what would you like to see in iOS 19?

I have to agree.
While it’s perfectly legitimate to complain about bugs and missing features, we are paying customers after all, I think it’s patently ridiculous to say that Apple doesn’t care about accessibility. I have criticisms like anyone else, but there are definitely good people at Apple fighting the good fight, and I can’t think of too many mainstream companies who do as well as Apple.
I do wish that they would make some significant changes on Mac, and who knows, maybe in the background they are working on something we don’t know about.

As for iOS 19, they announced some interesting stuff, but I was very disappointed that the announcement did not include AI image descriptions with a simple shortcut as in TalkBack on Android and Jaws on Windows. That’s a glaring omission for me. Even if the request was sent to Be My AI or another app of your choosing, that would be fine.
So yes, keep complaining, keep demanding better, but keep some perspective too.
I’ll climb down off my soap box too now 😂
Dave

Would love to be able to see the battery level of watch and iPhone on my iPad and same in iPhone. Do not know why this is not possible. If I am using my iPad and want to check watch battery can not do so unless I use a third party app but it does not work.

For what it's worth, if you go to the shortcuts app on iOS, tap on the gallery tab at the bottom, navigate by heading until you find the used clipboard, and tap on the button there, you could find a bunch of clipboard management shortcuts already built into iOS. You just have to enable the shortcuts in order to use them. There's quite a few that I think are pretty handy.

HTH. :-)

Hi.
Agree with the comments about being productive and not being so negative.
Yes with Apple voiceover is baked into the OS which is so great.
I do wish that Apple role out rest of their Apple Intelegence features.
It seems to be quite behind with the AI side of things.
Would be great to see Apple intelegence being baked into voiceover features like screen recognition and all.
That feature does have a lot of room for improovment and is a very useful feature with inaccessible apps.
In saying that it doesn't mean that developers should not be making their apps accessible.

Longer it might come on 27.

I'll add some things too.
I think it was on last Friday's double tap podcast, titled something like will blind be left behind in the ai race or something...
I found in Steven a brother in thought for the one simple but very important thing he said. If Apple lose the AI race and is no longer a dynamic big tech company in the top 10 top or whatever, accessibility world wide will take a major hit. And he is absolutely true on this one. Yes, I have my legitimate complaints about VO on mac. But even there it's perfectly usable when you know how to work around some stuff. Yes, they put VO into Vision Pro while they didn't have any insentive to do so, remember that they wanted to target a million sailsale for the first year and we are hardly in the 100s of ks. And yet they still decided upfront to put accessibility first, not last. This alone does tell a lot. Yes, there are problems and please there are problems just everywhere. FYI, I think we can all agree that the overall accessibility landscape went a little bit backward post covid era in terms of experience and convenience, than it was before. And AI is just helping to balance this out now. Just look at the unstability of things everywhere. Less apparent on Windows side arguably because there are just more userbase and Microsoft only work on the APIs and let 3rd party be responsible for the screen reader experience, imo this approach works very well on windows but may not be the standard to look for either... but this is beyond my point.
Saying that Apple doesn't care, they do much much more than most mainstream companies, and they are just another mainstream company. They stopped it now but reports say everywhere that at one point they even selling braille displays in apple stores! What else do you need.
I had a blind friend of mine who worked for them for awhile. He told me that he needed to lable something there, and tldr they bought these expensive around $2000 braille lablers thing across a couple of stores in Canada, if not much more. Just... Come on. Yes they are capitalist and what not, but again, who isn't in the tech sphere nowadays? Or rather, when weren't they? Microsoft in the 90s alone did horrible things. This is just fact. Like it or not.
To stay on topic, I am quite happy for this UI change just because it will shake some old code and this is always a good thing for us screen reader users. Tim Cook said for macos 15 that a lot was done in the backend and I have never loved my mac more than I do now, as this is apparent. Some new bugs introduced, and yes chatgpt is more of a serious one, but again as long as I can do a workaround for my current need...

We tend to praise and idealize open source, and yes nvda is the best screen reader in the world IMO :) but if open source linux and alternatives were so good we would all be using them and it's the opposite in the worst way possible. Let's be honest, open source softwares are already very bad (and known to be bad) for simple UI design. They don't have the skills, knowledge, or frankly, time, to focus on blind accessibility, especially if it's for free. Only big tech and specialized companies in the field do.

