I made a (very simple) custom tab bar in SwiftUI. It's simply an HStack containing two buttons. These buttons control the selection of a paged TabView. This works well, but in VoiceOver they don't behave like the bottom tab bar or e.g. a segmented picker. Specifically, VoiceOver does not say something like "tab one of two" when the first button is focused.
According to my research, in UIKit this can be accomplished by giving the container view the accessibility trait tabBar, hiding it as an accessibility element and give it the accessibility container type semanticGroup.
In SwiftUI, there is also the trait isTabBar, but that does not seem to have any impact for VoiceOver. I don't see an equivalent of semanticGroup in SwiftUI. I tried accessibilityElement(children: .contain) but that also does not seem to have any impact.
So, is there any way in SwiftUI to make a button behave like a tab-button in VoiceOver? And how is SwiftUI's isTabBar accessibility trait supposed to be used?
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In our application we are using UIAlertViewController. When accessibility full keyboard access is enabled, and we are trying to dismiss that AlertViewController with Esc key from external keyboard that is not working. We are presenting AlertViewController as a popover. We need dismiss the AlertViewController with Esc key press from external keyboard.
I’m trying to set the accessibilityActivationPoint directly on a UITableViewCell so that VoiceOver activate on a specific button inside the cell. However, this approach doesn’t seem to work.
Instead, when I override the accessibilityActivationPoint property inside the UITableViewCell subclass and return the desired point, it works as expected.
Why doesn’t setting accessibilityActivationPoint directly on the cell work, but overriding it inside the cell does? Is there a recommended approach for handling this scenario?
The following approach works,
override var accessibilityActivationPoint: CGPoint {
get {
return convert(toggleSwitch.center, to: nil)
}
set{
super.accessibilityActivationPoint = newValue
}
}
but setting accessibility point directly not works
private func configureAccessibility() {
isAccessibilityElement = true
accessibilityLabel = titleLabel.text
accessibilityTraits = .toggleButton
accessibilityActivationPoint = self.convert(toggleSwitch.center, to: self)
accessibilityValue = toggleSwitch.accessibilityValue
}
Dear developer team,
After updating to iOS 18.3.1 I noticed the font in the Notes app became too small to read comfortably, and I have already got poor eyesight.
There is no way to increase the font size. When I select my preferred text size through Accessibility settings, it only changes the size of headings in the Notes app but the text remains too small in the note itself. I’m using the IPhone 13.
I googled the issue and seems like other users across the Internet are also unhappy about the lack of ability to change the text size in Notes to suit their comfortable levels.
I hope that this issue will be addressed by developers in the next version of the iOS because the reading size in the standard app can affect health for the tired and diminished eyesight.
Kind regards,
Maria
Topic:
Accessibility & Inclusion
SubTopic:
General
In our application we are using a Search bar in a pop over view and we have enabled Accessibility full keyboard access and we are using external keyboard. Now if the focus is on Searcher that time by next Tab key press Search bar will dismiss and focus needs to shift to the next UIElement.
Hi,I applied for the COMMUNICATION capability, but have a message that I already have the driving task app entitlement.
After that ,I have applied one more time ,there is no reply anymore.
I do not have the com.apple.developer.carplay-communication capability, that means I can not apply this capability?
What should i do next to get this capatibility?
Thanks
I have a couple follow up questions after the "Accessibility technologies group lab".
I know it was briefly mentioned that user feedback is an excellent way to grow inclusivity in the design an app and utilizing these forums were one for example.
Is inviting folks here on the forum via test flight a reasonable approach to this for a solo developer?
Are there other strategies, avenues, or examples to promote user feedback?
The issue described here in this stack overflow conversation is still an issue today when it comes to the read back of the last 4 digits in the phone numbers for North American numbers as minus.
Is there a solution other than overriding the accessibleLabel property?
After replacing Big Sur OSX 11.0 with the latest 11.5, my app's AXObserverAddNotification methods fails. Here is sample code I tested from StackOverflow: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/853833/how-can-my-app-detect-a-change-to-another-apps-window
AXUIElementRef app = AXUIElementCreateApplication(82695); // the pid for front-running Xcode 12.5.1
CFTypeRef frontWindow = NULL;
AXError err = AXUIElementCopyAttributeValue( app, kAXFocusedWindowAttribute, &frontWindow );
if ( err != kAXErrorSuccess ){
NSLog(@"failed with error: %i",err);
}
NSLog(@"app: %@ frontWindow: %@",app,frontWindow);
'frontWindow' reference is never created and I get the error number -25204. It seems like the latest Big Sur 11.5 has revised the Accessibility API or perhaps there is some permission switch I am unaware of that would make things work. What am I doing wrong?
