Neuralink Corp. is an American neurotechnology company that has developed, as of 2024, implantable brain–computer interfaces (BCIs). It was founded by Elon Musk and a team of eight scientists and engineers.

We’re now learning that Apple has their own plans to launch an innovative technology later this year that will allow users to directly control iPhones, iPads and other Apple devices through brain signals.  

The project is reportedly the result of a collaboration between Apple and neurotechnology startup Synchron, which has developed an implantable brain-computer interface (BCI) device called Stentrode that can help users with severe movement disorders (such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS) control Apple devices through brain neural signals.

The Stentrode device is implanted through the jugular vein, in a blood vessel above the brain's motor cortex. The device contains 16 electrodes that detect movement-related brain activity without the need for open-skull surgery. These neural signals are converted into digital commands that allow the user to interact with the device's interface. Below is a video of this technology that is assisted with Apple’s Vision Pro. 

Synchron has implanted the Stentrode device in 10 patients since 2019 and has received an investigational device exemption from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One of them is an ALS patient from Pennsylvania who cannot use his arms and hands.

The technology was first introduced at a TED Talk back in 2022 by Synchron’s CEO Tom Oxley as presented below.

Apple plans to expand its existing Switch Control accessibility framework to support brain-computer interface devices. Switch Control is a feature that allows users to input through non-standard devices such as joysticks and adaptive hardware. Apple will reportedly release this new standard later in 2025. 

While we've contributed much to this report, the idea was sparked by a report by The Wall Street Journal.

It should also be noted that on March 18, 2025, Wired posted a report titled “Synchron’s Brain-Computer Interface Now Has Nvidia’s AI,” that works with Vision Pro.

In addition to brain implant project with Synchron, Apple unveiled new powerful accessibility features coming later this year that include Accessibility Nutrition Labels on the App Store, Magnifier for Mac, Braille Access, and Accessibility Reader; plus innovative updates to Live Listen, visionOS, Personal Voice, and more. Read Apple’s press release for full details.