Curious is those sighted people who do report do so? No, just report the issue and how to duplicated. After all we are paying over $1000 for a phone. Also Apple added accessibility do to having contract with government and they need it to do to compliance with law 507 or something. Do not recall which but Apple did not do it for the kindness of their heart but for making sure they continue to get money. It is not negativity. Do like my iPhone and had one since VO came out. Will continue because the alternative is not even good.

As much as I hate to ignore the "excluding bug fixes" part of the post, it's something that has stemmed several years back. We've reached the point where features have taken precidence over bugs or instability. So while I would say the features coming are convenient, I have not reached the threshold of, "besides bug fixes." Because if we look at the honest truth, there's too much. As a user who has been on the "testing, feedback, testing, feedback" train ever since iOS 9, I've felt like said train is starting to apply the brakes. While I understand that productivity is of high priority, we can't disregard, or set aside, the bugs and glitches that get in the way, or sometimes even hinder our experience. Am I happy with what's coming? Sure! There are a bunch of cool things. But does it fix anything, or will it introduce a brand new set of things that need to be ironed out, despite the amount of feedback and testing submitted during the beta period?
I'm just trying to reveal the reality from both angles here, because suppressing one doesn't necessarily make it a spectre.

Would like someone on AppleVis to do a survay on how many of us used the features that Apple has released every May. I think it would be interested specially for Apple. I can say that I had not done so at this time. Also how many of them work well without bugs.

Oh sure, let’s all pretend Apple isn’t doing more than 99% of mainstream companies when it comes to accessibility. Because clearly, making their products usable for blind users just happens by accident, right? And heaven forbid we thank the actual humans working in the accessibility department. what a scandal
that would be.

Meanwhile, sighted users don’t even have to think about screen readers, let alone deal with the constant workarounds and frustrations blind users face
daily. Whether people like it or not, we are a minority , and Apple has people actively working to address that. Yes, those same developers who have to
go above and beyond compared to your average team building shiny animations.

Am I saying we should stop giving feedback? Absolutely not. But there's a difference between offering constructive criticism and forgetting basic courtesy
and human decency. A little kindness wouldn't kill us , though judging by some reactions, you'd think it might.

Wanna know what I would like to see for iOS 19? How about threads here on AppleVis, where we all just, stop, sniping at one another. If someone points out their joy and fulfillment for iOS, or the Apple ecosystem in general, than good, great, no need to belittle them.
On the flipside, if someone expresses their distaste, disappointment, and/or distrust in Apple products, or the company as a whole, Again that is fine, there is no need to belittle, besmirch, harass, and/or humiliate them.

Yet, day in and day out that is all I see on these forums. Why don't we all take a step back, and just take a breath.
Appreciate what we don't have, agree on what we do have, and move on with our individual lives.

Thank you, that is all. 🙂

Well they are forums after all, which is just another word for place to complain. If you read other mainstream forums, like Mac Rumors, or Apple Insider, or Redit, or X, you will see exactly the same thing. I, too, hope we can be better.

I'm not getting my number one wish for a new feature in iOS 19, but the new Braille access notetaker esque stuff sounds great. Whether or not it's something I use all the time remains to be seen.

I would like Apple to fix the higher sample rate in Eloquence, since it's the only synth I will ever need. I keep coming back to it. Then again, FS doesn't use the higher sample rate in JAWS, so. I just wish it wasn't so much quieter than the other voices.

Apple is now rumored to be adding a dedicated gaming hub app, which to me sounds like the old Game Center app but better. I would hope this app, along with the indy game dev Apple just bought, means they will finally be improving game accessibility.

The thing is that when something is free, you can not do so. However when we pay over $1000, we will do so. Specially when the iOS develops bugs and they are not fix even when people follow all the rules regarding reports. Now we suppose to be very nice and ask with sugar on top. I paid for it, No one gave me the phone. Take care and be safe.

Yes Apple is big tech and motivated by money and we are a small team. However, we are a small and mighty team and if that means keep reporting feedback including various bugs and the like then that's what we do. Yes it would be nice if Apple would make a big deal regarding accessibility improvements and features with upcoming operating systems at WWDC like they do regarding visual features such as camera features. Due to the majority of apple consumers being sighted we will still see a blurb regarding accessibility even if it is just a one second blurb. I do have to agree with previous comments regarding Apple being behind the times with AI implimentation.