I have an app that uses nearby with a custom accessory.
works great on iPhone 11-13,
starting with iPhone 14, one must use ARkit to get angles
we have two problems
ARkit is light sensitive, and we do not control the lighting where this app would run.. the 11-13 action works great even in the dark. (our users are blind, this is an accessibility app)
ARkit wants to be foreground, but our uses cannot see it, and we have a voice oriented UI that provides navigation instructions..
IF ARkit is foreground, our app doesn't work.
with iPhone 15 ProMax, on IOS 18, I got an error, access denied. (not permission denied) now that I am on IOS 26.. bt scan doesn't happen
also fails same way on iPhone 17 on IOS26, can't callback now as release signing is no longer done
this same code works ok on iOS 17.1 on iPhone 12.
Info.plist here
info.txt
if(SearchedServices == [] ){
services = [TransferService.serviceUUID,QorvoNIService.serviceUUID]
}
logger.info(
"scannerready, starting scan for peripherals \(services) and devices \(IDs)")
filteredIDs=IDs;
scanning=true;
centralManager.scanForPeripherals(withServices: services,
options: [CBCentralManagerScanOptionAllowDuplicatesKey: true])
the calling code
dataChannel.autoConnect=autoConnect;
dataChannel.start(x,ids) // datachannel.start is above
self.scanning = true;
return "scanning started";
... log output
services from js = and devices= 5FE04CBB
services in implementation =
bluetooth ready, starting scan for peripherals [] and devices ["5FE04CBB"]
scannerready, starting scan for peripherals [6E400001-B5A3-F393-E0A9-E50E24DCCA9E, 2E938FD0-6A61-11ED-A1EB-0242AC120002] and devices ["5FE04CBB"]
⚡️ TO JS {"value":"scanning started"}
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.
Voice Control Disabling System Services After Reboot
I recently learned from Apple Accessibility Support that the issue I’m experiencing with Voice Control is now affecting multiple users. When I first reported the problem, I appeared to be the first case—what you might call “patient zero.” I have provided extensive feedback and system logs, but now that the issue is more widespread, I have been told that I will not be informed of the cause or notified directly when a fix is found. Instead, updates will be released as solutions are identified, and support staff will not necessarily know the details of the underlying problem.
To summarize my experience: after enabling Voice Control and rebooting my MacBook Pro (14.2-inch, M4 chip), critical Apple system services—including FaceTime, Apple Music, and News—stop functioning. Dictation remains available, but it is not as accurate or effective for my needs as Voice Control. I rely on these accessibility features daily due to my disability and cerebral palsy, and this issue has persisted for over five months.
I have always valued contributing to the developer program and supporting Apple’s efforts to improve accessibility. However, I find it discouraging that there is no clear communication about the status of this issue or its resolution. My theory is that there may be a hardware interaction—perhaps between the neural engine and the new Wi-Fi chip—rather than a purely software problem.
I understand that some information may not be immediately available, but I believe that users who rely on accessibility features should be kept informed about major issues and their progress toward resolution. I appreciate the dedication of the accessibility and development teams, and I want to continue supporting Apple’s mission of inclusion. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Donald Spencer Kirby
Dayton, Ohio
This has been an ongoing issue and continues in Tahoe. When dictating into Gmail in Safari, whole portions of sentences are copy and pasted, making the text a mess. I have reported this in feedback for a couple years, and it has never been resolved.
Topic:
Accessibility & Inclusion
SubTopic:
General
The issue is, I cannot auto acquire bluetooth keyboard focus in PHPickerViewController after enabling 'Full Keyboard Access' in my IPhone 14 with iOS version 18.3.1. The keyboard focus in PHPickerViewController will show, however, after I tapped on the blank space of the PHPickerViewController. How to make the focus on at the first place then?
I'm using UINavigationController and calling setNavigationBarHidden(true, animated: false). Then I use this controller to present PHPickerViewController using some configuration setup below.
self.configuration = PHPickerConfiguration()
configuration.filter = .any(of: filters)
configuration.selectionLimit = selectionLimit
if #available(iOS 15.0, *), allowOrdering {
configuration.selection = .ordered
}
configuration.preferredAssetRepresentationMode = .current
Finally I set the delegate to PHPickerViewController and call UINavigationController.present(PHPickerViewController, animated: true) to render it.
Also I notice animation showing in first video then disappear.
I have a UIImageView as the background of a custom UIView subclass. The image itself does not contain any text. On top of this image view, I have added two UILabels.
To improve accessibility, I converted the entire view into a single accessibility element and set a proper accessibilityLabel. Additionally, I disabled accessibility for the UIImageView and the labels by setting isAccessibilityElement = false.
However, when VoiceOver's Accessibility Recognition's Text Recognition feature is enabled, VoiceOver still detects and announces the text inside the UILabels at the end after reading my custom accessibility properties. This text should not be announced.
