Update, 09/18/2025: Apple has confirmed they are aware of the issue some users are experiencing with a loss of VoiceOver speech in certain circumstances. A fix is on the way in a software update.
Important Update: Multiple AppleVis community members have reported loss of speech upon updating to iOS 26. (See: https://www.applevis.com/comment/195382#comment-195382 and https://www.applevis.com/comment/195385#comment-195385.) It is unclear to us if there are any common factors (such as use of a particular voice, etc.) that produce this situation. We will update this post if more information becomes available.
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 were released to the public on Monday, September 15, 2025. This post contains a summary of new bugs and fixes impacting VoiceOver and Braille support that we have independently validated during our use and testing of these releases.
The information contained in this post is compiled from our own use and testing of iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 during the beta period from June to September 2025; as well as from reports submitted by others through our Community Bug Program. Our sincere appreciation goes to everyone who so generously took the time to share their findings with us.
As is our routine practice, each bug in this post has been given a severity rating. These ratings are based upon what we believe to be the implications for accessing and using features and functionality for the average user; the level of impact on the overall user experience; and whether or not there is an effective workaround for the issue. However, as these ratings are subjective to an extent, it is very possible that they may not reflect your own opinion or use case. With this in mind, we strongly recommend reading this full post and any replies before updating to iOS 26 and iPadOS 26; as we believe this will help you make an informed decision on whether to install the software at the current time or to wait for a future release.
While we are confident in the status of issues contained in this post, we do not claim that our bug list is definitive or that our assessments are infallible. Some issues may manifest only under specific conditions; this is all the more likely as software continues to add more features and the number of devices, available configurations, and use cases in Apple's ecosystem continues to grow. You likely will not experience every bug that we list, and you likely will not agree with every severity rating for the bugs that you do experience. While we wish it were otherwise, this is to be expected. And as is the nature with all software, it is also likely that you will encounter issues that we did not experience during our own testing and daily use of these releases. This was certainly the case for us when attempting to validate reports received through the Community Bug Program. Just because we do not list an issue in this post does not mean it does not exist; it simply means that we are unaware of or were unable to independently validate it.
To ensure the information here is as complete and accurate as possible, we would appreciate input from those who have installed iOS 26 or iPadOS 26. Please confirm if you are encountering the same problems listed or if you have found workarounds. Please also let us know about any additional issues not mentioned here. Of course, it is even more important that you report any new bugs directly to Apple - they are already aware of the ones listed here. For an explanation of why and how to report bugs to Apple, see this post.
With all of the preamble out of the way, here are the new bugs for VoiceOver and Braille users which we have personally experienced and believe to be present in iOS 26 and iPadOS 26:
Serious Bugs
- In Braille Access, Live Captions does not work with FaceTime or FaceTime Audio calls. We are not aware of any workaround for this issue at this time.
Moderate Bugs
- When typing with a Perkins-style keyboard, typed characters are sometimes missed. In our experience, this happens most regularly in the Mail app. As a workaround, we recommend typing text in the Braille Notes app in Braille Access and then pasting them into the desired app. The Notes app also has shown to drop fewer characters in our testing.
- In WhatsApp, if VoiceOver is on, the Message Actions menu (which includes Reactions) disappears before it can be interacted with. We are listing this as an iOS 26 VoiceOver issue because it is not present on iOS 18. While some message actions are available through the VoiceOver Actions Rotor, we are not aware of a workaround for message reactions.
- When focusing on an episode on the homepage of the TV app and double-tapping to play it, that episode's context menu is revealed instead. To play the episode, select "Go to episode" from this menu, and then select an option under the "how to watch" heading.
- In the Games app, the buttons for individual games under the 'Continue Playing' heading are unlabeled.
- On occasions, custom VoiceOver labels that were previously deleted are re-added. We are not aware of any workaround for this issue at this time.
- On Occasions, VoiceOver Fails to Indicate the Presence of Notifications on the Lock Screen When the Device is Woken. The presentation of this issue is very inconsistent, with no user-discernable pattern or cause. In our experience, locking and re-waking the screen will usually work to have VoiceOver announce the presence of notifications if there are any; and notifications are also accessible by swiping through the Lock Screen.
Minor Bugs
- When using Braille Access, if no folders have been created, attempting to move a BRF file or braille note will crash the app. We recommend creating a folder prior to attempting to move a BRF file or braille note.
