it in any other boot screen.

If you have enough usable vision to see the screen and want to start an Intel Mac in safe mode, you can do so by restarting it or turning it on while holding down the shift key.

For a Mac with Apple Silicon, you'…

In this episode, Ida Grace introduces eSpeak-NG, a compact open-source software text-to-speech synthesizer available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Developed by Yury Popov, eSpeak-NG supports over 100 languages and accents. It is built upon the original eSpeak engine created by Jonathan Duddington. The app acts as a compatibility layer between the eSpeak NG library and Apple VoiceOver, enhancing accessibility for users with visual impairments.

eSpeak-NG on the App Store
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/espeak-ng/id6444089174

transcription:
Disclaimer: This transcript is generated by AIKO, an automated transcription service. It is not edited or formatted, and it may not accurately capture the speakers’ names, voices, or content.

Hello AppleVis.

This is Ida again and I'm back with another demonstration.

This one is somewhat by request, so thank you for the person who requested this podcast.

They said that they really wanted a demonstration of this app, so I hope that this is satisfactory.

I am doing a demonstration today of the eSpeak NG app.

This app will add the eSpeak synthesizer to VoiceOver for anybody who wants it.

There are settings that you have to change within the app, or that you can change within the app if you want to, and then you can go into the actual VoiceOver settings to start using eSpeak.

Right now I'm using Daniel, which is not an eSpeak voice, but I will select an eSpeak voice throughout this demonstration.

So I am in the app right now, and the first thing you get...

It says eSpeak NG.

It's eSpeak NG, Daniel.

Learn how to pronounce words, please.

Anyway, so this is the name of the app.

So the first button you come to, if I swipe to the right here, that button allows you to set up what languages you want VoiceOver to have available to you in the eSpeak app.

So if I go in here...

First thing you see is back, of course.

You can search in that field for a specific voice and language.

Okay, I deselected that one because that is not my user-preferred language.

As you can tell by Daniel, he is English UK, not English US, so I deselected that.

But in order to do that, I had to keep going to the right.

Let me show you.

So under user-preferred, the only thing that seems to be there is English United States.

Whether it's selected or not, you can double-tap to select and deselect it.

Under this system heading, it gives you all the languages.

And the only one in here for English right now is English UK because I deselected the English United States.

So that means that when we go into the VoiceOver settings, the eSpeak United States English voices will not be available because I deselected that one.

Because I personally think that United States English eSpeak sounds very bad, which I will demonstrate in a moment.

But you have all of these languages that you can, of course, choose what language is your preferred language in this languages listed below may be poorly supported by VoiceOver and might be broken at all.

They are available in spoken content.

Okay, so that's a little disclaimer about the eSpeak app and the VoiceOver languages that it supports.

Okay, so then it's just going…

In this episode, Tyler demonstrates how to disable predictive text suggestions on macOS.

As you type on your Mac, macOS by default attempts to finish words and phrases it thinks you're trying to type. If you find that hearing these suggestions spoken by VoiceOver is more distracting than helpful, you can turn them off by going to System Settings > Keyboard, clicking the Edit button under the "Text input" heading, and toggling the "show inline predictive text" switch off.

transcription:

Disclaimer: This transcript is generated by AIKO, an automated transcription service. It is not edited or formatted, and it may not accurately capture the speakers’ names, voices, or content.

Hey, Apple vissers, Tyler here, with a quick tip for how to disable predictive text suggestions on macOS.

By default, as you type on your Mac, macOS attempts to finish words and phrases that it thinks you're trying to type.

While this may increase the speed of text entry for some, if you're a voiceover user, you may find that hearing these suggestions spoken while you're trying to type is more distracting than helpful, in which case you can turn them off.

To do that, go into system settings, keyboard, hit the edit button under the text input heading, and turn the show inline predictive text switch off.

And I'm going to demonstrate that now, I'm going to system settings on my Mac, k for keyboard, vio command h to get to the text input heading, vio right, edit, and at the leftmost of this dialog, k, that's what we want, vio right, scroll area, interact with vio shift down arrow, and vio right until I find the setting I want, show inline predictive text, if I vio right once more, show inline predictive text off switch, it's off for me because I turned it off.

If it's on for you and you want to turn it off, just press vio space, then stop interacting with the scroll area, with vio shift up arrow, and vio right to done, hit it, and here we are back in keyboard settings.

So now as you type, you will not hear text suggestions predicted by macOS, which could almost ironically increase your speed of text entry because this feature is off and is no longer giving you distracting or potentially distracting feedback.