It seems that VoiceOver treats the UILabel content as part of the UIImageView. Additionally, when using the Explore Image rotor action, the entire subview is recognized as a single image.
Is this the expected behavior? If so, is there a way to disable VoiceOver’s text recognition for this view while keeping custom accessibility intact?
class BackgroundLabelView: UIView {
private let backgroundImageView = UIImageView()
private let backgroundImageView2 = UIImageView()
private let titleLabel = UILabel()
private let subtitleLabel = UILabel()
override init(frame: CGRect) {
super.init(frame: frame)
setupView()
}
required init?(coder: NSCoder) {
super.init(coder: coder)
setupView()
configureAceesibility()
}
private func configureAceesibility() {
backgroundImageView.isAccessibilityElement = false
backgroundImageView2.isAccessibilityElement = false
titleLabel.isAccessibilityElement = false
subtitleLabel.isAccessibilityElement = false
isAccessibilityElement = true
accessibilityTraits = .button
}
func configure(backgroundImage: UIImage?, title: String, subtitle: String) {
backgroundImageView.image = backgroundImage
titleLabel.text = title
subtitleLabel.text = subtitle
accessibilityLabel = "Holiday Offer ," + title + "," + subtitle
}
private func setupView() {
backgroundImageView2.contentMode = .scaleAspectFill
backgroundImageView2.clipsToBounds = true
backgroundImageView2.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
backgroundImageView2.image = UIImage(resource: .bannerfestival)
addSubview(backgroundImageView2)
backgroundImageView.contentMode = .scaleAspectFit
backgroundImageView.clipsToBounds = true
backgroundImageView.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
addSubview(backgroundImageView)
titleLabel.font = UIFont.systemFont(ofSize: 18, weight: .bold)
titleLabel.textColor = .white
titleLabel.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
titleLabel.numberOfLines = 0
addSubview(titleLabel)
subtitleLabel.font = UIFont.systemFont(ofSize: 14, weight: .regular)
subtitleLabel.textColor = .white.withAlphaComponent(0.8)
subtitleLabel.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
subtitleLabel.numberOfLines = 0
addSubview(subtitleLabel)
NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
backgroundImageView2.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: leadingAnchor),
backgroundImageView2.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: trailingAnchor),
backgroundImageView2.heightAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 200),
backgroundImageView.centerYAnchor.constraint(equalTo: centerYAnchor),
backgroundImageView.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: topAnchor),
backgroundImageView.leadingAnchor.constraint(greaterThanOrEqualTo: leadingAnchor),
backgroundImageView.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: trailingAnchor),
backgroundImageView.bottomAnchor.constraint(equalTo: bottomAnchor),
titleLabel.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: leadingAnchor, constant: 16),
titleLabel.trailingAnchor.constraint(lessThanOrEqualTo: centerXAnchor),
titleLabel.bottomAnchor.constraint(equalTo: centerYAnchor, constant: -4),
subtitleLabel.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: leadingAnchor, constant: 16),
subtitleLabel.trailingAnchor.constraint(lessThanOrEqualTo: centerXAnchor),
subtitleLabel.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: centerYAnchor, constant: 4)
])
}
override func layoutSubviews() {
super.layoutSubviews()
backgroundImageView.layer.cornerRadius = layer.cornerRadius
}
}
写了个自己用的app,在自己手机上测试中,隔一周左右就打不开了,显示不再可用。
ps.没花钱买开发者账号,app也不打算发布。
Topic:
Accessibility & Inclusion
SubTopic:
General
Haptic or Sound queue to allow for the accessibility of the blind (sound) and deaf population (haptic) for even knowing when location services and the camera were last used?
Also, the grey notification rather than the purple notification for location services should appear for the full 24 hours after an application has used the app, if the correct description is within the "copy" of Settings
The green light lets them know that the application has changed to the camera and fade out orange light both could even have subtle simply click sounds, like a
shutter, big haptic, softer sound, but editable in Settings, of course
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!
We use an embedded WKWebView for several screens in our app.
Recently, we have been testing keyboard navigation via Full Keyboard Access in our apps. On IOS 18, everything works pretty much as expected. On IOS 26, it does not.
On IOS 26, you can "tab" away from the webview and then never tab back to the webview for keyboard navigation.
Is this a known issue? Are there workarounds for this issue that anyone is aware of?
if you are on the tik tok website on safari, you are able to view a video that originally brought you to the website the from the search log, but if you want to click on another video listed on the website, it claims you need to use the app to go farther, and upon proceeding it just brings you to the App Store regardless if you have the app already or not , and you are unable to view the video displayed on the website without searching for it separately on the app.
Topic:
Accessibility & Inclusion
SubTopic:
General