- When VoiceOver's Audio Ducking feature is enabled, Keyboard sounds do not play as expected when typing or deleting text. To regain keyboard sounds, disable Audio Ducking in Settings> Accessibility> VoiceOver> Audio> Audio Ducking.
- When using Safari's "Top" view, the button in the toolbar to show bookmarks is labeled as "Bookmark" instead of "show bookmarks." This button appears to be labeled correctly when using the "bottom" view.
- When using Sleep Mode with iPhone and Apple Watch and the alarm is set to go off on Apple Watch, the iPhone wakes and VoiceOver speaks just prior to the alarm starting on the Watch. To work around this issue, turn off VoiceOver on the iPhone prior to going to sleep.
- When adding or editing a Rotor voice, VoiceOver can sometimes become sluggish. As an alternative to the Edit Voice screen, we recommend changing Rate and other settings via the Rotor where available.
More Bugs
In addition to the aforementioned bugs, members of the AppleVis community have shared their findings and experiences with the Release Candidates of the '26' releases on the AppleVis Forum. Alongside any comments to this post, the above-linked topic captures use cases and experiences outside of our own and is worth a read for those seeking as complete of a picture as possible.
Improvements for VoiceOver and Braille in iOS 26 and iPadOS 26
To the best of our knowledge, Apple does not routinely publish lists of bug fixes for VoiceOver or braille across releases; thus, it is difficult to get a complete accounting of every issue that has been resolved or what fixes users can expect to see upon upgrading to iOS 26 or iPadOS 26. With this in mind, our testing suggests that the following issues present in iOS/iPadOS 18 have been resolved or meaningfully improved in iOS 26 and iPadOS 26:
- When using the App Switcher, VoiceOver now only closes the app in focus.
- The Eloquence speech synthesizer now uses the proper inflection when speaking and encountering a comma.
Thank You to Community Bug Program Participants
In 2025, AppleVis launched the Community Bug Program; with the goal of creating a way for members of the community to contribute to our bug tracking and software releases by sharing their findings with us upon reporting them to Apple. We would like to thank all those who participated in our Community Bug Program during the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 beta cycles. Our testing and reporting efforts, including in this post, are more complete and comprehensive because of your efforts. While we were not able to independently validate every issue that was shared with us (see the introduction of this post about the increasing fragmentation of the user experience across Apple platforms), our appreciation for your efforts remains the same. In addition to those who requested to remain anonymous, we would like to recognize and thank the following contributors for sharing iOS and iPadOS reports with us:
- Ayub
- Christopher Hallsworth
- Cliff Isaksen
- Dennis Long
- Emily Chia
- Jesse Anderson
- Jim Pickens
- Joaquin Garcia-Cano
- KE8UPE
- Mahmood
- Mani L
- Nikola Jović
- Pisces
- Ricardo da Silva Brandão
- Satyanarayana
- Selvarajan
- Seamus Jackson
In Conclusion
Our team has compiled lists of new accessibility bugs for every major iOS and iPadOS release since iOS 7. No software is completely free of bugs. With this in mind, when evaluating these releases against recent years, we believe that iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 compare favorably. Keeping in mind that everyone's use case is unique and there are no right or wrong answers, below are our general iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 upgrade recommendations based on use case:
- VoiceOver-Only Users: For most VoiceOver-only users, we believe that iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 represent a safe upgrade.
- Braille Users: Braille users may wish to hold off upgrading for now, due to the aforementioned issues with text sometimes not being captured when typing in Mail and other apps. Note that the new Braille Notes app in Braille Access provides a workaround for this issue.
- Low Vision Users: As iOS 26 includes a new Liquid Glass user interface redesign, we recommend that low vision users try iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 on a secondary device prior to installing it on their daily driver. We also recommend that users explore the available transparency options by navigating to Settings> Accessibility and scrolling down through the options under the 'Vision' heading.
If you have not already upgraded to iOS 26 or iPadOS 26, we would strongly recommend that you take a few moments to read through any replies to this post before doing so; in case other users' experiences differ from our own. Also, consider that historically, Apple has delivered fixes for many accessibility bugs within the first few x.x.1 updates following major releases, and waiting briefly may allow Apple to resolve any initial problems reported after the public release.
In the event that you do encounter an issue that is particularly bothersome, there are some troubleshooting steps you can take. Sometimes, simply toggling VoiceOver off and on again or restarting your device can resolve some issues that may arise following an OS update. Therefore, we highly recommend including these steps as part of your standard troubleshooting process.