We are and always will be a minority, so subject to the stuff that comes with it. Simple. Instead of complaining here where apple will never read it anyway, why not you send them a polite email describing your feelings with concrete examples? Because
1: you expect another company / entity to do this for you, in which case stick with microsoft as their philosophy on windows is mostly that currently, and whether we like it or not apple will not be changing this anytime soon.
2: I can understand this is exhausting. It's our right to be tired and just stop. Nobody hear should force sb to do this if the person doesn't have the time, skills or motivation. But we can't do both, complain where it's unlikely for our concerns to ever be listened and not report properly when possible/suitable and expect a perfect accessibility. If you don't like the mac, then don't use it. I know for a fact that accessibility is still completely achievable on linux, and chromeos is still a great option, more versatile than an ipad will ever be at least :)
3: pay a specialized hardware which will be crimially out of date in the device and in the software before even launch, hardly last, and, well, very very expensive. But you will at least have a somehow smooth experience in that closed tiny ecosystem, assuming it's worth something in terms of mainstream job/school productivity.

My feature request for iOS 19 (or iOS 2026):

•the ability to import photos and screenshots into Visual Intelligence.
•A better Siri. Please. Do literally anything with it, partner with Google, build your own, just fix it. Fix it yesterday.
•the ability to import custom audio files into the music app, just like you can on macOS. There is absolutely no reason this shouldn’t be possible.
•an equivalent to androids circle to search. This kind of sort of exists with “select to look up”, it just hasn’t been updated since, iOS 5 maybe? And only uses those same two sources, Wikipedia and the dictionary. Literally just update that interface with the ChatGPT and Gemini integration and we’re good to go.
•Phone, Watch, Journal, Sports, Invites, Wallet apps available on iPadOS. Why these are currently iPhone only is a mystery.
•Improved search throughout the entire operating system, but especially in the settings app.
•The ability for handoff to just do more, especially with media. I should be able to immediately move from watching a movie or listening to an album on my iPhone and immediately pick Right up where I left off on my Mac or iPad.
•Multiple user accounts on iPadOS.
•An App Library that can actually be made usable. Currently it’s basically broken for me and literally the only useful function is the alphabetical list of all of your apps.
•A time estimation for how long it will take your phone to charge.
•The ability to take control of the volume, independently control the volume for different items, play multiple audio streams at the same time and set custom alert tone volumes.
•An “AirPods” app. These things have so many functions hidden away in so many settings menus that they should just have their own app to make things less confusing.
•The ability to still hear VoiceOver in headphones when using both Siri and Dictation.
•An (easier to use with VoiceOver) Camera and FaceTime call UI. Currently as both of these are designed, I’m always hunting for teeny tiny buttons for functions. Especially the “flip camera” button in FaceTime, that thing always seems to slightly move every time I use it.

I’m sure I’ll think of more.

Multi user accounts on ipad os is just completely a MUST HAVE. But Apple is literally just being Apple, they clearly know that iPad is the most familial device ever. This proves how pointless was the separation of ios and ipad os imo, but I have never used it so can't really say that. I have even a feedback opened for this specifically.

Want to be able to see in my iPad how much battery is in my watch or iPhone. Do not want a third party app. Tried one, did not work. Waist of money.

I agree 100% with this. If they implemented this feature I would be very tempted to buy an iPad.

@Holger Fiallo do you not have the batteries widget on your iPad? I don't have an iPad, but I have the batteries widget on my iPhone home screen and it shows me the status of all my devices -- iPhone, Apple Watch, Air Pods Pro and Max, and Magic Keyboard -- provided they are connected to my phone via bluetooth. No additional app needed.

The only device I have that doesn't show up there is my Focus Braille display, probably because it's old, but I can easily find out the status of the battery on the display itself, so not a big deal.

Uh why on earth would you expect to have a braille display battery on that widget? ... Anyways :)

OK. Steps by steps please. Never heard of that so help me set it up. Thanks.

@Holger Fiallo you can find widgets in the today view (three finger flick left from the home screen,) but you can also put them on your home screen or lock screen. I have the batteries widget on my iPhone's home screen.

• Go to your home screen.
• Flick up or down until VoiceOver says "edit", then double tap.
• Double tap "edit" in the top left corner.
• Double tap "add widget" in the menu that pops up.
• Find the batteries widget and double tap it. It will show you a description of what it does. Double tap "add widget".

There are a lot of other widgets you can add. My home screen is just the batteries widget on the bottom, and the siri suggestions on the top, where it suggests apps based on what I use throughout the day. No static apps on my home screen. If I want to open an app that it doesn't show me, I just use BSI.

