iOS 26 and Braille Access: Apple's Impressive Investment in Braille Literacy
by Jonathan Mosen
In the National Federation of the Blind, we are passionate about Braille. We know that Braille is the key to literacy and to opportunity. So when Apple released iOS 26 in September 2025, we were encouraged to see that the company had spent so much time and effort on Braille accessibility. The new Braille Access feature is the most significant accessibility advancement for blind people in this new operating system release. It demonstrates Apple’s commitment to supporting Braille literacy in a way that few mainstream technology companies have done before. They have gone far beyond simply supporting Braille displays to work with the device and have written software for the exclusive use of Braille users. We applaud Apple for this. Although I will be focussing on iOS 26, Braille Access is also available in iPadOS 26 and MacOS 26.
Before diving into the details of this feature, let me address the obvious question: how did we jump from iOS 18, which was the name of Apple’s previous iPhone operating system, to iOS 26? Apple has adopted a new nomenclature across all its operating systems, based on the year in which we will primarily use the operating system. Apple released iOS 26 in September 2025, but it will serve us through much of 2026. With the version numbers of Apple’s operating systems varying widely, standardizing this convention makes it easier to know whether users are running the latest version.
Now, back to Braille Access, and why it is such a significant development. As someone who once managed several blindness notetaker products, I have firsthand experience of the challenges these access technology manufacturers face. Technology has always moved quickly, but developments have sped up dramatically with AI advancing so rapidly. It can be difficult for access technology companies to keep up, because they have far fewer resources at their disposal than big tech. Some have turned to Android-based platforms, but we have seen these devices fall behind with outdated operating system versions.
The iPhone becomes attractive because it keeps up with the latest technology while remaining accessible. There is an increasing number of accessible apps available, and we congratulate Apple for adding so called “accessibility nutrition labels” in this release, giving developers a chance to stipulate the degree to which their apps are accessible. These “nutrition labels” are optional for now. We hope that once developers have had time to get used to them, they will be a requirement of submitting an app to the App Store.
Yet for all the power of using an iPhone with a Braille display, there are blind people, including some who are expert iPhone users, who still preferred the speed and ease of use of a blindness notetaker product. With iOS 26, Apple is seeking to respond to the need for that greater simplicity.
Education has always been a priority area for Apple, and notetakers are currently prominent in the blindness education market. Braille Access represents Apple’s play for this market. The value proposition is compelling: give a student an iPad, which is something teachers, parents, and support staff already understand, and have Braille notetaker functionality on that device along with all the benefits of using an iPad.
Those with free e-readers from the National Library Service also gain significant benefit from this new feature. These devices allow reading books locally and can connect via terminal mode to other devices, but they lack built-in editing functionality. With Braille Access in iOS 26, users can have notetaker-like functionality simply by pairing their NLS e-reader with their iPhone. If you have an eReader at home, and another Braille display at work or school, your Braille content can live in iCloud and be available on whatever Braille display you have to hand.
Starting Braille Access is straightforward. If you’re using a Braille input keyboard, press dots seven and eight together to invoke the menu from anywhere. For an 8-dot computer Braille table, you may need to press dot-78 with the space bar (dot-78 chord).
The menu offers several powerful functions:
- Launch App. This allows you to quickly search for and open applications without returning to the Home screen. Simply type a few characters of the app name, and matching results appear. This function is available from within any app, making it convenient to invoke and switch to the app you need quickly.
- Choose Item. This provides access to the Item Chooser, one of the most underutilized functions in VoiceOver for iOS. If you’re not familiar with the Item Chooser, it is a feature worth getting to know. When you are on a busy screen, type what you’re looking for, press enter, and the system narrows results to match your query.
- Braille Notes. Braille Access offers two file management systems, each serving different needs.
Braille Notes provides a quick way to Braille into your device. The system makes no judgment or interpretation of what you’re Brailling, it simply records the dots you enter. This makes it suitable not just for literary Braille, but also perfect for Braille music or personal codes. Apple stores the files in iCloud, but they aren’t readily accessible through iCloud Drive on a PC. However, your notes appear on any Apple device you’re logged into.
