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

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User interface in Ainu.
I have mulling over this for many years ,Uralic and Siberian language user interface Support.Ainu of Japan is only supported by writing roman and rendering into Katakana with a few small modified characters there is no user interface ,spell,grammar checker,dictionary ,translator ,of course the Ainu has few terms in modern vocabulary but Iam studying the language in order to find words and coin new ones, iPhone hoomi-ye-p electric speak thing. I am looking for other peple who have the same idea.
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1.3k
Dec ’16
Having trouble with Accessibility API of the ApplicationServices framework
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?
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765
Aug ’21
VoiceOver and currency - high amounts
I’ve noticed that the VoiceOver reads currency amounts correctly when they are below thousand. Then, for higher amounts, for example 12.225,34 € VoiceOver reads ‘twelve point two two five thirty four euros’ If the amount is formatted without the thousand separator (12225,34 €) this problem doesn’t exist. (VO reads twelve thousand two hundred and twenty five euros and thirty four cents) Why is the thousand separator a problem for VoiceOver if this formatting is coming from the currency and locale? This issue exists in English. I changed my device language to Italian and German and in both cases the number was read correctly even with the separator. Is there a way to make it work in English?
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2.2k
Nov ’22
¿How do I make Siri announce the local currency on notifications?
I'm currently testing the announce notifications feature and I can't seem to find out how to make Siri read aloud the current currency instead of dollars. My locale is es-CL (Chile). It uses the currency symbol $ and reads as Pesos locally or Chilean Pesos where the number 5000.1 is represented as 5.000,1 This is the notification content         let content = UNMutableNotificationContent()         content.body = "¡Has recibido un pago por $5.000!" Siri reads it aloud as "¡Has recibido un pago por 5.000 Dolares!" which translates to "You have received a payment for 5,000 Dollars", instead of the expected "¡Has recibido un pago por 5.000 Pesos!" -> "You have received a payment for 5,000 Pesos" I've tried changing the development region of the app, interpolating the string with NumberFormatter.localizedString(from: 5000, number: .currency), and with others styles( .currencyAccounting, .currencyISOCode and .currencyPlural) without good results. The last one seems to work buts it's not ideal since it outputs "5.000 pesos chilenos" which gets read as "5 pesos chilenos" which is not the correct amount (bug), it's as is you're not on Chile and I personally prefer it to be a symbol instead of words. I'm testing with my device which is setup with the region "Chile" Could someone help me find a solution?
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1.3k
Jan ’23
xcstrings file in not being updated
I'm using Xcode 15.2 and have migrated my (macOS) project to use an xcstrings file a while back. Now when I check the xcstrings file, all items are marked as "stale". When I add new localized strings in code, they don't show up in the xcstrings file. The xcstrings file is built correctly (into .lproj/Localizable.strings) when building. Where can I check which source files are checked to update xcstrings status? "xcstringstool" appears to have a "sync" feature which reads "stringsdata" files, but there is no information in the xcstringstool help on where the stringsdata files come from. If I create a new project I can see a "stringsdata" file being generated for each source file in the intermediate build products folder.
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2.6k
Feb ’24
VoiceOver spells word letter by letter
We currently have an odd issue with VoiceOver spelling a word letter by letter while the same word is spoken as a whole for other items. The app is in German. I have a View in SwiftUI whose button traits are removed, then a label "Start Tab 1 von 5" is added. "Tab is spoken as a whole word here, all fine. If I change the label to "Tab-Schaltfläche" or for example "SimplyGo Tab 3 von 5", then "Tab" is spoken as "T A B", letter by letter. is there a way to force VoiceOver to speak it as a whole?
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1.2k
May ’24
Disabling New Hand Gesture Features in Vision Pro App on visionOS 2
Question: Hi everyone, I'm developing a Vision Pro app using the latest visionOS 2, and I've encountered some issues with the new hand gestures introduced in this update. My app is designed to display a UI element when a user's palm is detected. However, the new hand gestures for navigating key functions like Home View, Control Center, and adjusting the volume are interfering with my app's functionality. What I'm Trying to Achieve Detect when a user's palm is open and display a UI element. Ensure that my app's custom hand gestures are not disturbed by the new default gestures in visionOS 2. Problem The new hand gestures in visionOS 2 (such as those for Home View, Control Center, and volume adjustment) are activating while my app is open, causing disruptions to my app's functionality. I want to disable these system-level gestures when my app is running.
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1.9k
Jun ’24
AccessibilityUIServer has microphone locked
Just installed iOS 18 Beta 3. I am seeing my AccessibilityUIServer using the microphone and this is causing no notification sounds, inability to use Siri by voice and volume is grayed out. If I start to play anything with sound AccessibilityUIServer releases the microphone and I am able to use the app. Calls still work since AccessibilityUIServer will release and the phone will ring. Feed back ID is FB14241838.
