I searched here on -Talk for Assistive Access topics before trying it out for a family member who might need it. Results were helpful but for previous OS versions etc., but looked encouraging enough to give it a whirl on iPadOS 18.1.
Tried to keep an open mind about it, but in sum my first impression is that it is a ham-fisted swag at the subject with lots of rough edges. Sorry to have to write that.
The name, ‘Access’ seems to tell it, and the Guide pages are carefully and accurately worded with applicable screenshots illustrating what appears to be a useful feature but is actually quite limited. Yes, it provides easy-to-tap access to apps. That’s about it. It’s apparently around in some form since ixxOS 16-ish. Two versions later it’s not well polished imho.
Setting up is relatively easy and well described on Guide sites and the feature itself on iPad.
But I’m so disappointed with it after less than an hour I’m not going to recommend it to the person intended. Perhaps my own expectations got in the way. I was hoping to implement it for an older family member who has difficulty with iPhone 11 in many ways. I was thinking of suggesting an iPad in AA mode and I would manage it, but AA is so minimalized and visually iconsistent/glitchy I’m not sure what users they are aiming for. Even the supposedly adapted-for-AA apps have minimal options, inconsistent appearance, etc.
Glitchy/not ready for prime time examples: home screen Weather App icon was not centered, slid off about 15% and cut off on right; Clock App icon hands were centered on the outer ring of the clock face around 4:30 position; exiting AA to regular mode resulted in menu bar clock on the middle left in portrait orientation; rotating Calendar App to horizontal, little or no adaptation was made, resulting in large margins left and right; changing Settings text size only increased date text size, with events remaining small and hard to tap; Messages app showed a typing indicator for an incoming message but the message never came thru and disappeared completely when I typed a ‘new message’ (so it’s labeled, when it’s more like what I consider a ‘reply’).
So I can only suggest investigating it for users whose family member has little experience with computing/Apple products and whose use of the device will be very minimal.
Maybe 40 years using Apple products has raised my expectations too high…
I’ll re-read Mr. Engst’s article on setting up iPhone for elders and suggest that instead, maybe in an iPad variation (larger size might help with typing/finger/visual limitations of our intended user).
Please let me know if there are more positive experiences with AA out there in -Talk land.