Video examples

iOS Voiceover

Android Talkback

iOS

Developer notes

  • Headings give the screen reader user context of the sections on the screen at a glance. By using the Rotor, the screen reader user can navigate just by headings for this quick glance, if it is coded correctly.
  • A heading should describe a section, not just look like a heading because it is large or bold font.
  • The title of a screen should announce as a heading by default
  • Text can announce as a heading as well as a button
  • Following Apple’s guidelines for font sizes for headings, the maximum size for the larger size heading may be less than 200%
  • iOS supports multiple heading levels through the accessibility API; however, we recommend continuing to use the default heading level as noted below.

Accessibility Trait

  • UIKit

  • Use isHeader: AccessibilityTraits

  • SwiftUI
  • Use .accessibilityAddTraits(.isHeader)

Focus

  • Use the device’s default focus functionality.

  • Initial focus on a screen should land in a logical place, such as back button, screen title, first text field, or first heading.

  • UIKit
    • If VoiceOver is not reaching a particular element, set the element’s isAccessibilityElement to true
      • Note: You may need to adjust the programmatic name, role, state, and/or value after doing this, as this action may overwrite previously configured accessibility.
    • Use accessibilityViewIsModal to contain the screen reader focus inside the modal.
    • To move screen reader focus to newly revealed content, use UIAccessibility.post(notification:argument:) that takes in .screenChanged and the newly revealed content as the parameter arguments.
    • To NOT move focus, but dynamically announce new content: use UIAccessibility.post(notification:argument:) that takes in .announcement and the announcement text as the parameter arguments.
    • UIAccessibilityContainer protocol: Have a table of elements that defines the reading order of the elements.
  • SwiftUI
    • For general focus management that impacts both screen readers and non-screen readers, use the property wrapper @FocusState to assign an identity of a focus state.
      • Use the property wrapper @FocusState in conjunction with the view modifier focused(_:) to assign focus on a view with @FocusState as the source of truth.
      • Use the property wrapper @FocusStatein conjunction with the view modifier focused(_:equals:) to assign focus on a view, when the view is equal to a specific value.
    • To move screen reader focus to open or close custom dialogs, use .accessibilityFocused
    • If necessary, use property wrapper @AccessibilityFocusState to assign identifiers to specific views to manually shift focus from one view to another as the user interacts with the screen with VoiceOver on.

Announcement examples

  • “Categories, heading”

Android

Developer notes

  • Headings give the screen reader user context of the sections on the screen at a glance. By using the TalkBack Menu, the screen reader user can navigate just by headings for this quick glance, if it is coded correctly.
  • A heading should describe a section, not just look like a heading because it is large or bold font.
  • Text can announce as a heading as well as a button

Accessibility Trait

  • Android Views

  • android:accessibilityHeading

  • Jetpack Compose
  • Modifier.semantics { heading() }

Focus

  • Only manage focus when needed. Primarily, let the device manage default focus

  • Initial focus on a screen should land in a logical place (back button, screen title, first text field, first heading)

  • Android Views
    • importantForAccessibility makes the element visible to the Accessibility API
    • android:focusable
    • android=clickable
    • Implement an onClick( ) event handler for keyboard, as well as onTouch( )
    • nextFocusDown
    • nextFocusUp
    • nextFocusRight
    • nextFocusLeft
    • accessibilityTraversalBefore (or after)
    • To move screen reader focus to newly revealed content: Type_View_Focused
    • To NOT move focus, but dynamically announce new content: accessibilityLiveRegion(set to polite or assertive)
    • To hide controls: importantForAccessibility=false
    • For a ViewGroup, set screenReaderFocusable=true and each inner object’s attribute to keyboard focus (focusable=false)
  • Jetpack Compose
    • Modifier.focusTarget() makes the component focusable
    • Modifier.focusOrder() needs to be used in combination with FocusRequesters to define focus order
    • Modifier.onFocusEvent(), Modifier.onFocusChanged() can be used to observe the changes to focus state
    • FocusRequester allows to request focus to individual elements with in a group of merged descendant views
    • Example: To customize the focus events
      • step 1: define the focus requester prior. val (first, second) = FocusRequester.createRefs()
      • step 2: update the modifier to set the order. modifier = Modifier.focusOrder(first) { this.down = second }
      • focus order accepts following values: up, down, left, right, previous, next, start, end
      • step 3: use second.requestFocus() to gain focus

Announcement examples

  • “Categories, heading”