When reading email using the built in email client, part way through an email the voice over cursor will jump back to the beginning, forcing the user to start over. Sometimes cannot even get all the way through a specific email and have to just give up. This happens on any email of any length. I have tried restarting but it does not help.
This is with an iPad Pro 4th generation running iPadOS 16.3.1. This is my wife's iPad and this is happening to her. I also have an iPad Pro 5th generation and it does not happen there. It also does not happen on our iPhone 12. I spoke to apple support and they said this has not been reported by anyone else. They suggested I do a restore from backup. That sounds like a lot of fun, trying to avoid that if I can. Anyone else ever seen anything like this ?
Comments
Longstanding and widespread
Regrettably, issues with VoiceOver focus similar to that which you describe are common, widespread, and longstanding.
There are likely to be few on here who don't routinely experience some variant of what your wife is encountering. In my case, Safari and a shopping app are where I most frequently, but not exclusively, encounter this behavior. In my opinion, it's the most serious and frustrating issue that VoiceOver users face on iOS and iPadOS, and has been for at least a couple of years. I have no doubt that Apple has lots of reports. They are either unwilling or unable to resolve the instability of VoiceOver focus.
While I cannot offer any immediate solution, I suggest that you submit yet another report to accessibility@apple.com, in the hope that this may be the email that finally pushes the issue to a higher priority on Apple's roadmap.
Thanks for feedback
Well, that does help just hearing that. I will fiddle around and see if tweaking a few things makes any difference. Since we don't know what's causing it, something as minor as shifting icons around or switching voices might make a difference. The next update might too, one can hope.
Thanks
yes, it is hapening a lot not just in E-mail but, many text
well,
it is hapening a lot since it is in IOS 16
not just in the E-mail but, seems every where .
The Bug Existed WAAY Before Now
OK, I'm new to using Apple with Braille. I've only used my Braille displays to read text output, and have relied on BSI and not the display's keyboard to input text. Weird and frustrating things like the cursor jumping or the display freezing or going in to QuickNav would happen when I started getting comfortable with typing on the display keyboard, and I always had to restart and redo, so I just stopped using the display keyboard altogether. Back then I was running iOS 12 or 13.
The cursor jump is happening in non-native apps too. For me it's VoiceDream Writer, Notebooks, and now Word. On the iPhone as far as I know, there's no cursor tracking on/off option. I'm using an iPhone 8, and have also tried the same things on an iPhone SE running iOS16 and one running iOS15 and all the same things happen. Sorry to say this, because I hate that other people are stuck, too. But I'm glad it's not me, and I'm glad I'm not stupid or crazy.
Cursor jumping is fixed
After upgrading to iPadOS 16.4 the issue has gone away! Holding our breath wondering if the next so called fix pack will bring it back, but for now it is fixed.
No, it isn't, not in IOS 16.4.1
I'm using an iPhone 10S running IOS 16.4.1, and this issue is driving me crazy! It didn't show up until I upgraded to IOS 16.4. It's occurring in a variety of contexts, too.
What I wonder is, is there any sort of cursor tracking in IOS 16? I wonder if it could be changed, and if such a change might solve the problem. Anyone find a workaround yet?
OK, that's just weird
So that just adds to the flakiness of this issue. Its now stable on iPadOS 16.4, for us at least, but not IOS 16.4.
Ya, Flaky...
I'm avoiding these last two updates, but IOS 15 had focus issues for some devices too. The part about only certain people's devices having a bug drives me crazy, but I can't quite get my mind around why VO would lose focus in some of these apps, especially native apps. Are the affected apps somehow refreshing or reloading constantly, like how a screen reader can behave if you reload a webpage? Why on earth would the native mail app be doing that while viewing an email? Or is this one of those things where if I heard the answer, it would be more maddening than the actual problem?
iOS 16.4.1 iPhone 14 pro - issue confirmed
Hi all.
Came here hoping to find an answer... I guess, I did... sort of.
This problem is a killer when it comes to relying on iPhone when public speaking. When VO loses focus and you just can't keep silent, you find yourself saying out loud precisely what you're thinking at that very moment. Oh boy, does it alert your audience... :(
Anybody tried to use apps other than Mail or Notes? Does the cursor keep jumping around when viewing PDF or WEB-page?
Many apps are affected
The native news app, a game called Lords and Knights, Safari, a book app called Audible, and the list goes on.
Very important to email and call Apple accessibility
As always, very, very, very very very important to email and call Apple accessibility about these issues. Coming on this website is just one way to communicate to community but it doesn’t actually fix the issue and Apple does not use this website as a way to measure what needs to be fixed and what doesn’t. There must be a case created. and I would say that it’s important for you guys to follow up on that case repeatedly. The issues that are most often fixed are the ones where dozens and sometimes hundreds of people are complaining. The vast majority of people are living with these bugs, because “it doesn’t affect me. “. They also say “I’m not noticing it, so it must not be a problem. “ and then Apple takes that in markets how accessible their devices are as a way to make more money. Very important to consistently reach out to them about these issues. And I mean literally over and over and over and over and over again.
VoiceOver crashing.
Just a suggestion, can’t the problem come from the fact that VoiceOver is crashing and that you do not realise it because your screen curtain is not on. Because you definitely lose the focus as soon as VoiceOver crashes. Just an idea.
iPhone SE second generation running iOS 16.5 I am still getting
Hello everyone,
I came here looking for an answer to this issue that I recently had pop up on my iPhone SE second generation that was recently updated to iOS 16.5.
I have not had this issue happen for quite some time. And for having to pop back up all of a sudden it’s kind of disheartening! I hope there will be a fix for this sometime in the near future. This is getting frustrating especially when going through a webpage. Just read whatever the competition or blog may be about and you keep having to deal with the voiceover, cursor, jumping all the way back to the top of the webpage that you were on! It is very frustrating!
Looks like iOS 16 might be worst yet.
I installed the beta of 16.6 hoping they would have addressed this bug but as of beta 1 it’s still there. It’s at least possible that this won’t even be fixed in the iOS version 16 at all. I know people like to wait until end of version cycle before updating but in this case there may be no stable version at all. Apple need to get their shit together with this one. It’s completely unacceptable to sell a device so obviously broken and lacking in fundamental documented features. It’s wrong. They know it, we know it. It’s not like we get a discount for not using the screen, we pay a premium price along with everyone else and should expect more than this embarrassment of an OS. It’s getting to the point now where I would be deeply ashamed to be certifying software thats not fit for purpose. It has very real consequences in peoples lives and I’ve had enough. For the first time ever I’m actually considering trying android for my next phone. I’ve recently moved back to Windows 11 and I’m so happy I did. JAWS may not be perfect but at least its not shamefully broken. Yes I’m angry BTW and I have every right to be.