A magical way to use iPhone

Use the Eye Tracking, Luke!

Author

Leander Kahney
February 14, 2025

I remember watching Apple’s demo for Eye Tracking — a groundbreaking accessibility feature that enables full control of your iPhone using only your eyes — and thinking, “No way!”

The enabling technology is likely taken from Vision Pro, and if you’ve not tried the eye-tracking in Apple’s headset, you absolutely must get a demo of this incredible, almost magical technology. It’ll blow you away.

But wait — you don’t need to go to the Apple Store, you can try it out on your very own iPhone.

Eye Tracking is designed to help people who have lost (or are losing) motor control.

You can use it to navigate apps, scroll through content, type text and perform other actions solely with your gaze.

You may find Eye Tracking helpful when your hands aren’t free, like washing the dishes or working with both hands. Try it out — you’ll likely be impressed, and you might find it very useful.

Also in today’s newsletter:

  • My daughter will be delighted. Her favorite app of all time, and the one she spends half her waking life devoted to, is back!

  • Ditch the noisy old generator and its carbon monoxide poisoning and get this great solar power station instead — for a whopping half off.

  • After almost a decade of snubbing the Apple TV app, Netflix finally appeared to be playing nice. Looks like it was just a glitch, though.

  • Apple’s lovely but pricey Studio Display monitor is in line for a big upgrade that’ll markedly improve the picture.

  • Don’t miss the big Valentine’s Day Sale from our friends at CdkeySales: Woo your partner with the gift of Windows! (Or, better yet, spend the money you save on something nice for your sweetie.)

  • What do we think Tim Cook is going to reveal next week? See yesterday’s poll results below.

  • Happy Valentine’s Day btw.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

Control your iPhone hands-free with Eye Tracking

Eye Tracking is a pretty remarkable and ambitious accessibility feature that lets you control your iPhone entirely with your eyes.

TikTok returns to iPhone App Store

TikTok is once again available for download in the United States, following a letter from the attorney general to Apple.

Netflix relents, starts cooperating with Apple TV app [Update: Nope!]

Netflix content briefly becomes available in the Apple TV app, marking a new integration for streaming services. However, Netflix calls it “an error.”

A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team

Can’t-miss deal: More than half off portable power station

A Bluetti AC180 portable power station can save you from power outages and boring camping trips. Get 54% off while you can.

Apple Studio Display could get a big technology upgrade

Find out why an Apple Studio Display mini-LED upgrade would further enhance the visual appeal of this gorgeous monitor.

Innie Irv's last words take on new meaning as Mark breaks through [‘Severance’ recap]

Our "Severance" season 2, episode 5 recap finds refiners reeling from the loss of Irving B. as outie Scott S. makes a breakthrough.

A message from CdkeySales

Amazing deals on Windows and Office leave you with cash to spend on your Valentine!

Need to really wow your date on Valentine's Day? Save money on software deals on Microsoft Windows and Office at CdkeySales.com.

How to use SD and microSD memory cards with iPhone

While your iPhone doesn’t come with a built-in microSD card reader, adding a plug-in memory card reader is easy.

Today in Apple history: Intel and Microsoft face lawsuit for stealing Apple code

On February 14, 1995, Cupertino extended a lawsuit against a developer over stolen Apple code to include Microsoft and Intel.

Good luck finding the Mac mini in this workstation [Setups]

You'd never guess today's setup features a Mac mini, because it's mounted on the back of a Samsung ViewFinity S9 5K monitor.

Tweets of the day

Wallpaper of the day

One more thing ...

❝

(Steve Jobs’ note to his wife Laurene on their wedding anniversary): We didn’t know much about each other twenty years ago. We were guided by our intuition; you swept me off my feet. It was snowing when we got married at the Ahwahnee. Years passed, kids came, good times, hard times, but never bad times. Our love and respect has endured and grown. We’ve been through so much together and here we are right back where we started 20 years ago — older, wiser — with wrinkles on our faces and hearts. We now know many of life’s joys, sufferings, secrets and wonders and we’re still here together. My feet have never returned to the ground.

— Steve Jobs, 2008.

Today’s poll

How happy are you TikTok is back?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Results from yesterday’s poll: What is Tim Cook teasing in his cryptic post?

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