Overview
- This week Apple previewed a set of AI accessibility features that include a natural‑language Voice Control that understands freely phrased commands to find and act on screen elements.
- Apple said video captions and some transcription will run on the device to protect user data, and it framed the features under its Apple Intelligence platform.
- The new Voice Control will launch first in English for the US, Canada, the UK and Australia and will require newer hardware such as recent iPhone, iPad and Mac models.
- Reporters note Apple’s implementation will likely mix Apple’s own models with Google’s Gemini large language model under existing supplier arrangements, though Apple emphasized local processing.
- The preview is seen as a concrete step toward the agentic, app‑controlling Siri Apple promised in 2024 and arrives after prolonged delays and reported legal pushback that included a $250 million settlement.