On Thursday, Apple added a new iPhone accessory to its online store: the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand. It’s an adaptive, ergonomic accessory that was designed using input from people with a range of disabilities, including ones affecting dexterity, grip and hand control.
The $69.95 Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand is MagSafe compatible, and functions as both a stabilizing grip and a vertical or horizontal stand for propping up an iPhone. It’s made of silicone and has a triangular shape, with curved ridges along its outside and a hole in the center. The accessory is designed to cater to people with a range of motor skills, muscle strength and grip tension, as well as those who use an iPhone with one or no hands.
You can choose from a greenish-yellow chartreuse or a color Apple calls “crater,” which is gray with white and black specks. The accessory is available for a limited time on Apple’s online store in the US.
The grip was designed by Bailey Hikawa in Los Angeles. Hikawa has also made cases for the iPhone, which are bold and eccentric, with brightly colored knobs — a little like wrapping a smartphone in modern sculpture. This is the first MagSafe accessory she’s created.
Earlier this year, Apple added a host of new accessibility features to its products, including Braille Access for note-taking, Live Captions on the Apple Watch and Head Tracking for controlling an iPhone or iPad with head movements.
Unrelated to accessibility, one of Apple’s latest accessories has been getting plenty of attention: the iPhone Pocket, a $230 crossbody pouch for your handset.
