There are situations where you need to use your iPhone but it’s impossible to hold it. For instance, you’re washing the dishes, doing the laundry, or cooking, and you suddenly remember that you need to make an important call or send a message. Or, you might have injured your hand and you can’t use your phone with it.
Fortunately, Apple has taken their Voice Control feature to the next level. Available in iOS 13, Voice Control is designed to help users with motor limitations have full control of their iPhone, Mac, or iPad. However, even those without disabilities can utilize this feature.
Using just your voice, you can perform a lot of actions on your iPhone.
1. Text
Voice Control boasts a built-in dictation technology that accurately transcribes the words you say into text. It can understand natural speech, so you don’t have to type with your hands or say a specific phrase to command it.
Voice Control can distinguish dictation from commands. For example, if you say, “Good morning. Tap send,” Voice Control will only send “good morning” while leaving out “tap send.” Similarly, if you say, “Call you later. Delete that,” your iPhone will transcribe “call you later” and then delete it.
You can also edit your text by using commands such as “replace,” “move up two lines,” “capitalize,” and “select previous word.” This allows you to make changes throughout the transcription without having to delete and retype it.
2. Navigate User Interface (UI)
With Voice Control, you have comprehensive access to the UI that allows you to interact with the system, features, and apps on your iPhone. You can use commands like “Take screenshot,” “Open Apple Pay,” or “Search for” in your browser. Apple can give you full access to the interface using your voice through a number overlay. This means that you can “show numbers” to put numbers on all the clickable items onscreen. This way, you can guide your phone in selecting the items you want to access.
3. Use Camera for Increased Awareness
With the TrueDepth camera installed in certain iPhone and iPad models, you can turn your Voice Control settings on and off with just a look. Depending on where you look, Voice Control activates and deactivates with the help of TrueDepth camera, which can project and analyze more than 30,000 invisible dots to capture your face.
This is used for Face ID and Attention Aware function, which puts the Voice Control to sleep when you look away and wakes it up when you look towards the camera. This gives you the freedom to interact with the device anytime you want without even touching it.
With more people using voice-enabled technology, Apple’s Voice Control doesn’t just make devices more accessible to those with motor limitations but also provides convenience to all kinds of users. So, how do you enable Voice Control on your iPhone?
1. Open Settings
2. Find “Accessibility” option
3. Tap Voice Control option
4. Tap on “Set up Voice Control” to initiate the process
Easy-peasy, right? So, the next time you visit stores that sell MacBooks, iPhones, and iPads, check if the models feature this awesome hands-free technology
