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ARKit Eye Tracking Calibration Issues - Word-Level Reading Tracking Feasibility
Hi Apple Developer Community, I'm developing an eye-tracking application using ARKit's ARFaceTrackingConfiguration and ARFaceAnchor.blendShapes for gaze detection using Xcode. I'm experiencing several calibration and accuracy issues and would appreciate insights from the community. Current Implementation Using ARFaceAnchor.blendShapes (.eyeLookUpLeft, .eyeLookDownLeft, .eyeLookInLeft, .eyeLookOutLeft, etc.) Implementing custom sensitivity curves and smoothing algorithms Applying baseline correction and coordinate mapping Using quadratic regression for calibration point mapping Issues I'm Facing 1. Calibration Mismatch Red dot position doesn't align with where I'm actually looking Significant offset between intended gaze point and actual cursor position Calibration seems to drift or become inaccurate over time 2. Extreme Eye Movement Requirements Need to make exaggerated eye movements to reach screen edges/corners Natural eye movements don't translate to proportional cursor movement Difficulty reaching certain screen regions even with calibration 3. Sensitivity and Stability Issues Cursor jitters or jumps around when looking at center Too much sensitivity to micro-movements Inconsistent behavior between calibration and normal operation 4. I also noticed that tracking on calibration screen as well as tracking on reading screen works better as expected when head movement is there, but I do not want much head movement. I want tracking with normal eye movement while reading an Ebook. Primary Question: Word-Level Eye Tracking Feasibility Is word-level eye tracking (tracking gaze as users read through individual words in an ebook) technically feasible with current iPhone/iPad hardware? I understand that Apple's built-in eye tracking is primarily an accessibility feature for UI navigation. However, I'm wondering if the TrueDepth camera and ARKit's eye tracking capabilities are sufficient for: Tracking natural reading patterns (left-to-right, line-by-line progression) Detecting which specific words a user is looking at Maintaining accuracy for sustained reading sessions (15-30 minutes) Working reliably across different users and lighting conditions Questions for the Community Hardware Limitations: Are iPhone/iPad TrueDepth cameras capable of the precision needed for word-level tracking, or is this beyond current hardware capabilities? Calibration Best Practices: What calibration strategies have worked best for accurate gaze mapping? How many calibration points are typically needed? Reading-Specific Challenges: Are there particular challenges when tracking reading behavior vs. general gaze tracking? Alternative Approaches: Are there better approaches than ARKit blend shapes for this use case? Current Setup Devices: iPhone 14 Pro iOS Version: iOS 18.3 ARKit Version: Latest available Any insights, experiences, or technical guidance would be greatly appreciated. I'm particularly interested in hearing from developers who have worked on similar eye tracking applications or have experience with the limitations and capabilities of ARKit's eye tracking features. Thank you for your time and expertise!
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684
Oct ’25
Your app's binary includes references to HealthKit components, but the app still does not appear to include any primary features that require health or fitness data.
Your app's binary includes references to HealthKit components, but the app still does not appear to include any primary features that require health or fitness data. Next Steps To resolve this issue, please remove any HealthKit functionality from the app, as well as any references to this app’s interactivity with HealthKit from the app or its metadata. This includes removing any HealthKit-related keys in the app's Info.plist or InfoPlist.strings files, as well as removing any calls to HealthKit APIs, including those from third-party platforms, from the app.
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257
Oct ’25
iOS 26 Voice Over is reporting an extra tab
Feedback number: FB20451665 When building with Xcode 26, Voice Over is reporting an extra tab when swiping through tabs. Please see the sample project below: /* This is a Sample project to show that I believe there is a Voice Over bug in iOS 26. When swiping through tabs with Voice Over active, there always appears to be an extra tab. Here I have 5 tabs, when on tab one VO reads out tab 1 of 6, then tab 2 of 6, all the way to the last tab, when voice over reads out tab 5 of 6. Never tab 6 of 6. Is there a possibility that voice over is picking up the underlying `more` tab and reading that out? This has also been reportedly found in the Files app here: https://www.applevis.com/comment/195441#comment-195441 */ struct ContentView: View { var body: some View { TabView { /// Activating this has Voice over telling us there are 6 Tabs. Tab(RootTab.home.title, systemImage: "circle.fill") { Text("This is the \(RootTab.home.title.capitalized) screen") } .accessibilityLabel("\(RootTab.home.title.capitalized) tab") .accessibilityHint("Double tap to open the \(RootTab.home.title.capitalized) tab") Tab(RootTab.diary.title, systemImage: "circle.fill") { Text("This is the \(RootTab.diary.title.capitalized) screen") } .accessibilityLabel("\(RootTab.diary.title.capitalized) tab") .accessibilityHint("Double tap to open the \(RootTab.diary.title.capitalized) tab") Tab(RootTab.meals.title, systemImage: "circle.fill") { Text("This is the \(RootTab.meals.title.capitalized) screen") } .accessibilityLabel("\(RootTab.meals.title.capitalized) tab") .accessibilityHint("Double tap to open the \(RootTab.meals.title.capitalized) tab") Tab(RootTab.knowledge.title, systemImage: "circle.fill") { Text("This is the \(RootTab.knowledge.title.capitalized) screen") } .accessibilityLabel("\(RootTab.knowledge.title.capitalized) tab") .accessibilityHint("Double tap to open the \(RootTab.knowledge.title.capitalized) tab") Tab(RootTab.profile.title, systemImage: "circle.fill") { Text("This is the \(RootTab.profile.title.capitalized) screen") } .accessibilityLabel("\(RootTab.profile.title.capitalized) tab") .accessibilityHint("Double tap to open the \(RootTab.profile.title.capitalized) tab") /// Activating this also has Voice over telling us there are 6 Tabs. // ForEach(RootTab.allCases, id: \.self) { tab in // // Text("This is the \(tab.title.capitalized) screen") // .tabItem { // Label(tab.title.capitalized, systemImage: "circle.fill") // } // .accessibilityLabel("\(tab.title.capitalized) tab") // .accessibilityHint("Double tap to open the \(tab.title.capitalized) tab") // } } } enum RootTab: CaseIterable { case home case diary case meals case knowledge case profile var title: String { switch self { case .home: "home" case .diary: "diary" case .meals: "meals" case .knowledge: "knowledge" case .profile: "profile" } } } } I'm curious if anyone else can see this issue, or if anyone knows of a workaround for it.
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2k
Oct ’25
Attempting to go directly to a help book page results in the main help book page being displayed instead
There is an issue with Help Books that started with the release of macOS 14.4. The issue is that when an app attempts to go directly to a Help Book page, the help viewer opens to the Help Book's main index page, rather than the specific page requested. As I investigated the issue I found that the requested page was actually part of help viewer's navigation history, and all I had to do was to click the Back navigation arrow and the requested page would be displayed. So it seems like the requested page is momentarily visited but is then (for whatever reason) quickly replaced by the main index page. Our app uses the AHGotoPage() API for directly accessing our Help Book's pages. This is the same mechanism/code that our app has used for more than a decade and has never caused us any issues. Everything works fine on macOS 14.3.0 and earlier. I've scoured the documentation and can't find any newer APIs for accessing Help pages. I've also tried various other things (e.g. reworking the code, creating new indexes for the app's Help, etc.), but none of it seems to make a difference. As far as I can tell, the issue seems to stem from some change made to the OS. So my questions are: Is this a known bug? And if so, is there any ETA on a fix? Is there something different we should be doing for newer versions of the OS (create indexes differently, use a different API, etc.)?
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1.9k
Oct ’25
RTT call option and confirmation dialog missing when dialing emergency numbers
Hello, In our app we provide a button that initiates a phone call using tel://. For normal numbers, tapping the button presents the standard iOS confirmation sheet with Call and Cancel. If RTT is enabled on the device, the sheet instead shows three options: Call, Cancel, and RTT Call. However, when dialing a national emergency number, this confirmation dialog does not appear at all — the call is placed immediately, without giving the user the choice between voice or RTT. Is this the expected system behavior for emergency numbers on iOS? 
And if so, how does RTT get applied in the emergency-call flow — is it managed entirely by the OS rather than exposed as a user-facing option? Thanks in advance for clarifying.
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Sep ’25
I have a problem
I want to open a developer account, but it is not personal, but rather a company, and I have an existing company, and I have DUNS, and I have a website that has been made, and everything is ready, and an official email, but when the application is made at Apple, he sends to my email that he wants a public website for people, and it will be in the name of the organization, and all of these matters have been resolved. Why do they not respond to us?
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575
Sep ’25
How to capture 48MP capture with Ultra wide lens using iPhone 16 pro max
I am working on capturing 48MP images using the iPhone 16 Pro Max with the Ultra-wide camera. I’ve updated the code to capture the maximum supported dimensions with the following snippet: if #available(iOS 16.0, *) { photoOutput.maxPhotoDimensions = device.activeFormat.supportedMaxPhotoDimensions.last! photoSettings.maxPhotoDimensions = .init(width: 5712, height: 4284) } However, I’m still not getting the expected results. My goal is to capture 48MP images, and I want to confirm if the Ultra-wide camera supports this resolution or if I’m missing any other configuration. Any guidance would be appreciated!
