Explore best practices for creating inclusive apps for users of Apple accessibility features and users from diverse backgrounds.

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Seeking API Support for Marking Substrings as Headings in NSTextView for VoiceOver
I'm developing a document editor for macOS using AppKit, which supports structured content such as titles and multiple heading levels—similar to what you see in the Pages app. I'm looking for a way to programmatically mark a specific substring within an NSTextView as a heading, so that VoiceOver can recognize it and announce it appropriately (e.g., by saying “heading” before reading the text). This would be similar in spirit to how NSAccessibilityLinkTextAttribute works for links. Is there an existing accessibility text attribute or recommended approach to achieve this behavior for headings? If not, I’d appreciate any guidance or suggestions on how best to implement this in a VoiceOver-friendly way. Thank you in advance for your help! Best regards,
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100
May ’25
"illegal character encoding in string literal" warnings in Xcode
Good day! I have a long-term project ported all the way up from old Think C through many versions of Xcode. Its source files are encoded in "Western (Mac OS Roman)". Some of my error messages have characters outside the straight ASCII character set (i.e. "å"). The editor correctly displays these, but I get plenty of Illegal Character warnings and the messages do not display properly. I imagine there's a way to have seperate files of localized text for internationalized applications, but I am the only end-user of this application, and it used to just plain work in earlier Xcode versions. Furthermore, there must be developers throughout Europe who use such characters in string literals, just typing in their native languages, straight off their keyboards. I was thinking that there must be a Clang setting or something, but have been unable to find it, and an internet search turns up no solution except to cumbersomely escape each individual character. I can't imagine that a French programmer does that every time they want to type "è", "é", or "à"! Any help? (Disclaimer: I'm an English speaker and only use such characters whimsically, but want to keep them for legacy's sake.) Thanks.... p.s. using Xcode 15.3, and under Settings->Text Editing->Editing, "Western (Mac OS Roman)" is already selected as the default text encoding with "Convert existing files on save" checked.
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Jun ’25
How to force VoiceOver to read decimal point even when there are 6 or more decimal digits?
When VoiceOver reads decimal numbers with six or more digits after the decimal, it stops announcing the decimal separator and also adds pauses between each digit. Text("0.12345") // VoiceOver: "zero **point** one two three four five" Text("0.123456") // VoiceOver: "zero one, two, three, four, five, six" How can I force VoiceOver to announce the decimal separator ("point") and not insert pauses regardless of the number of decimal digits?
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Jun ’25
Defining boundaries of inline dialogs for VO users
Hello, I had submitted a question to clarify which components have accessibility APIs that trigger haptics for VoiceOver users https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/773182. The question stems from perhaps a more direct question about specific components: do tablists and disclosures natively intend to include haptics or screen reader hint or other state or properties to indicate to screen reader users where the component begins or ends? In some web experiences there are screen reader hint text stating "end of..." or "entering" as a way to define the boundaries of these inline dialogs. I had asked about haptics in the prior thread because I do not recall natively implemented version of this except in some haptic cues but have not experienced them consistently so I am not sure if that is an intended native Swift implementation or perhaps something custom.
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May ’25
Unable to Grant Input Monitoring Permission via MDM
I am trying to grant Input Monitoring permission using MDM (Mobile Device Management), but I am facing issues. While I am able to deny the permission, I am unable to grant it. In some profile configurator tools, I noticed a note stating: "Allows the application to use CoreGraphics and HID APIs to listen to (receive) CGEvents and HID events from all processes. Access to these events cannot be given in a profile; it can only be denied." This seems to suggest that granting Input Monitoring permission via an MDM profile may not be possible. Has anyone successfully granted Input Monitoring permission using MDM, or is there an alternative way to achieve this on managed macOS devices?
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467
Feb ’25
Critical Bug: Children Can Disable Screen Time Apps Like Choreio Without Parental ApprovalI
Dear Apple Support, I am reporting a critical issue affecting parental control apps like my app, Choreio, which is live on the App Store. When Screen Time settings are configured to require a parent’s password for changes, parents must log in on their child’s device to make any adjustments. This restriction is expected to extend to apps using the Screen Time API, such as Choreio. However, I’ve discovered a significant bug: children can bypass this restriction by simply toggling off Choreio in the Screen Time settings—without needing the parent’s password. This effectively disables the app and defeats its purpose as a parental control tool. Please address this issue as soon as possible to ensure the intended functionality of parental controls. Let me know if you need any additional information to assist with resolving this. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Best regards, Jeff Houston STEPS TO REPRODUCE Here are the steps to reproduce the issue clearly: Install Choreio from the App Store on the child’s phone. Enable parental controls in Screen Time and set it to require the parent’s password for any changes to Screen Time settings. Go to the Screen Time settings on the child’s phone. Observe that the child can simply toggle off Choreio, effectively deactivating the app, without needing the parent’s password. Expected behavior: Toggling off Choreio should require the parent’s password, just like it does for other Screen Time settings. Let me know if additional details are needed!
