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Last August, my champion person asked maine however she could assistance her neighbour acceptable her iPhone truthful she could reply it without picking it up. The neighbour had Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and had mislaid dexterity successful some hands implicit time. Some Google searches revealed I was far from alone successful my confusion. So I asked Apple for immoderate advice. Here’s what I said:
Q: “My person has precocious MS and has immoderate (very little) power of 1 of her hands. She can't truly swipe a surface oregon pat buttons. She wants it truthful that erstwhile she receives a call, she tin conscionable inquire Siri oregon archer her iPhone to reply oregon cull it. But based connected my research, the lone mode that's imaginable is if a idiosyncratic has AirPods oregon Apple Watch connected, truthful Siri tin denote incoming calls and perceive for commands similar "Answer" oregon "Dismiss."
I besides looked successful the accessibility settings for Voice Control and there's a mode to reply each incoming calls aft a acceptable magnitude of time. But owed to privateness concerns and spam calls, that's not an perfect solution.
I was wondering if you knew immoderate mode for incoming calls to beryllium answered with a dependable command?”
A: Apple did respond, but unluckily the solution is… complicated. I’ll laic retired the steps connected however to usage your iPhone with Voice Control first, since that does supply a somewhat effectual workaround. But you should work past the steps for immoderate of the caveats.
How to usage Voice Control connected iPhone to reply calls
Before we get started, marque definite your telephone is moving iOS 13 oregon later. You tin besides usage Voice Control connected iPads oregon iPod Touch (if you inactive person one). When mounting up Voice Control, marque definite you’re connected to the net to download the indispensable files, and Apple recommends you link to Wi-Fi earlier you crook connected Voice Control to usage it for the archetypal time. When each that is done, proceed with the pursuing steps.
Open the Settings app and find the Accessibility settings. This is successful the 2nd radical of options conscionable beneath “General.” You tin besides conscionable hunt for “Accessibility.”
Select “Voice Control,” which is listed successful the “Physical and motion” section.
Turn connected Voice Control by tapping oregon sliding the toggle adjacent to it, and, successful immoderate cases, hold for the download to finish. If you’ve enabled Voice Control before, you tin besides conscionable inquire Siri to “Turn connected dependable control.”
Once the diagnostic is on, you’ll spot small numbers floating astir your screen, adjacent to cardinal elements. Your microphone is present on and your iPhone is listening for your commands.
Read retired the fig adjacent to what you privation to trigger. If you’ve been pursuing this guide, you tin accidental “one” to spell backmost to the Accessibility settings menu.
Say “Show maine what to say” for a elaborate database of things you tin do. You tin use commands similar “Swipe down” oregon “Move down” to scroll done pages. Just retrieve that “Swipe up” volition scroll down and “Swipe down” volition scroll up. The strategy volition proceed to admit your interaction inputs, too.
When a telephone comes in, work retired the fig adjacent to the reply option. From the fastener screen, that was the fig “five” successful my experience. When my telephone was unlocked, the fig to judge the telephone was “six,” portion “five” would diminution it.
Voice Control isn't perfect
As you tin spot from that seventh step, Voice Control is complicated. You’ll request to beryllium wrong presumption of your surface to spot the labels, and saying the incorrect fig tin origin you to bent up a telephone by accident. You tin say "Show Names" to show words alternatively of numbers successful the labels, but cognize that successful this lawsuit you'll request to adhd "Tap" earlier each statement to property it. That means erstwhile a telephone comes in, you tin accidental "Tap Answer" oregon the statement corresponding to the enactment you want.
I privation to constituent retired that the numerical labels don’t consistently look successful each apps (the hunt barroom astatine the apical of chats successful WhatsApp, for example, doesn’t person a fig attached to it successful my experience). Occasionally, the names successful the labels are besides oddly chosen, similar however the connection attached to my widget for my self-care app was conscionable "Image." It besides takes clip to physique familiarity with Voice Control and larn each the disposable actions.
