I’m currently exploring VoiceOver accessibility in iOS and looking for the best way to reduce the number of swipes required to navigate a UITableView. I’ve come across a couple of potential solutions but am unsure which is preferred.
Solution 1: Grouping Subviews in Each Cell
Combine all subviews inside a UITableViewCell into a single accessibility element.
Provide a concise and meaningful accessibilityLabel.
Use custom actions (UIAccessibilityCustomAction) or accessibilityActivationPoint to handle interactions on specific elements within the cell.
Solution 2: Using UIAccessibilityContainerDataTableCell & UIAccessibilityContainerDataTable
Implement UIAccessibilityContainerDataTable for structured table navigation.
Make each cell conform to UIAccessibilityContainerDataTableCell, defining its row and column positions.
However, I’m finding this approach a bit complex, and I need guidance on properly implementing these protocols.
Additionally, in my case, VoiceOver is not navigating to Section 2—I’m not sure why.
Questions:
Which of these approaches is generally preferred for better VoiceOver navigation?
How do I properly implement UIAccessibilityContainerDataTable so that all sections and rows are navigable?
Any best practices or alternative recommendations?
Would really appreciate any insights or guidance!
Explore best practices for creating inclusive apps for users of Apple accessibility features and users from diverse backgrounds.
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I wrote this in the regular forums and they deleted it and told me to write it here because it was dealing with unreleased software. I read that Launchpad is disappearing in Tahoe and I have real concerns about that. For me, that is an accessibility issue. I have both memory problems and scanning problems. So having my apps organized into categories is extremely important to me. Just today I needed to find an app that I didn't remember the name of and I rarely use, but when I need it, it is important to me. Just to see if I could find it without launchpad, I scanned my applications folder and I couldn't find it. I went to launchpad and to the category I knew it was in and it was right there, easy for me to find. Please don't take away our organization options.
When I am doing a file search, in TextEdit, and on certain webistes the space bar will quit functioning as soon as i start typing. If I hold down the "Option" key it allows the space bar to work as normal. I have checked every setting I can think of and nothing has helped.
Topic:
Accessibility & Inclusion
SubTopic:
General
Hello,
I have the following problem. I’m developing a NoCode app using the FlutterFlow platform and have been working on it for over a year.
This time, after publishing a new version of the app through FlutterFlow, I tried logging into Apple Store Connect, but I got an error saying that I had made too many login attempts and needed to try again later. However, I hadn’t attempted to log in before that at all.
No matter how long I wait—24 hours, 48 hours—the same error keeps appearing, meaning I still can’t access my account. Apple Support hasn’t responded for 4 days, and in total, I’ve been locked out of my account for over 9 days.
Please help me understand what might be causing this issue. Apple Store Connect refuses to send me an SMS with the login code.
Topic:
Accessibility & Inclusion
SubTopic:
General
Hi,
I've wrapped AVRoutePickerView in SwiftUI using pretty much the code given here, with a few changes:
func makeUIView(context: Context) -> UIView {
let routePickerView = AVRoutePickerView()
// Configure the button's color.
//routePickerView.delegate = context.coordinator
//routePickerView.backgroundColor = .secondarySystemBackground
routePickerView.tintColor = .accent
routePickerView.activeTintColor = .accent
// Indicate whether your app prefers video content.
routePickerView.prioritizesVideoDevices = false
return routePickerView
}
I commented out routePickerView.delegate = context.coordinator because it doesn't compile; context.coordinator is of type Void and I'm not sure how to fix that. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with the issue.
Anyway, this works fine without VoiceOver; if I tap the button, I get the AirPlay popover. But in VoiceOver, if I select the button and double-tap, nothing happens… it just reads the button's accessibilityLabel again. How can I get the AirPlay popover to show in VoiceOver?
When my macOS Cocoa app displays a modal alert with beginSheetModal(for:completionHandler:), VoiceOver sometimes seems to focus on an "illegal" upper level, where any attempts at navigation will give the unhelpful response "Alert, dialog", until you "drill down" with VO + shift + down or switch apps. After that, things will work as expected.
Is this a known bug? Does it happen to anybody else, or am I doing something wrong?
Hello everyone,
I’d like to report an issue I’ve encountered when using a Bluetooth mouse together with AssistiveTouch on iPhone running iOS 16.5.