- BRF Files. This utility offers even more power and flexibility. These files do appear in iCloud Drive, making them readily accessible on your PC and meaning that when you copy a BRF file into the folder on iCloud Drive, it magically shows up on all your Apple devices in Braille Access. To use this feature effectively, install the iCloud app from Apple, available from the Microsoft Store. Once set up, navigate to File Explorer, press Windows+E, then Shift+Tab to reach the tree view, press I for iCloud Drive, and your BRF files folder will be there.
When you open an existing BRF file on your Apple device through Braille Access, it opens in read-only mode by default. To edit a file you’ve created, press the Context Menu key (which in Braille Access is dot-7) and select “Edit”.
The BRF functionality includes Bookmarks and a Find function. When reading, press F chord to search for specific text. The bookmark system is particularly well-implemented—previous and next bookmark functions only appear in the Context Menu after you’ve set at least one Bookmark, which is good interface design. Navigation is snappy and responsive.
- Calculator. You can use this feature in either Nemeth Code or UEB math. In the United States, it defaults to Nemeth. If you enable the visual representation option, teachers can see students’ calculations on screen.
- Live captions. The Live Captions feature has made a profound difference to my life as someone who wears hearing aids and struggles in difficult acoustical environments. The phone can take input from any specified microphone or from audio playing on your phone. Not only will it transcribe the audio from people speaking in meetings, it turns content like audiobooks into Braille. If you upgrade to iOS 26.1, you will find it will even work on phone and FaceTime calls. For deafblind people, this is transformative.
When you’re behind in reading the captions, for-signs (full Braille cell) appear at the beginning and end of the line to indicate that you have fallen behind real time. Press a cursor routing key to jump to the current line. This works well with another new feature: the ability for your phone to notify you when your name is mentioned.
Live captions also includes Type to Speak functionality for deafblind people who do not speak. You can read what someone is saying on your Braille display, then press Enter to type your response, which will be spoken aloud using your personal voice if you’ve set one up.
- Time. The Time function displays the current time on your Braille display right down to the second, continuously updating. If you’re a chapter president determined to start your meeting right on time, check it out.
If you find yourself using a Braille Access function regularly, you can bypass the menu entirely by assigning direct commands to specific Braille Access functions through your Braille display’s command settings.
What makes Braille Access particularly powerful is that your iPhone itself remains unaffected by Braille Access mode. Your Braille display can perform all these Braille functions while your phone continues whatever else you’re doing. You could be in a podcast app or reading email while taking notes on your Braille display. Simply toggle Braille Access on and off with dots 7 and 8 to move between it and your phone’s current app. Essentially, Braille Access turns your Braille display into a dedicated, stand-alone notetaker powered by your iPhone.
For those with Braille displays featuring QWERTY keyboards, Apple has introduced Braille keyboard input mode. Use FDS for dots 1-2-3 and JKL for dots 4-5-6, with A as dot-7 and semicolon as dot-8. The keyboard command VO+Y typically invokes this mode.
It is my hope that this is only the beginning for Braille Access, and that Apple will allocate resources to ensure we see feature enhancements going forward. For example, key players in the Braille arena are collaborating on the new eBraille standard, which will facilitate the production of more navigable files capable of supporting rich content including graphics. As Apple rolls out support for more multiline Braille devices, it will be essential for Braille Access to support eBraille if it is to stay relevant and on the cutting edge.
There are plenty of other accessibility enhancements that have come to our iPhones this year. To learn about more of them, I invite you to listen to, or read the transcript of, Access On episode 45, which is devoted to iOS 26 and contains audio demonstrations. Access On is the National Federation of the Blind’s technology podcast. We publish a new episode weekly.
We also enjoy receiving your feedback, so if you have thoughts on Braille Access or other new iOS 26 features, you are most welcome to share them with Access On.