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Welcome to the October 2021 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which highlights what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of content posted to AppleVis by members of the community - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.

New and Noteworthy App Entries

Audio Duel…

Apple has today released iOS 14.8.1, iPadOS 14.8.1, and macOS Big Sur 11.6.1, bringing several security fixes for devices not running iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or macOS Monterey.

As these updates appear to have been released to address a small number of specific issues, our expectation is that they do not contain any accessibility changes for blind and low vision users; however, if you notice any changes, improvements or regressions in your own use of these releases, please post a comment…

Apple has today released watchOS 8.1 and tvOS 15.1.

According to Apple's release notes, watchOS 8.1 includes the following improvements and bug fixes:

• Enhanced algorithms to detect falls during workouts and option to enable fall detection during workouts only (Apple Watch Series 4 and later)
• COVID-19 vaccination card support allows you to present verifiable vaccination information from Apple Wallet
• Fitness+ supports SharePlay to allow…

Apple has today released iOS 15.1 and iPadOS 15.1 to the public. Our testing suggests that these releases resolve a number of the issues introduced for blind and low vision users with the initial releases of iOS and iPadOS 15.

Our experience is that the following accessibility bugs have been resolved or significantly addressed in iOS 15.1 and iPadOS…

Apple has today released macOS 12 Monterey to the public. As usual, we won’t cover the mainstream features here, concentrating instead on what's new and changed for blind and low vision users. For an overview of the mainstream changes, we recommend that you read this in-depth review by MacStories.

Please remember to check the section about bugs to see if now is the right time to upgrade. There’s no…

Unleashed

Today was Apple's second big event in as many months, this time entitled "Unleashed." Instead of iPhones and Apple Watches, as were the focus in September, this was all about the Macs. Well, Macs and AirPods. If you are one who wants the power of a true pro-level MacBook, and the M1-powered models already available just didnt' do it for you, you're going to love this. If you're a fan of AirPods, but have wished for a refreshed version, you will also find something of…

Apple has today released watchOS 8.0.1. According to Apple, this update fixes two major bugs that had been affecting Apple Watch Series 3 users.

Here is what Apple says is fixed in today’s release of watchOS 8.0.1:

This update includes improvements and bug fixes for your Apple Watch.

• Software update progress may not be displayed accurately for some Apple Watch Series 3 users
• Accessibility settings may not have been available for some…

Apple has today released iOS 15.0.2 and iPadOS 15.0.2, bringing fixes for Find My, Photos, CarPlay, and device restore.

Here is what Apple says is fixed in today’s release of iOS 15.0.1:

• Photos saved to your library from Messages could be deleted after removing the associated thread or message
• iPhone Leather Wallet with MagSafe may not connect to Find My
• AirTag might not appear in the Find My Items tab
• CarPlay may fail to…

Life is grand. I am content, happy with my home and neighborhood and live a relaxing and rewarding life. I'm just your average blind, retired and elderly fellow who wears hearing aids. The blindness is here to stay, as is my retirement status and I suspect I will continue to age. The only thing I really aspire to change is how well I hear and how well my hearing aids work with my iPhone.

I am a retired executive and computer geek who still loves problem solving. When something…

Update: Our testing suggests that none of the bugs we previously reported as being introduced in iOS 15.0 and iPadOS 15.0 are resolved in these releases. However, there were some new bugs introduced in those releases which were not encountered by members of our team or had a way for us to test for them, so we cannot comment on the status of…

Welcome to the September 2021 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which highlights what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of content posted to AppleVis by members of the community - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.

New and Noteworthy App Entries

A Western…

Apple has today released iOS 12.5.5 for older devices not compatible with iOS 15, as well as 2021-006 Security Update for macOS Catalina, bringing fixes for several security vulnerabilities, including one that was reportedly used to infect devices with NSO Pegasus spyware.

As these updates appear to have been released to address a small number of specific issues,…

Apple has today released software version 15 for both HomePod and HomePod mini.

In addition to some unspecified bug fixes and stability improvements, according to the release notes via 9to5Mac, this update brings some notable new features and enhancements:

• Select a single or pair of HomePod mini as the default speakers for your Apple TV 4k for rich room-filling sound…

Apple has today released watchOS 8, mostly bringing iterative enhancements to existing features Rather than big changes.

According to Apple, “watchOS 8 helps you stay connected, active, and healthy like never before. Share your favorite memories with the enhanced Photos app. Put more fun into your texts. Find new ways to center yourself and be present. And that’s just the start.”

Here are the highlights according to Apple…

Apple has today released tvOS 15, bringing what at best can be described as small, incremental changes for the Apple TV.

Apple shared little about tvOS 15 when it was first announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June and nothing in its recent California Streaming…

Apple has today released iOS 15 and iPadOS 15.

iOS 15 brings a redesign of Notifications and a new Notifications Summary, a new Live Text feature that recognizes text in photos and across the operating system, a highly-customizable Focus Mode that helps reduce distractions by filtering notifications based on what you are currently doing, spacial audio and other improvements in FaceTime, privacy enhancements, and more.

iPadOS 15 brings enhancements intended to make…

Introduction

Another Autumn means another release of iOS. Just like releases of iOS dating back to 2009, this release brings a lot of new features and functions for blind and DeafBlind users. Major changes in iOS 15 include a new Focus Mode, several enhancements with FaceTime, the ability to use Siri for certain tasks while offline, and much more. Many blogs will be highlighting these enhancements to iOS, so I will not discuss them in great detail here. This article covers…

iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 have been released to the public. This post contains details of the VoiceOver, low vision, and braille bugs which we believe have been introduced in these releases; as well as details of the pre-existing bugs which we believe to be resolved.

As is our routine practice, each new bug has been given a severity rating; these ratings are based upon what we believe to be the implications for accessing and using features and functionality and the level of impact on the…

Intro

Today, as you likely know if you're reading this, was Apple's big September event, entitled California Streaming. For years now, Apple has used this time to announce the latest iPhones, often adding other launches to the agenda. This year was no exception. We have iPhone 13, Apple Watch Series 7, and new iPads, plus some new stuff for Apple Fitness Plus subscribers.

You can watch today's event…

Ahead of tomorrow's “California streaming” event, Apple has released iOS 14.8, iPadOS 14.8, macOS 11.6, and watchOS 7.6.2. The main changes in these releases are two security updates. Apple has also released a security update for macOS Catalina, however, this has just the one security fix.

According to …