Video calling with FaceTime.

FaceTime on iPhone 4 makes it possible to have video calls with friends and family across the globe — perfect for sign-language conversations. It works iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi, and it requires no setup or special accounts. In fact, making video calls is as simple as it gets: Just tap the FaceTime button right from a contact to start a call. If somebody wants to start a video call with you, you’ll receive an invitation — along with a vibrating alert — on your iPhone 4 asking you to join. Simply tap yes, and the video call begins.

Support for wireless braille displays
and international braille tables.

iPhone 4 supports more than 30 Bluetooth wireless braille displays right out of the box. Just pair one and start using it to navigate your iPhone with VoiceOver — no additional software needed. In addition, iPhone includes braille tables for more than 25 international languages.

Typing improvements.

Touch Typing is an optional new way for blind or visually impaired people to type on the onscreen keyboard. With Touch Typing, you can run your finger across the keyboard, listening to VoiceOver speak each letter aloud. When you get to the letter you want, lift your finger to select it.

Enhanced rotor.

VoiceOver also features a virtual control called the rotor. Turning the rotor — by rotating two fingers on the screen as if you were turning a dial — changes the way VoiceOver moves through a web page based on a setting you choose. For example, a flick up or down might let you move through a page by header, link, or image. In iOS 4, you can add settings to the web rotor such as lists, tables, text fields, and buttons. And the rotor is now visible to sighted users to make it easier for them to assist you or to use the rotor themselves.

Zoom and magnify.

Zoom on iPhone lets you magnify the entire screen of any application up to five times normal size. Move left, right, up, and down to view any portion of the screen close up. Zoom works everywhere, including the Home, Lock, and Search screens, and with every app — even those you purchase from the App Store. In addition to Zoom, a new Large Font feature in iPhone 4 lets you further increase the font size of key elements in Mail, Contacts, Notes, and Messages.

White on black for higher contrast.

If you prefer higher contrast, iPhone 4 lets you change the display to white on black. Use the White on Black feature in any application, as well as the Home, Lock, and Search screens, and with Zoom and VoiceOver.

Optional mono audio.

If your hearing is limited in one ear, tap a checkbox to route both right- and left-channel audio into both earbuds, so you can hear both channels in either ear.

Support for closed captioning.

iPhone supports the playback of open captions, closed captions, and subtitling. Captions appear onscreen just like the closed captions you see on TV. You can buy, rent, or download captioned movies and video podcasts from the iTunes Store to watch on the go. Or you can create and watch your own closed-captioned videos.

Learn more about iPhone and accessibility