In iOS 26, Apple introduced a new option to reset all VoiceOver settings. If restarting VoiceOver and/or your device does not resolve the issue, it might be worth considering a reset of your VoiceOver Settings; to do this, navigate to Settings> Accessibility> VoiceOver> Reset VoiceOver Settings. While this approach requires manually reconfiguring your customized VoiceOver settings, we have heard of multiple instances where a VoiceOver settings reset resolved issues during the iOS 26 beta cycle. This suggests that occasionally, problems can be attributed to local factors rather than being OS bugs.
Finally, when commenting below, please keep the discussion focused on accessibility issues specifically introduced or fixed in iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. Our release posts tend to be widely read and garner many helpful responses, so it is all the more important that readers can easily find relevant information.
Also, please remember that upgrade decisions are personal, with each user's situation unique - there is no right or wrong choice. Comments criticizing others' decisions are not constructive and do nothing to add to the discussion; but they do set a negative tone and get in the way of readers finding helpful information. Furthermore, not experiencing an issue yourself does not mean that it doesn't exist for others, as bugs can be configuration-specific. Stating that an issue doesn't exist simply because you haven't encountered it is unhelpful. Our aim with these posts is to provide a forum for respectful, constructive, and honest sharing of experiences that inform decisions and empower people.
In closing, we would like to publicly thank Apple's Accessibility Team for their attention to our reports during the beta cycle. Our experience is that a majority of the issues we reported during the beta cycle were resolved. We encourage Apple to prioritize quickly fixing the bugs listed in this post, as well as those on The AppleVis Bug Tracker.
Correction: In the original version of this post, we reported that it is not possible to dismiss the Player controls in the TV app when VoiceOver is enabled. After further testing, we believe this issue is not present in the public release. The AppleVis Bug Tracker, as well as this post, has been updated accordingly. AppleVis regrets the error.
Comments
I chose to keep the phone up as is
I chose to keep the phone tab as is. However, I did see the bug where VoiceOver is announcing. The tabs is one of six when there’s only five tabs. That is a bit odd. So I don’t know anything about how the new phone layout is because I really didn’t want to drive it. I do feel like it’s still a tiny bit different though the way the tabs are set up if it when it has the option to keep as is. It could be because I’m on an iPhone 15 now and maybe the tabs a little more spread out on a slightly bigger screen than my iPhone SE but I’m not totally sure. The only problems I’ve had was the ones I mentioned earlier with voice voices. But I’m now back on Kait hands with my iPhone SE third generation and I’m on a regular car with my iPhone 15 because can premium just literally does not work right now. She act as though she’s been downloaded but then when you try to activate her, she just wanna activate. Apple knows about it. I reported it to them. They said they’ve gotten multiple reports on multiple voices that aren’t working correctly or working at all so the engineers are investigating it and I’m sure it will be fixed for an update soon. Apple does listen to us. They will resolve things as quickly as they can. Always have always will. Especially for the iPhones. I can’t speak for any other devices. I don’t use them. I’m just glad I’m not the one sitting there trying to program them. It’s a miracle these things as well as they do.
Accessing face ID and passcode settings
I'm not experiencing the bug where someone was unable to enter their passcode to access the face ID and passcode settings. I was able to access the settings on both an iPhone 14 and a 15 pro.
Yes, having the same problem with Karen premium
Yes, I am having this exact problem with Karen premium. She will act as though she’s downloaded but then you cannot activate her. So as a workaround for now, I am using Karen enhanced on my iPhone 15. So yeah, there’s definitely multiple voices that are just not working. I reported this to Apple yesterday and they’re aware of the problem and they have escalated it to the engineers and they put me on a list of people who are having the same issue. So now step to engineers to figure out what’s going on and hopefully get all of our voices working.
Ok should have realised
Face Id settings is working. The issue was there is no feedback when you enter a number similar to what I have on the locked screen when entering my code. Had forgot so I hadn't realised it was entering numbers when it was lol. Really could do with getting feedback, back for entering my passcode.
My Findings
Hi all,
Please Note: iPhone SE, 3rd gen, 256GB. Now on iOS 26.
Region, UK.
I just updated. Are most of you having problems with Voice Over the first reboot when it says welcoem to iOS in different languages, or if you choose to restart after that? because I didn't experience this. I hit update and it proceeded as expected. I am running Eloquence, though, if that helps anyone.