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Sep ’25
Accessibility Voiceover is not treating navigation bar left button as first focused element
Accessibility Voiceover is not treating navigation bar left button as first focused element. If we navigate from A->B then the focus is going to first element inside the B view not to the back button or B view's navigation title. If we post accessibility notification, in onAppear of B, focus is not shifting. but it will read back button first, and then read the B view's content item. it does't focus to back button in swiftUI. how should I do? if I want to focus on the navigation item back button or navigation title. my understanding is the system prioritizes the first focusable element in the view hierarchy. but The navigation bar (including the close button and title) is managed separately by the system. It is not part of the main view hierarchy, so it does not automatically receive focus unless explicitly set. if my thoughts are right, it seems a little strange. Why did you design it this way? Can you tell me your thinking? Thanks
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375
Sep ’25
Please consider having Name Recognition in a shortcut automation
Request: Name Recognition → Shortcut for SOS Flashlight + Vibration Right now, iOS Name Recognition works, but all I can do is flash the tiny notification light. It would be much more useful if Name Recognition could trigger a Shortcut. That way, I could set it to flash the flashlight in an SOS pattern and vibrate, making the alert impossible to miss. I tried using Custom Alarm, but it won’t let me record my spoken name, so it doesn’t really solve the problem. If Apple allowed Name Recognition to trigger Shortcuts — or expanded “Custom” to support names/words — this would open up far more practical, real-world alerts.
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Sep ’25
Tahoe Launchpad
I wrote this in the regular forums and they deleted it and told me to write it here because it was dealing with unreleased software. I read that Launchpad is disappearing in Tahoe and I have real concerns about that. For me, that is an accessibility issue. I have both memory problems and scanning problems. So having my apps organized into categories is extremely important to me. Just today I needed to find an app that I didn't remember the name of and I rarely use, but when I need it, it is important to me. Just to see if I could find it without launchpad, I scanned my applications folder and I couldn't find it. I went to launchpad and to the category I knew it was in and it was right there, easy for me to find. Please don't take away our organization options.
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2.2k
Sep ’25
Default Voices for AVSpeechUtterance
It appears iOS only comes with low quality voices installed. iOS requires the user to go into settings to download higher quality voices to be used with AVSpeechUtterance. There doesn't seem to be any api that can be used to make this process easier for the app user. Is there a way / api that would allow an app to download and use a higher quality voice? Will apple ever install on default higher quality voices? We really want to use the text to speech api in iOS however the very high amount of user friction to use high quality voices is stopping us. I would appreciate a response. Thanks
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708
Sep ’25
iPadOS 26 Floating Keyboard jumping up and down
Using the floating keyboard extensively. Often It starts to jump up and down. I have to pinch out to see the large version and pinch in again to restore the floating version. Sometimes just touching a key sets it off. Sometimes returning to a window from which the keyboard is displayed starts the issue. This was never a problem in ipad os 18.
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442
Sep ’25
Japanese “Hattori” TTS voice missing from Settings > General > Read & Speak > Voices > Japanese on iOS 26
Japanese “Hattori” TTS voice missing from Settings > General > Read & Speak > Voices > Japanese on iOS 26 Steps: Open the path above → “Hattori” is not listed and cannot be downloaded Expected: Hattori is available to download and select Actual: Hattori is absent from the catalog Regression: Was available on iOS 18.x on the same device
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382
Sep ’25
HID Braille keyboard support on iPhone 6S
Hello, I am working on a Braille keyboard by using HID approach. Current the device works with iPhone 11 and SE3. However, when tested in iPhone 6s with iOS 15, although the device can be connected and recognized as Braille device in VoiceOver screen, the phone shows no response to key press report. Would there be any requirement at points such as HID descriptor for iPhone 6s support on Braille device? If iPhone 6s does not support such devices, what is the minimum system requirements? Thank you!
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1.5k
Sep ’25
Why does the macOS window sharing indicator appear for some windows but not others?
On recent versions of macOS, when a window is being shared (via the system screen-capture APIs), the OS sometimes shows a small "shared window" badge in the title bar. I’ve noticed that this indicator is not consistent: For some windows, the badge reliably appears when they are being shared. For other windows, the badge never appears, even though the window is actively shared. In particular, windows that use a standard system title bar seem to show the indicator more often, while windows with custom-drawn or non-standard chrome do not. My questions are: What are the exact conditions under which macOS decides to draw the “shared window” indicator in a window’s title bar? Is this strictly tied to certain NSWindow styles or masks (e.g. titled vs borderless)? Is there any API or flag I can use to detect programmatically whether a given window will display this system indicator when shared?
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1.1k
Sep ’25
AirPlay connection to a large monitor
I created a desktop app for Mac using Xojo. The app has a controller in the main window and displays advertisements and notices on a connected external display. I'm currently connecting my iMac24 to a REGZA-55M550M via AirPlay, and displaying video from the iMac to the REGZA, but the connection occasionally drops out. Yesterday, the connection dropped about 3.5 hours after connecting. Of course, I have other apps running on the iMac, but I'm not using any operations that would put a strain on the network or memory. Does AirPlay connection to non-Apple products become unstable over long periods of time?
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632
Sep ’25