This has also been reported via Feedback Assistant with
Feedback ID: FB17806167
Description:
When using a Bluetooth mouse together with AssistiveTouch on iPhone (iOS), the pointer behaves incorrectly in landscape orientation.
Specifically:
The pointer cannot move past the center of the screen
Horizontal and vertical (X/Y) movements appear to be swapped or misaligned
Natural movement of the pointer is not possible
It seems as if the internal coordinate mapping remains locked in portrait orientation, even when the device is physically rotated to landscape.
This issue occurs system-wide, regardless of the current app. It is observable in Settings, on the Home screen, and in third-party apps.
Steps to Reproduce:
Enable AssistiveTouch
Connect a Bluetooth mouse to the iPhone
Rotate the device to landscape orientation
Try moving the mouse pointer across the screen
→ Notice that:
Pointer cannot move past the center
Horizontal/vertical input is interpreted incorrectly (as if still in portrait)
Expected Behavior:
The mouse pointer should move across the entire screen correctly, regardless of device orientation.
Actual Behavior:
In landscape orientation, the pointer is either restricted to part of the screen or misaligned.
It behaves as if the device is still in portrait.
Horizontal mouse movement causes vertical pointer movement, and vice versa
User experience feels broken and unintuitive
Feature Suggestion:
Please improve the synchronization between physical device orientation and AssistiveTouch pointer mapping on iOS.
I also suggest exposing AssistiveTouch orientation control via a public API, so developers can help maintain consistent pointer behavior.
Thanks in advance for any insights or suggestions.
Best regards,
Jannis
In our application we are using UITableView for data population and that TableView cell contains a button. When we are enabling full keyboard access that time only TableView cell is focusing not the button. We need to focus on cell and button differently.
i have updated to the ipados 26 and my pointer is still the circle one and not the arrow cursor
Topic:
Accessibility & Inclusion
SubTopic:
General
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 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?
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.
Topic:
Accessibility & Inclusion
SubTopic:
General
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
My team is designing an app for retail associates that need to share managed iPads. We keep the app in Guided Access mode on our login app until an auth token is obtained. Then the iPad is opened for general use. Upon signout we need to re-enter guided access mode and we can do this via manual signout easily. But with idle signout, ie after 60 minutes of inactivity, we need to be able to make a call from the background (in a locked state even) and sign out the user, clear the pin code and enter single app mode before restarting. So that hopefully once the device restarts, we have the app in a locked state again until the next user provides credentials that can obtain a new auth token.
We are struggling to see if this is even possible. Our bosses will be displeased if we tell them it isn't. So anybody with any tips would be very appreciated.
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!
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
Say I have a UI element that moves on the screen. Is it possible to update its accessibility frame as it moves while VoiceOver is focused on it? From my tests, VoiceOver ignores UIAccessibilityLayoutChangedNotification if it's sent repeatedly in a short period of time on iOS, while sending NSAccessibilityLayoutChangedNotification on macOS triggers VoiceOver to reannounce the focused element repeatedly.
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?
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
}
}
Hello,
the AVSpeechSynthesisVoice has a audioFileSettings attributes
let utterance = AVSpeechUtterance(string: text)
utterance.voice = AVSpeechSynthesisVoice(identifier: voiceSelected!)
print("- voice \(utterance.voice!.audioFileSettings)")
["AVLinearPCMIsBigEndianKey": 0, "AVLinearPCMIsFloatKey": 1, "AVLinearPCMIsNonInterleaved": 1, "AVNumberOfChannelsKey": 1, "AVSampleRateKey": 22050, "AVFormatIDKey": 1819304813, "AVLinearPCMBitDepthKey": 32]
This is declared in
AVSpeechSynthesisVoice {
...
@available(iOS 13.0, *)
open var **audioFileSettings:** [String : Any] { get }
@available(iOS 17.0, *)
open var voiceTraits: AVSpeechSynthesisVoice.Traits { get }
}
How can we specify the audioFileSettings attributes in a AVSpeechSynthesisProviderVoice ?
Cause in AVSpeechSynthesisProviderVoice there is no such field
AVSpeechSynthesisProviderVoice {
open var name: String { get }
open var identifier: String { get }
open var primaryLanguages: [String] { get }
open var supportedLanguages: [String] { get }
open var voiceSize: Int64
open var version: String
open var gender: AVSpeechSynthesisVoiceGender
open var age: Int
}
Regards
Topic:
Accessibility & Inclusion
SubTopic:
General