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Feb ’25
DUNS Number
Hello, I’m in the process of enrolling my business (Carzo Rent A Car, Prishtine, Kosovo) in the Apple Developer Program, but I have been waiting for my D-U-N-S number to be issued. I submitted the request to Dun & Bradstreet on July 28, 2025 (Case #9142648) and have only received a system-generated email with a tracking ID (#9086421). There has been no further update. My questions are: Is there a way for Apple to expedite or provisionally approve my enrollment while the D-U-N-S number is pending? How long does Apple typically wait for D&B updates before the enrollment is affected? Are there any alternative steps I can take to avoid further delays? Thank you for your guidance.
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Jul ’25
When using UIScrollView and UITextView together, inserting a link causes the following text to disappear.
Since UITextView does not support the zoom function, the zoom function of UITextView with addSubview is used in UIScrollView. However, when I use the link here, the text behind it is missing. Ex) https://appstoreconnect.apple.com/login\nApple Developer Login -> The text “Apple Developer Login” does not appear. If anyone has experienced the same problem as me or knows a solution, please leave a comment. Note) It is working normally in iOS16, but the text behind the link disappears in iOS18. The text is not visible, but you can copy it and paste it to retrieve the missing text.
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243
Feb ’25
WhatsApp not showing in Apple Carplay in iOS 18.X
I bought a new iPhone 16 recently and connected with my car (Hyundai Venue) I couldn't able to see WhatsApp. I researched and found some forum, but the suggested steps are not workable or not suitable for latest iOS version. I have updated iOS and WhatsApp, nothing helped to resolve. Note: Earlier I was used Pixel phone I can able to see Whatsapp and I can make a call
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Jan ’25
A Summary of the WWDC25 Group Lab - Accessibility
A Summary of the WWDC25 Group Lab - Accessibility At WWDC25 we launched a new type of Lab event for the developer community - Group Labs. A Group Lab is a panel Q&A designed for a large audience of developers. Group Labs are a unique opportunity for the community to submit questions directly to a panel of Apple engineers and designers. Here are the highlights from the WWDC25 Group Lab for Accessibility. Accessibility Nutrition Labels are a really big step forward for the experience people have on the App Store to find apps that will work for them. How should developers get started with Accessibility Nutrition Labels? A good starting point is to review the Accessibility Nutrition Label evaluation criteria on App Store Connect Help. It's a concise document, roughly 10 pages, and you can approach it section by section after the introduction. Even with prior experience using accessibility features like VoiceOver, the criteria offer valuable insights that might not be immediately apparent. For those newer to accessibility, a good entry point might be one of the visual feature labels, such as Dark Interface, which is a popular and frequently used feature. Which accessibility features can I indicate support for in Accessibility Nutrition Labels? The accessibility features covered include support for assistive technologies like VoiceOver and Voice Control, media enhancements such as captions and audio descriptions, and display accommodations. These display accommodations cover options like larger text, dark interface, differentiating without color alone, sufficient contrast, and reduced motion. With the new Accessibility Nutrition Labels, will app store reviewers validate what we select? The Accessibility Nutrition Label can be edited at any time without requiring a new app submission. However, if an app inaccurately claims feature support, App Review may contact the developer and request an update to the label or the app. Are there any updates to tools for analyzing the accessibility of our apps? Although there aren't new updates this year, continued support for Accessibility Audits is available through Xcode's built-in Accessibility Inspector. XCTest also supports accessibility audits, enabling developers to test app accessibility with every build. These audits analyze aspects like contrast, dynamic type, text clipping, element labels, and more within each view. For a deeper dive, the "Perform accessibility audits for your app" session from WWDC 2023 is a valuable resource. What are accessibility features you wish more people integrated? Accessibility features encompassing user input labels optimized for voice control, keyboard navigation and shortcuts, and dynamic type support could be more used to benefit users. What were some of the biggest accessibility challenges your team encountered while developing Liquid Glass? Apple is known for its innovation and strives to deliver a high-quality experience for everyone. Accessibility is considered a core component of visual design from the outset. For example, the Liquid Glass design inherently supports reduced transparency and increased contrast. As design continues to evolve, user feedback submitted through Feedback Assistant is invaluable. How does Liquid Glass respond to contrast? Especially for text and low contrast environments. Content legibility is a crucial aspect of the Liquid Glass design. It inherently supports accessibility features like reduced transparency and increased contrast. Your feedback during the beta period and beyond is essential to ensuring Liquid Glass provides a great experience within your apps. What are some Apple apps that stand out for their accessibility? Apps like Keynote in the iWork suite offer groundbreaking VoiceOver features to enhance creative productivity for all users. Assistive Access makes core apps such as Messages, Photos, Camera, Phone, and Music more accessible. Podcasts provides transcripts to broaden its reach, and frameworks like SwiftUI ensure that apps built with the latest UI frameworks have excellent built-in accessibility.
