Apple Highlights Vision Pro's Accessibility Features with Head, Wrist, and Index Finger Controls

Apple's new Vision Pro headset is controlled with eye and hand movements by default. For those with accessibility needs, however, features like VoiceOver, Pointer Control, and Dwell Control will allow users to interact with visionOS in other ways. In a WWDC session for developers, Apple has provided more details about these features.

Vision Pro Pointer Control

Pointer Control

Pointer Control will allow the Vision Pro to be controlled based on head, wrist, or index finger position rather than eye tracking. Users will be able to adjust movement sensitivity to further fit their individual needs.

Dwell Control will provide on-screen options for Tap, Scroll, Long Press, and Drag, allowing for users to interact with the interface without using their hands.

Vision Pro Dwell Control

Dwell Control

There's also Guided Access, an accessibility feature that will promote focus by restricting visionOS to a single app at one time. Apple says the feature aims to minimize distractions by backgrounding other apps, removing non-essential UI elements, and suppressing hardware button events that could be distracting.

Vision Pro Guided Access

Guided Access

Apple's screen reader VoiceOver will be available on the Vision Pro. Users will be able to set up a VoiceOver shortcut in the Settings app on visionOS that allows for the feature to be activated with a triple press of the Digital Crown.

Vision Pro is launching in early 2024 in the U.S. for $3,499, and more details about the headset are available in our Vision Pro roundup. For more details about the accessibility features, check out Apple's WWDC session.

Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

Popular Stories

iOS 26

When Will Apple Release iOS 26.2?

Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week. Past Launch Dates Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
iphone 17 cyber

iPhone 17 Demand Is Breaking Apple's Sales Records

Tuesday December 2, 2025 9:44 am PST by
Apple's iPhone 17 lineup is selling well enough that Apple is on track to ship more than 247.4 million total iPhones in 2025, according to a new report from IDC. Total 2025 shipments are forecast to grow 6.1 percent year over year due to iPhone 17 demand and increased sales in China, a major market for Apple. Overall worldwide smartphone shipments across Android and iOS are forecast to...
Touchscreen MacBook Feature

Here Are the Four MacBooks Apple Is Expected to Launch Next Year

Monday December 1, 2025 5:00 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Below is a breakdown of what we're expecting over the next ...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
33 months ago
Check out the gestures in VisionOS. You can also create custom ones.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
madebybela Avatar
33 months ago
so many possibilities with an AR interface and they choose to port over the awful iOS settings layout.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
3xBoom Avatar
33 months ago

I wonder how the device works with people who have strabismus/lazy eye.

For example, my right eye is my dominate eye. However, when I switch between my left and right eye my alignment changes a bit. Not too noticeable in public but I do not have binocular vision despite getting surgery to fix the cosmetic issue.
Apple should plan onto having a "pirate" edition (SE) to be sold for half price. Jokes aside, I am certain that they will find a way to address various issues of significance to a minority of their customer base. Eye asymmetries are quite frequent and their algorithms might already account for that.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
33 months ago
Index finger light saber!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AdeFowler Avatar
33 months ago
I really hope there’s some kind of option in accessibility, to use some kind of gesture rather than use the hardware buttons. e.g... blink three times to take a photo; close your eyes for five seconds to put the device to sleep.

I have cerebral palsy and my comedy hands will not be able to use the buttons. ?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
moabal Avatar
33 months ago
I wonder how the device works with people who have strabismus/lazy eye.

For example, my right eye is my dominate eye. However, when I switch between my left and right eye my alignment changes a bit. Not too noticeable in public but I do not have binocular vision despite getting surgery to fix the cosmetic issue.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)