Answer Calls with Siri

Last summer I did a round of media interviews I did about Apple needing to improve accessibility in its tech particularly for those with physical motor disabilities https://9to5mac.com/2020/08/06/apples-technology-helps/ and this https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/25/apple_voice_control/

One of the big points I made at the time was the difficulty I have answering phone calls because I can’t pick up the phone and touch the screen because of my physical motor disability. I have been lobbying on the issue for 3 long years in media interviews, articles and lobbying the company directly. Well guess what, Apple has listened and this was just announced ! 

https://9to5mac.com/2021/04/20/ios-14-5-lets-users-answer-calls-with-siri-when-using-headphones/  

Answer Calls with Siri is a beautifully Apple inclusive implementation that everyone can use but for people like me who can’t use my hands to touch the iPhone screen to answer a call it is massive game changer. 

The little man can take on the big man and win, that’s a bit of a theme these days! 

I really was on cloud 9 to see this one over the line. When it becomes available next week with iOS 14.5 it’s going to be so good to be able to handle calls properly for a change. I hope the feature will be coming to the Apple Watch Cellular too. It is a phone after all. 

I can’t see anything with regards to ending a phone call hands-free with a voice command yet, “Hey Siri end call” which was another major point I made in the media interviews and articles I did last summer. 

Perhaps it needs a bit of publicity for Apple to encourage them further. As does improving Voice Control so it is as productive as Nuance Dragon. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am with Voice Control. As I predicted when it launched, it is a ghetto that Apple does not invest in and develop enough. Speech recognition should be inclusive and mainstream on Apple devices. There is a huge appetite for it generally but it must be accurate and productive to be of use to people with physical motor disabilities. 

So the fight is not over. There are still many more improvements needed if our Apple gear is to be accessible as it should be. 

In the meantime enjoy Answer Calls with Siri when it is released with iOS 14.5 next week!