So that's a tip for how to disable predictive text suggestions on macOS, I hope you found it helpful.

Peace.

Thank you.

In this episode of his podcast, Kushal Solanki showcases the “Red Riding Hood” app from the Twisted Tales series, designed for iOS. This app reinvents the traditional storytelling method by providing a pick-a-path adventure, making reading a dynamic and captivating activity for kids.

Here’s what sets this app apart:

• Choose Your Own Adventure: Users can steer the narrative, resulting in various possible finales.
• Interactive Storytelling: The tale springs to life with expert voiceovers, atmospheric music, and sound effects.
• Educational & Fun: As children delve into the story, they simultaneously enhance their literacy and critical thinking skills.
• Accessibility: Features are included to cater to the visually impaired and blind, broadening its reach.
• Parental Controls: An integrated parental lock feature guarantees a secure environment for children to explore the app.
• This app stands out by being free to download, with optional in-app purchases such as accessing the Big Bad Wolf’s viewpoint. It requires iOS 9.4 or later¹ and offers a contemporary take on the beloved fable, positioning children as the central characters and delivering an innovative and interactive reading journey.

Red Riding Hood on the App Store

transcription:

Disclaimer: This transcript is generated by AIKO, an automated transcription service. It is not edited or formatted, and it may not accurately capture the speakers’ names, voices, or content.

Good day AppleVis, and today on this podcast, I'll be demonstrating a game.

Now, I'm sure we've read Little Red Riding Hood, the book, right?

You know, where the big bad wolf eats grandma and, you know, all that.

Now, this game comes.

It's an audio game, so it comes with a twist.

So basically, you can pick your own path.

Basically, like, you know, let's say, you know, what happened?

What would happen if the wolf didn't eat grandma, for example, or whatnot?

So you've got that choice.

It's that's what's called twisted tails.

So.

Yeah, without further ado, it's developed by the way, it's developed by a company called Sona in New Zealand and in collaboration with the Blind Foundation of Australia, Blind Foundation, Blind Foundation of New Zealand.

So without further ado, we will get straight into the demo.

Now, I will say this.

You have to use in order to use the app, you have to use direct touch.

Also, some parts, like when you're scrolling through the screen, voiceover does seem to cut off like it, you know, does seem to cut words.

So if you do notice that, you know, yes, it's it's probably a app bug.

But, yeah, without further ado, we will get straight into the demo.

Speech setting, wallet, prime video, red writing hood.

So I've got red writing hood here.

So I will double tap on double tap to open the app.

Red writing hood, direct touch area foundation, use the rotor to enable direct touch for this app.

So now interactive, twisted tails, red writing hood.

So that's kind of the opening thing.

Button double tap to select.

So we will go through the screen just to kind of give you a bit of an idea.

So this is the what all the what elements are…

In this AppleVis Extra, Dave Nason and Thomas Domville engage in a discussion with Bryan Bashin and Hans Jørgen Wiberg from Be My Eyes about the acquisition of AppleVis. They tackle the tough questions, explore how Be My Eyes came to acquire AppleVis, and share insights into the experiences of the AppleVis Editorial Team before and after the acquisition.

Transcript

Disclaimer: This transcript is generated by AIKO, an automated transcription service. It is not edited or formatted, and it may not accurately capture the speakers’ names, voices, or content.

Hello there and welcome to the AppleVis Extra podcast, the first AppleBiz Extra podcast of the new era.

We wondered if we would have another one and we do.

We are so excited.

My name is Dave Nason and I'm joined as so often by Thomas Domville , also known as Anonymous Thomas.

How are you my friends?

Oh boy, that's a loaded question to come in.

How am I doing?

Well, you know, I'm ecstatic, I'm excited.

Gosh, what a whirlwind of emotion and whiplash that we have all gone through, right?

It's been a roller coaster, I think it's fair to say over the last, it hasn't only been a month because it feels like about three years.

Right.

It does feel like it's been going on for years, that's how much impact this has had on us, hasn't it?

It really has.

So I suppose for those who kind of maybe aren't sure, what happens?

And you know, we don't need to go into the absolute weeds, but kind of what happened on a high level in terms of, you know, getting to a point where Appleviz appears to be shutting down.

You know, yeah, let's start from the beginning.

So everybody will be on the same level as we are because we have had a lot of questions, a lot of critiques and I understand because I completely understand, we were in the same boat with you guys.

So what happened, guys?

Let's back up all the way to July.

This is when it all came down, was July 3rd.

I remember that specifically, it's right the day before America's Independence Day.