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6.2k
Jul ’24
iOS 18 open settings URLs
A lot of apps use undocumented App-prefs URLs to help users get to the iOS Settings screen needed to set up the app. In iOS 18, it seems like these all stopped working. Here are the ones I currently use: App-prefs:MESSAGES - broken in iOS 18 Used for SMS Protection. App-prefs:Phone - broken in iOS 18 Used for Live Voicemail, Silence Unknown Callers, and SMS Reporting. Some but not most paths have specific documented replacements. E.g. for Call Blocking & Identification you can use CXCallDirectoryManager.sharedInstance.openSettings() and this still works in iOS 18. But I don't see any other direct replacements. Apple probably doesn't consider this a bug but I filed FB14378568 anyway. I consider this an accessibility issue because many older, inexperienced, or users with disabilities have trouble finding the right Settings screen based on a textual description alone.
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13k
Jul ’24
Unreliable Accessibility API behavior when interacting with Microsoft Teams app
I'm developing a macOS app that interacts with Microsoft Teams using the Accessibility API. I've noticed inconsistent behavior when querying UI elements, particularly for the mute button. My queries often fail, while system tools like VoiceOver can consistently access these elements (which are visible on the screen). In some cases, it works well, but in others, the UI elements are not visible from my code. When I try Accessibility Inspector, it also initially fails to inspect. However, the Inspector seems to have some "magical" power that, when I run it or via AX audit, appears to refresh the AX tree, and then my code occasionally works as well. Given that VoiceOver can consistently read the screen, I assume the issue is not with the Microsoft Teams app itself (assuming it's based on Electron/React). I am mentioning this, because when I interact with Zoom app, reading the mute status from the app's menu bar, its 100% working anytime. What would you recommend I try or explore to improve reliability? Can I refresh the apps' AX tree from my end from swift? Is that a bug in AX API or even in Microsoft Teams? (have ready example and demo video, but it does not let me upload here)
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587
Sep ’24
Not able to capture individual elements on the home screen of iOS17 device with xCode 15.4 and appium2
Hello Team, I am not able to capture any elements on physical iPad device in Landscape mode. Elements appear to be offset. I suspect it considers the screen in Portrait mode even though it’s in landscape mode. I am using below devices: iPAD(10th generation) - iOS 17.6.1 Xcode - 15.4 Appium - 2.11.3 Xcuitest to 7.26.0 Note - I am able to capture the elements in the portrait mode on ipad Could you please help me or provide any inputs on this ?
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454
Sep ’24
Expose ContextMenu as annoucable
I have a list of items that have swipe actions that I'd like to hide from accessibility and make actions available via the AccessibilityActions modifier. Additionally, I would like to make the contextMenu annoucable as an action. This behavior exists in the Apple Podcasts app but can't find out to do it in SwiftUI. If the users knows to use the triple-tap, they can activate the context menu but have it as an action of the element is even better.
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548
Sep ’24
2.0 System Controls In Immersive Space
How do I enable the system hand controls within an immersive space? I have an ImmersiveScene and would like to enable the new 2.0 system controls like the home button and volume slider. ImmersiveSpace(id: appModel.immersiveSpaceID) { ImmersiveView() } .immersionStyle(selection: .constant(.full), in: .full) .upperLimbVisibility(.visible) While I can see my hands and arms in this view, I cannot get the "New Hand Gestures" to show up when on visionOS 2.0. When I leave the immersive space, they appear.
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674
Sep ’24
Disable Inappropriate Content Warnings in Writing Tools
I’ve noticed that the writing tools frequently display content warnings for certain topics, often more than seems necessary, and I would love to see a way to disable them in my app. Specifically, I have encountered many situations where mentioning LGBTQ topics triggers a content warning and temporarily blocks the user, while similar mentions of heterosexual topics do not. For example: Triggers Content Warning: “I’ve been listening to this song on repeat yesterday and today haha. It’s really nice that it’s about being homosexual ~u~” “I’ve been listening to this song on repeat yesterday and today haha. It’s really nice that it’s about being *** ~u~” Does Not Trigger Content Warning: “I’ve been listening to this song on repeat yesterday and today haha. It’s really nice that it’s about being heterosexual ~u~” “I’ve been listening to this song on repeat yesterday and today haha. It’s really nice that it’s about being straight ~u~” This inconsistency not only introduces unnecessary friction when discussing diverse topics but may also inadvertently suggest that LGBTQ topics are inappropriate or immoral. Such an implication could be harmful to many users, especially young adults, by reinforcing negative perceptions of LGBTQ issues. I believe it’s important for the AI writing tools to handle all topics equitably to promote inclusivity and diversity. And would love to be able to disable these warnings in my app. here’s a video showcasing the example prompts above: https://share.icloud.com/photos/0bdGPxy2xmGZT2ildAU4ThERQ
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530
Sep ’24
IPad OS18
since having updated my iPad with subject title update, I can no longer type French accents with my magic keyboard. The toggle between English and French is there, the actual key type is no longer available.
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427
Sep ’24