From iOS 16 to 18: A Tale of Accessibility Woes!

As a sight impaired user who relies on VoiceOver for navigation and use of my IOS Device, I'm sharing my frustration with the ongoing accessibility issues on my iPhone 12. These problems have persisted since iOS 16 and have not been adequately addressed. In my recent email to Apple Accessibility, I detailed a number of specific issues that I've encountered. These problems significantly impact my ability to use my device effectively.

While I'm not complaining, I'm hopeful that by sharing my experiences, I can contribute to improving accessibility for other users. After countless hours of testing and documenting the problems, I finally decided to send Apple Accessibility a detailed report. This included step-by-step instructions on how to reproduce the bugs, video evidence, and a comprehensive list of my findings.

It's been a long road, balancing my full-time job, social commitments, and trying to get Apple's attention. I've sent individual reports in the past, but this time, I wanted to provide a consolidated overview of the challenges I've faced as a VoiceOver user. Please find a copy of the mail I sent them below, links to the screen recordings included in the mail body.

P.S. Links in this mail take you to YouTube (Open in new Tab) where I have recorded such accessibility issues; apologize for not having recorded/ captured all instances of the challenges.

Dear Apple Accessibility Team,

I am writing to report several accessibility issues I am experiencing on my iPhone 12 device after upgrading to iOS 18. Some of these issues have persisted from previous iOS versions, while others have emerged with the latest update.

Mail App Issues:

• When selecting text by line or word and using the rotor to navigate to the edit option, selecting "Share" often causes the Mail app to crash, returning me to the home screen. This occurs even after restarting the device and resetting all settings.

Application Switcher Issues:

• The application switcher frequently returns me to the home screen unexpectedly, making it difficult to interact with open apps. This behavior is inconsistent and can be frustrating.

VoiceOver Issues:

• VoiceOver focus randomly jumps to the status bar, disrupting my workflow.

• When automations are triggered, Siri's voice becomes choppy and unclear.

Shortcuts App Issues:

• Creating automations in the Shortcuts app can be challenging and often leads to unexpected behaviour.

• VoiceOver unnecessarily announces images under each automation, such as "Volume" or "Bluetooth," which can be distracting.

Photos App Issues:

• Customizing The Photos app has become challenging after upgrading to IOS 18. The reorder button under each item does not function, and dragging and dropping items is not possible.

Locked Screen Issues:

• I am unable to return missed calls by tapping on the notification on the locked screen. Instead, I am taken to the phone's home screen and must navigate to the contacts app to call the person back.

• Siri cannot turn on or off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi from the locked screen, even with the "Allow on locked screen" setting enabled.

• Sometimes, Siri responds with "Oops, something has gone wrong!" when I try to call someone or send a message from the locked screen.

Phone application issues:

When trying to add mail address for contact the field label defaults to Phone OR something else. Does not default to Email.

I hope these issues can be addressed in future updates to improve the accessibility of iOS 18 for users like myself who rely on assistive technologies. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Mister Kayne

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