As a completely blind user, I was wondering what I might need to disable in turms of the liquid glass? I can't explissitly find any setting relating to that, just the usual settings for which I have set reduce white point and turned brightness down to 0 and turned auto brightness off to try and save battery.
I have noticed the app library and it's search box, Voice Over keeps reading it like it's on the screen but it's not actually there, it is extremely anoying! I hate it anyway, and it just won't! Go! Away! Also unless I am in an app when I unlock, I appear to end up in the app library on the last page, not the first page of my home screen which is usually where I want to be unless I need something from the other pages. I know you can do more things with the home screen now and place items on the sides as well, do you just ad to grag session? but then, but where do you drop them aftter?
I went into Voice Memmos to try and pick the microphone to use, but it seems the option is not there. This was the single most exciting thing for me in this update, alogn with studio-quality recording, apparently. It appears I can see it in other apps? Anyone been able to play with this at all?
Does anyone no how many Apple Intelegence features are supported on the iPhone SE 3rd gen? because I can't find any at all.
I just have to say, I love the ability to change how Voice Over reads items under the cursor this makes it more similar to my windows pc, it's awsome and makes reading and editing so much easier.
This was also posted in another thread, but I am now experienceing the screen locking when first reading an incoming notification on the lock screen, it's not unlocked just decides it's had enough of reading. If I press the wake button again, it will read the hole first notification in full, very od.
Does anyone know how to have the haptic come through when ending and answering a call? it is a pritty nifty feature. What about having a haptic play when the side button is pressed? Anyone know how you do that?
What about direct touch? I can't find this anywhere?
This is something i've never been able to change. When I'm on a phonecall, instead of moving my finger around the screen and lifting to dile a number like when your typing a number to call the keys just go straight through directly, is that what direct touch is ment to be about?
Thank you to everyone that's posted here, it's all very helpful.
phone app
I am experiencing the tabs 5 out of 6 issue as well, and there doesn't seem to be any such thing as the sixth tab. I briefly peeked at the unified layout, but almost immediately decided that at least for now, I prefer the original layout, even if it's reporting the wrong number of tabs. There was no separate tab for voice mail in the unified layout, and at least in the moment I was playing around, that just seemed way too overwhelming to deal with figuring out. Maybe someday, I'll have the mental bandwidth to investigate further.
mcox
If liquid glass is not affecting VO, no but if for some reason you want to have the old way with no LG, you can turn off under accessibility, display and test and turn it off. I left it alone. Also 100% blind.
Extra Sleep Wake Scheme?
Hi again all. I had something happen on my phone this morning, which I more or less figured out. But after showering and getting dressed for the day etc., I decided to check my phone for any new notifications. Well...turns out that my phone apparently never went to sleep during the night. I say this because the screen was unlocked and VoiceOver was speaking without me hitting the side button. But all I got out of VoiceOver was and I quote: "No alarm button," and then "sleep lock screen." I tried swiping down and VoiceOver said something about copied speech. I didn't have my hearing aids in at the time, and when summoning Siri she just kept telling me that I needed to unlock my iPhone first. This was around 6:40 this morning. So I panicked a bit, but then figured I'd wait and see if by chance I would get any alerts on the phone. By about 7:00 I got that "good morning" screen which gives the day's weather forecast. Then I was prompted to enter my passcode. I did that, and had to do it a second time. All was well from that point on, but has anyone else experienced this? I am using an iPhone 14. I'm hoping to hear birds chirping tomorrow morning, letting me know it's about time for Bible study. But as a backup? I'm going to boot up my trusty eReader and check the time from there. Other than the afore-mentioned debacle, I'm liking iOS 26.
Ekaj
Well this morning, alarm went up, turn it off from watch but the phone kept going needed to stop also on watch. Check status of watch, airpod pro 2 and went to view and only phone show up. Did restart and battery show up. Will see what happen tomorrow. Did the RC so did not have the issue that most are having.
Correction Regarding a Reported Bug in the TV App
In the original version of this post, we reported that it is not possible to dismiss the Player controls in the TV app when VoiceOver is enabled. After further testing, we believe this issue is not present in the public release. The AppleVis Bug Tracker, as well as this post, has been updated accordingly. AppleVis regrets the error.
Fix On the Way for VoiceOver Loss-of-Speech Issue
Apple has confirmed that they are aware of the issue users have been reporting with a loss of VoiceOver speech, and a fix is on the way in a software update.