And we woke up with a bombshell of a news from David and, you know, David mentioned in there, he has talked about the first or thought about it for several months and a lot of people have asked us, we had several months, how come you haven't done anything during that time and to be quite fair to the editorial team is that no, we had zero idea, we had no idea.

It was just like we woke up and this bombshell was set.

And I think I can say it was so dramatic.

I will say that first two days just was a blur because I was still trying to digest and process like what in God's name is that mean for all of us in the community and everything.

But of course, the most important thing out of this whole thing was that David has reached a limit that he spent so much of his personal life into.

And so it was so understandable.

I completely understand where he was coming from.

I completely understand why he made that decision and why we're trying to process all this.

We were trying to figure out as a team what to do.

We had a meeting that weekend that we talked about the team and the steps that we wanted to take.

And during that meeting, David Goodwin was with us and he was very ill at that time.

We had no idea…

In this episode, Thomas Domville gives us an overview of new accessibility features for blind, DeafBlind, and visually impaired users in iOS 18. Topics covered include:

• Live Recognition Comes to the Rotor
• Voices Rotor
• Improvements to Audio Ducking
• VoiceOver Tutorial
• VoiceOver Startup Haptic Feedback
• Delay Before Selection
• New languages for Lithuanian and Kazak
• Using Personal Voice with VoiceOver
• Equalizer and Other New Customization Options for VoiceOver Voices
• Voice Presets for Siri Voices
• A New VoiceOver Gesture for Accessing Siri Text Input
• Braille Screen Input Improvements
• Motion Queues
• New Sound Actions
• Assistive Touch Improvements
• Eye Tracking
• New Background Sounds and Controls
• Music Haptics
• Live Speech Improvements
• Voice Control Improvements
• Vocal Shortcuts
• Hover Typing
• Car Play Improvements: Voice Control, Color Filters, and Sound Recognition
• Magnifier Improvements: Assign Action Button to Magnifier Mode and New Reader Mode
• Improvements to Accessing Reader Mode in Safari

Transcript

Disclaimer: This transcript is generated by AIKO, an automated transcription service. It is not edited or formatted, and it may not accurately capture the speakers’ names, voices, or content.

An Apple Vis Original What's new in iOS 18 for accessibility?

Hello and welcome.

My name is Thomas Donville, also known as Anonymous, as like every year, a new iOS comes in play and Apple brings out new features for us to enjoy.

So with no exception, this year we got a slew of new features for voiceover users, braille users, and other accessibility features that you might find of interest.

There's a lot in here to pack, so let's go ahead and jump right into it and you can hear for yourself what is new in iOS 18 for accessibility.

Live recognition is now an option within your rotor if you include it.

To include it, you just go to your accessibility and head over to rotors and include the live recognition.

This allows you to access live recognition quickly and easily by simply going to your rotor.

Once enabled, we'll just head over to live recognition within our rotor, where you are able to select one or more of the various detections you would like to be enabled.

As you swipe down or up within the rotor, you get the various detection.

To enable a particular detection, just simply do one finger double tap, double tap again and that'll disable it.

If you dismiss the rotor and keep the detection on, it will now live in with your dynamic island towards the top of your device or you can dismiss it from there as well.

Apple has now enhanced the voice over voice option within rotors, which used to be called language.

This rotor allows you to access the various voices that you have defined within speech under accessibility, but that itself has completely been revamped, which you can find within the voice over in the accessibility.

Double tap on this now.

You now have two section in here, first is your primary voice, which can be in any language, doesn't have to be necessarily English and they can…

In this episode, Tyler demonstrates some of VoiceOver's command customization capabilities on macOS.

If you find a particular VoiceOver command difficult to perform, or discover a function in the Commands menu that doesn’t have a default command, you can assign your own custom command to it. In addition, you can configure commands to open apps and run scripts, so you don’t have to locate them manually.

Commands can be configured by going to VoiceOver Utility > Commands, selecting the “Command set: user” radio button, and clicking “Custom commands edit.” For ease of navigation, you can choose the type of commands you want to view or change, such as numpad, trackpad, keyboard, etc from the "Filter commands" popup menu, or use the search field to locate a particular command.