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Jul ’25
Handling VoiceOver Focus When Screen Changes (Push, Present, and SplitViewController)
I have some doubts about how VoiceOver handles focus when the screen updates. When a new UIViewController is pushed onto a UINavigationController or presented modally, how does VoiceOver decide which element to focus on? Is there a way to control or customize this behavior? In a UISplitViewController, when an item is selected in the primary view controller, the focus should shift to the relevant content in the secondary view controller. How can we ensure that VoiceOver correctly moves focus to the right element in the secondary panel?
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138
Apr ’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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441
Sep ’25
Apple greets Global Accessibility Awareness Day with severe accessibility violations on macOS
I'm reposting here my FB17602742, submitted yesterday: The strong wording of this message comes from years of Apple ignoring the needs of users who can't tolerate UI animations and convulsions. At this point, it's clear that Apple is either intentionally harming users like me or simply doesn't care about meeting even the most basic accessibility standards on macOS. Yes, many UI animations and convulsions can, fortunately, be disabled - but not through straightforward UI controls. Instead, users are forced to look for obscure Terminal commands found scattered across the Internet. The "Reduce motion" checkbox in System Settings is simply a fake control that doesn't do anything - instead of actually disabling all UI animations and convulsions. What's worse, two of the most offensive UI animations cannot be disabled at all. Apple has consistently dismissed requests to let users disable the following UI animations: Scroll bar rollover highlight effect (introduced on macOS 10.7.3). Every time the cursor passes over a scroll bar, it gets highlighted. This draws the user's attention to random scroll bars for no reason - just because the cursor happened to pass over them. It results in HUNDREDS of unnecessary, annoying events of distraction daily!
 Expand/collapse animation of NSOutlineView (e.g., when opening/closing folders in the list view in the Finder, or any other app using outline views). This animation is extremely distracting, irritating, and time-wasting. Global Accessibility Awareness Day is approaching. Dear Apple, Please adhere to the most basic accessibility standards. Stop the needless suffering of countless users like me. Let us disable the two aforementioned UI convulsions. Thank you for your attention to the issue.
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May ’25
Keyboard navigation not working in native iOS Wallet interface
Hi guys, I'm facing an issue with the native interface to add a card into the wallet - does someone have some ideas on how to fix/work around that? STEPS TO REPRODUCE: Disable VoiceOver (Settings → Accessibility → VoiceOver → Off). Connect and confirm that you can navigate other iOS interfaces using an external keyboard. In any app, present a PKAddPassesViewController with a valid .pkpass file. When the Wallet “Add Pass” sheet appears, attempt to navigate using only the external keyboard (Tab/Arrow/Enter). Observe that focus does not move to the Cancel or Add buttons, and no elements receive keyboard focus. EXPECTED RESULT: All interactive elements in PKAddPassesViewController (e.g., Cancel and Add) should be fully keyboard accessible without requiring VoiceOver. Users should be able to navigate, select, and complete actions using only a hardware keyboard. ACTUAL RESULT: Keyboard navigation is not possible. No elements receive focus. Users cannot activate Cancel or Add buttons using keyboard input. The only way to interact is by touch or enabling VoiceOver, which does not satisfy keyboard accessibility requirements. IMPACT: Violates WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard Accessible). Prevents keyboard-only users (including users with motor disabilities) from adding passes to Wallet. Affects users of external keyboards who rely on tab/arrow navigation. Creates an inconsistent accessibility experience compared to other iOS system modals.
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1.4k
Aug ’25
IOS18 Crash
At present, in iOS, if using the in-house app, there may be crashes in the new iOS 18.3 and later versions, but it works normally on other phones and the certificate is not problematic. A total of 3 machines were found, and there was no pattern between the machines and the system, with different models and versions. We tested it on a machine that crashes, but the app downloaded from the store doesn't. If the same app is packaged and installed directly in the development tool, it will crash. Is this related to compatibility with the new version of IOS? Is there a solution? Do others also have relevant situations?
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Jun ’25
My Enrollment is being processed for long time
Hello, I’m reaching out regarding an issue with our organization’s Apple Developer Program enrollment. We’ve successfully created a developer account and our organization is verified through the D-U-N-S system. The D-U-N-S ID is correctly displayed in our Apple Developer account. However, the enrollment status still shows: “Your enrollment is being processed.” It’s been 3 months, and we haven’t received any further communication or updates. Has anyone experienced a similar delay? Is there anything else we should do to expedite the process? Any guidance or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,
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Oct ’25
How to Enable Group Navigation Behavior for Custom Views in VoiceOver?
In VoiceOver, when using Group Navigation style, the cursor first focuses on the semantic group. To navigate inside the group, a two-finger swipe (left or right) can be used. This behavior works for default containers like the Navigation Bar, Tab Bar, and Tool Bar. How can I achieve the same behavior for a custom view? I tried setting accessibilityContainerType = .semanticGroup, but it only works for Mac Catalyst. Is there an equivalent approach for iOS?
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410
Mar ’25