I besides recovered the strategy to beryllium sluggish, and it sometimes took a noticeable hold earlier a bid similar "Swipe left" was registered and carried out. On my archetypal fewer attempts, I thought my iPhone didn't perceive maine and repeated the instruction, lone for it to swipe done 2 pages instead. I'm utilizing an iPhone 16 Pro, which is Apple's latest flagship, truthful it's not similar I'm connected an older, slower device, either.
While we were capable to execute a semi-effective attack with the Voice Control workaround, it didn’t truly lick my friend’s neighbor’s problem.
How to reply oregon diminution calls with Siri
In researching this guide, I've recovered that either determination is present a mode to reply calls with Siri oregon determination was ever 1 that I had missed successful August of 2024. Regardless, I was capable to trial it contiguous successful a fewer antithetic scenarios and portion it's surely much convenient, it's not without its limitations.
Go to Siri Settings successful your phone. You tin find this by searching for "Siri" successful your Settings app oregon conscionable scrolling till you spot "Siri" oregon "Apple Intelligence & Siri."
Make definite the mounting to allow your iPhone to perceive for "Siri" oregon "Hey Siri" is on. If you're moving the latest mentation of iOS connected an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 oregon iPhone 16 Pro, this would beryllium Talk & Type to Siri > "Hey Siri" or "Siri" oregon "Hey Siri" (whichever you prefer, arsenic agelong arsenic it's not "Off"). On older iPhones oregon versions of iOS, it would beryllium Talk to Siri > "Hey Siri" or "Siri" oregon "Hey Siri"
Turn connected "Call Hang Up" if you privation to beryllium capable to extremity a telephone with a dependable bid during the conversation. Otherwise, you'll person to hold for the different enactment to bent up. Note: Call bent up lone works connected telephone and FaceTime calls, not connected those via third-party apps similar WhatsApp oregon Telegram.
When a telephone comes in, accidental "Siri, answer" oregon "Hey Siri, answer" to accept. Say "Siri, diminution the call" to cull it. In my testing, "Siri, decline" did not work, but "Siri, diminution the call" did.
I was capable to usage this method to reply calls not lone done telephone oregon FaceTime, but via third-party apps too. I enabled "Announce calls," mounting it to bash truthful "Always" alternatively than lone erstwhile headphones oregon CarPlay were connected. But I ne'er saw oregon heard alerts erstwhile a telephone came, too the existent ringing. When I asked my person astir utilizing this method with their neighbor, they mentioned that her code was truthful affected astatine that constituent that Siri wouldn't ever admit what she was saying.
Accessibility successful tech has improved, but needs to get adjacent better
Sadly, that neighbour had passed distant earlier we were capable to resoluteness the issue. Though I wasn't capable to lick her problem, I'm putting the constricted guidance I’ve been capable to compile present successful the anticipation that it mightiness beryllium utile to idiosyncratic successful a substantially akin situation.
I person yet to decently trial the offerings connected Android, but connected that level determination are settings for Voice Access to beryllium enabled for incoming calls and to stay progressive during calls, indicating determination are options to usage dependable commands there.
My friend's neighbor's challenges are shared by countless radical who are inactive struggling with user exertion tools that seldom conscionable their afloat needs — whether they're impermanent limitations from injuries oregon longterm issues resulting from disablement oregon age. Voice-based interactions that are meant to assistance those with carnal disabilities request to amended admit code impediments astatine a wider level, and some Google and Apple, on with different large tech companies, person taken steps toward gathering amended models successful those respects.
The representation of our vexation with dependable power felt each the much timely this week, which marked the 14th yearly Global Accessibility Awareness Day (the 3rd Thursday of each May). We saw Apple and Google denote caller accessibility features, portion companies similar Amazon, Netflix and Microsoft reminded america of the assistive tools they precocious released.
It’s heartening to spot accrued improvement successful inclusively designed tech, but it’s besides worthy considering however implicit and utile immoderate of these "solutions" are. Many of america volition either request immoderate signifier of assistive exertion astatine immoderate constituent successful our lives oregon cognize idiosyncratic who does and would. In spite of the continued improvements, there’s inactive plentifulness to bash to guarantee tech is accessible to all.
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