In this dialog, commands can be presented in either column view, which organizes commands into categories like general, information, and navigation, or table view, which displays a list of all VoiceOver commands, including user-configured ones, which you can navigate with the up and down arrow keys. To add a command, in column view, locate the command, interact with the table of assignments, and specify your new one using the "Add input" popup menu. To add a command when in table view, click the Add button, interact with the table, and specify the input assignment from the popup menu labeled "None: edited." Then, press VO-Right-Arrow passed an empty cell to another popup menu, and choose the command you want your new input assignment to perform.

transcript:

Disclaimer: This transcript is generated by AIKO, an automated transcription service. It is not edited or formatted, and it may not accurately capture the speakers’ names, voices, or content.: Hey, Apple Vissers.

Tyler here.

With a demonstration and walkthrough of VoiceOver command customization on macOS.

Prior to macOS Sequoia, VoiceOver included several user configurable sets of commands, known as commanders, for the numpad, trackpad, keyboard, and quick nav.

With macOS Sequoia, these commanders have been consolidated into VoiceOver's broader command set, meaning in addition to the existing modifiers that you could use, like the option key for keyboard commander, you can also create your own command assignments using the VoiceOver modifier, which may be useful if you find a particular VoiceOver command difficult to perform, if you find a command in the commands menu, for example, that lacks a default assignment, or if you want to create a custom command to open an application.

So to demonstrate this, I'm going to open VoiceOver utility on my mac with VoF8.

Opening VoiceOver utility.

VoiceOver utility.

VoiceOver utility.

Window.

Utility categories.

C for commanders.

Commands.

Commands.

VRA.

VoiceOver modifier.

Control option or caps lock.

VoiceOver modifier.

VoiceOver modifier.

This is the setting that was located in the general category in prior versions of macOS, but options are the same.

Control option, caps lock, or control option, or caps lock, which is the default.

VRA.

Also control VoiceOver with.

Also control VoiceOver with.

Numpad.

Uncheck.

Checkbox.

Numpad, which was formerly known as Numpad Commander.

If you want to use, if you have a…

In this podcast, Thomas Domville reviews and demonstrates the Voices feature, which allows you to customize multiple VoiceOver voices to suit your needs. You can quickly access these voices using the Rotor Actions or the VoiceOver Quick Settings.

How to Add VoiceOver Voices to the Voices Feature on iOS

1. Open Settings: Start by opening the Settings app with a double tap on your iOS device.
2. Go to Accessibility: Scroll down and double tap on "Accessibility."
3. Select VoiceOver: Under the Vision section, double tap on "VoiceOver."
4. Tap on Speech: In the VoiceOver settings, double tap on "Speech."
5. Add a New Voice: double Tap on "Add Rotor Voice..." to see a list of available voices.
6. Choose a Voice: Browse through the list and select the voice you want to add. You can swipe up on a voice to hear a sample.
7. Download the Voice: After selecting a voice, double tap "Download" to add it to your device.
8. Set Up Rotor Actions: Go back to the VoiceOver settings and double tap on "Rotor." Ensure that "Voices" is selected so you can quickly switch between voices using the Rotor.
9. Quick Settings Access: You can also access the new voices through the VoiceOver Quick Settings by two finger quadruple tap and selecting "Voice."

Now, you can easily switch between your customized VoiceOver voices to enhance your accessibility experience on iOS 18.

Transcript

Disclaimer: This transcript is generated by AIKO, an automated transcription service. It is not edited or formatted, and it may not accurately capture the speakers’ names, voices, or content.

Hello and welcome.

My name is Thomas Domville, also known as Anonymouse.

I'm going to be talking about a feature called Voices.

So as you know, we have our primary voice over voice that we use each and every day on our device.

Wouldn't it be great that you are able to access various voices more than just one voice over on the fly?

Yep, you can do that.

It lives right in your rotor, if that's where you would like it to be.

In my case, I have it in my rotor itself.

You can also put that in the voice over quick settings if you wish to.

And I'll be showing you how to add that to your rotor and quick setting if that's something you want to do.

But in my case, whenever I do a podcast, you probably always hear that I use Siri number 4 voice, in short is Noel.

And this is what I use when I do podcasting, but every so often I like to change things up and here's some other voice and that would be Tom and Hans.

So those are my top two voices.

And so in order to access it so quickly and easily, I place the voices in within my rotor.

So let me give you an example of what it sounds like and what it looks like.

So I'm going to access my rotor and I'm going to go to Voices.

Voices, Siri voice 4, default, selected.

So if I swipe up, Tom, primary voice.

I have the Tom primary voice.

Or if I could just swipe up again, Siri voice 4, default.

I'm back to Siri voice number 4.

So this is when I'm talking about how you are able to access voices so easily from your rotor or your quick settings, if that's what you choose to do.

So let me show you how I got that set up.

But before we can do anything, we need to add voices so you can…

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