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Apple announces new accessibility features, including eye tracking

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Re: Apple announces new accessibility features, including eye tracking

#121

Post by dialup_sounds »

amlib wrote: post #89
favorited wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least on iOS, I can't imagine that happening - apps are not allowed to demand you grant permissions unrelated to the actual functionality. From App Review Guidelines (5.1.1) Data Collection and Storage, (ii) Access: > Apps must respect the user’s permission settings and not attempt to manipulate, trick, or force people to consent to unnecessary data access. For example, apps that include the ability to post photos…

It's not that hard to come with ways to circumvent system restrictions, after all, advertisers are a fierce adversary and have shown many clever ways of invading users privacy in web browsers and mobile apps. In the case of eye tracking I could see a situation where the system perhaps feeds the "malicious" app in question with a hint of which widget is being currently gazed by the user. You could then just build a gi…

The system doesn't supply data like widget highlight states to apps for exactly that reason.

Re: Apple announces new accessibility features, including eye tracking

#122

Post by yreg »

nofunsir wrote: post #50
devmor wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eye tracking is absolutely an accessibility feature. Just because you don't need it, and it can be abused, does not mean it isn't an absolutely game changing feature for some people.

He didn't say it wasn't an accessibility feature, just that it was disguised as one. Just because it's not a game changing feature for some people, doesn't mean its primary function isn't advertising.

The user did say verbatim “Eye tracking is not an accessibility feature”

Re: Apple announces new accessibility features, including eye tracking

#125

Post by PaulStatezny »

gerry_shaw wrote: post #57
jonpurdy wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I often use them to get around bad UI/UX (like using Reduce Motion), or to make devices more useful (Color Filters (red) for using at night). Even outside of this, even able-bodied folks can be disabled due to illness, surgery, injury, etc. So it's great to see Apple continuing to support accessibility.

The red color filter for outside when trying to preserve night vision is a great tip. Some apps have this built-in but much better to have the OS change it everywhere. Recommend creating a Shortcut to toggle this setting.

Not just for outside, but also at public gatherings like concerts! I went to a concert last month and used a red color filter to record a couple short videos without being a big distraction to the audience behind me.

Dim backlight + Red color filter can make the screen almost invisible to those around you.

Re: Apple announces new accessibility features, including eye tracking

#127

Post by asadotzler »

myth_drannon wrote: post #24

Eye Gaze devices(tablet with camera + software) cost around $20K, even if it offers 1/4 of the features this is good news for those who can't afford it.

Don't be ridiculous. Solid hardware and software combos for windows cost a small fraction of that. The convenient and decent Tobii PCEye costs like $1,250 and a very nice TMS5 mini is under $2,000. Your bullshit was off by at least an order of magnitude.

Re: Apple announces new accessibility features, including eye tracking

#128

Post by burntwater »

Ocha wrote: post #54

Music haptics can be a cool way to teach someone how to dance and “feel the beat”

I'm severely hearing impaired and enjoy going to dance classes - swing, salsa, etc. If I'm standing still, I can easily tune into the beat. But once I start moving, I quickly lose it on many songs; dance studios aren't known for having large sound systems with substantial bass. I don't know that this specific setup would fix anything -- it would need some way of syncing to the instructor's iPhone that is connected via bluetooth to the studio's little portable speaker. But it's a step in the right direction.

While on the topic, I can hear music but almost never understand lyrics; at best I might catch the key chorus phrase (example: the words "born in the USA" are literally the only words I understand in that song).

A few months ago I discovered the "karaoke" feature on Apple Music, in which it displays the lyrics in time with the music. This have been game changing for me. I'm catching up on decades worth of music where I never had any idea what the lyrics are (filthy, that's what they are. So many songs about sex!). It has made exercising on the treadmill, elliptical, etc actually enjoyable.

Re: Apple announces new accessibility features, including eye tracking

#129

Post by PaulStatezny »

philistine wrote: post #105
ljm wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't love that solid UX gets pushed under the accessibility rug, as an option you might never find. I don't care how cynical it sounds, user experience became user exploitation a long time ago. Big Tech have been running that gimmick at too-big-to-fail scale for the last decade or so.

Accessibility benefits everyone, but in the basics you’re right. Too many simple straightforward options are now strictly inside accessibility. At least on the Apple side. And don’t get me started on hidden command line settings.

You're getting a lot of agreement from other HN users, but I'm not sure it's fair to criticize Apple for putting these kinds of features under Accessibility.

There's nothing that inherently "locks out" people who don't have a recognized disability from exploring these features. Furthermore, most of Apple's "accessibility" features are related to Vision/Hearing/etc (and categorized as such), so I think it's reasonable to consider them accessibility features.

Clearly based on other comments here, plenty of people discover these features and find them useful.

Re: Apple announces new accessibility features, including eye tracking

#130

Post by chefandy »

resource_waste wrote: post #60
simonw wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple are very good about not making this kind of thing available to apps that don't have an explicit reason to need it.

[flagged]

Baseless pessimism is exactly as useful as baseless optimism.
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