As with every product we make, we want as many people as possible to enjoy using Apple Watch. That’s why it’s designed with assistive technologies and features that make it easy for people with disabilities to use. Accessing them is also simple — either through Settings on the device itself or through the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
There are all kinds of vision impairments, with different levels of severity. So Apple Watch offers an array of features — such as VoiceOver and an extra large watch face — to help you get the most out of your device.
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is a gesture-based screen reader that uses the speaker on Apple Watch. It tells you everything that’s happening on the screen and helps you navigate it — even if you can’t see it. VoiceOver on Apple Watch is compatible with built-in apps and is available in all 14 supported languages.
Font Adjustment
Activate Larger Dynamic Type to increase the text size for a range of Apple Watch apps — including Mail, Messages and Settings — to make text easier to read. You can also choose Bold Text to make the text heavier across built-in apps.
Zoom
With Apple Watch, it’s easy to zoom in on your content by using the Digital Crown to move across the screen by rows. With magnification up to 15 times the native size, Zoom helps you enjoy all that Apple Watch has to offer.
Greyscale
If your vision is impaired by colour, Apple Watch lets you enable greyscale onscreen. Once you set the filter, the settings apply system-wide, so you’ll see only shades of grey on the Home screen, apps and more.
Extra Large Watch Face
Apple Watch has many different faces that you can change and customise. One of them is an extra large watch face — with numbers that take up the entire screen — that makes it easier to view the time.
Reduce Transparency
For features like alerts, Siri and Glances, you can increase the contrast on your Apple Watch screen by reducing the background transparency.
On/Off Labels
To make it easier to see whether a setting is on or off, you can have Apple Watch show an additional label on the on/off switch.
Reduce Motion
When you turn on Reduce Motion, some screen elements — such as the movement of icons on the Home screen — will be simpler and more directly associated with your navigation gestures.
Assistive technologies for people with hearing loss come standard on Apple Watch, so you can easily engage with and enjoy your favourite content — no additional software needed.
Mono Audio
When you’re using Bluetooth headphones, you may miss some audio if you’re deaf or hard of hearing in one ear. That’s because stereo recordings usually have distinct left- and right-channel audio tracks. Apple Watch supports Mono Audio, allowing you to play both audio channels in both ears, and letting you adjust the balance for greater volume in either ear. So you can tune in or out as you like.
Taptic Engine
With Apple Watch, we found a way to give technology a more human touch. It’s called the Taptic Engine — a linear actuator inside Apple Watch that produces haptic feedback. You’ll feel a gentle tap on your wrist every time a notification comes in. And you can turn on Prominent Haptic to pre-announce some common alerts. So you’ll never miss messages, mail and other important events.