Thanks. I check. I have it for my iPad, airpod pro 2 and folio keyboard. It does not show my watch or iPhone. Was hoping that it could show that. That is what I was talking about. Did follow instruction and nothing else showed up regarding battery. Thanks anyway.

I personally would like to see them remove the 100,000 song limit in Apple Music and make a bigger limit or at least have no limit like Spotify

I would like Apple to only announce new features when they are ready for use and NOT tell everyone to buy the latest hardware in order to be able to use software that isn't available or indeed working yet! If it doesn't work, I don't want to know about it, as it is totally useless! Screen recognition! Can we please not have it jump all over the place! If we move it to a particular position on screen, it's because we want it to stay there! Example PolarBeat and Mantis X. Wish both of those would label all the buttons in their apps.

I would like Apple to only announce new features when they are ready for use and NOT tell everyone to buy the latest hardware in order to be able to use software that isn't available or indeed working yet! If it doesn't work, I don't want to know about it, as it is totally useless! Screen recognition! Can we please not have it jump all over the place! If we move it to a particular position on screen, it's because we want it to stay there! Example PolarBeat and Mantis X. Wish both of those would label all the buttons in their apps.

I would like AppleMusic to stop censoring the music they allow! Often I find a music track has been removed from the music library, because Apple has decided it it unsuitable! I'll decide if it is unsuitable thank you!

I know you can add web pages as shortcuts in iOS, but I do like the way it works on the Mac where you can have isolated little apps for a single web site. I'd quite like to see this in iOS if it can't be done already.

We are bad children that apple need to keep safe from bad words. They know what is best for us.

Oh I did not know about this. I had heard that they were making a tool to help users migrate to Apple Music from other platforms. One of the problems with being a Spotify user for maybe 15 years is that I have so many playlists and other things set up that I wouldn't even consider moving. I had been tempted to give this a try, but if they are censoring things then that puts an end to that.

For me, I was also hoping for more bug fixes — but if that’s off the table, there’s one thing I’ve really been waiting for: multitasking.
Like, being able to use two apps at the same time would be a game-changer. Imagine chatting on Discord while scrolling Twitter, or watching a Twitch stream while playing Playroom in the browser.
Even reading a book with Spotify open on the side just to switch up the background music — wouldn’t that be cool?

OK, I know this is literally like a dream kind of ask, so please don’t come for me—but one thing I would love to see are more extensions on the iPhone. I know Apple is very closed off with their ecosystem, and while some features are great, it can feel pretty locked down. I don’t see Apple making many improvements in terms of adding these features later on, so what’s the harm in letting us have some of these additional tools? I would love extensions—for example, the ones from Google Chrome, which seem to have so many great options. I’d love to be able to put those on my iPhone without jailbreaking or anything of the sort. I’ve never jailbroken my phone, and I don’t plan to, but having that kind of flexibility would be amazing.

Also, there are a lot of third-party apps on the Android store that we can’t get over here, which I get—it’s two different competing platforms—but if those apps are safe, I don’t see why they shouldn’t be allowed on the App Store. It would make life easier and give us more options for certain functions that are limited on the iPhone. That said, I totally understand why this isn’t possible and why Apple probably won’t ever let this happen.
I don’t want to complain, but sometimes it gets frustrating dealing with Apple’s know-it-all attitude. It’s especially tough for someone like me who is blind because I don’t have nearly as many options as someone who can see. I can’t just walk into a store, buy a phone, and start using it right out of the box. I genuinely love your products and services, and I appreciate having that choice, but when you lock me into your ecosystem, knowing I don’t have many alternatives, it doesn’t sit right with me. I get that it’s business at the core, but still, there’s something about this model that really makes me stop and think. Sure, I could do my research and maybe find another phone provider or try to break out of the Apple ecosystem, but some apps probably wouldn’t work as well. I’m not even talking about FaceTime or iMessage specifically—I get those are Apple’s strengths—but overall, a hallmark of a good company is giving customers what they want and the freedom to leave if they want to.

It’s like those email services that bombard you with messages but hide the unsubscribe button so well that you have to send a message or jump through hoops to get off the list. Type in my email? Wait, which one did I sign up this service with again? A good company doesn’t make its customers jump through hoops to stop using their service. If you want to win, you let people leave easily, and if your product is truly better, they’ll come back because they believe in what you stand for and what you offer. At the very least, give people the freedom to try your product without trapping them—because forcing someone to stay isn’t loyalty, it’s captivity.