Are groups useful?

By Khomus, 27 February, 2024

Forum
iOS and iPadOS

Hi all.

So far I've found this brief explanation of groups.

https://www.applevis.com/forum/ios-ipados/can-someone-describe-new-groups-navigation-voiceover-iphone

Are they actually useful? I haven't hit anything where I've needed them, and I was going to remap the rotor gesture to two finger swipe right and left, because the default gesture is something I find to be incredibly annoying. But I'd hate to lose functionality, if groups are really helpful and I just don't know it yet.

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Comments

By OldBear on Friday, February 23, 2024 - 21:12

I did not find that mode of navigation useful on my iPhone, so I turned it off. I have read others on the forum saying they like it because it is similar to the Mac.
What other screen readers are you used to using?

By Khomus on Friday, February 23, 2024 - 21:12

I use NVDA all the time, Narrator very occasionally. I have used Voiceover on a Mac in the past though.

Maybe somebody could give an example or two of where they find groups useful? I'm guessing if you turned it off though, there's no place where they're required.

By OldBear on Friday, February 23, 2024 - 21:12

No, it's not required. Groups were added on at some point not too long ago.

By Khomus on Friday, February 23, 2024 - 21:12

Still looking for anybody who uses them though. I'm less interested in comparison between screen readers than I am in how to best use iOS.

By Tayo on Friday, February 23, 2024 - 21:12

I turned off groups navigation on Mac because I never could get used to them. I did figure out how to use them, but never could see the point in them. So, if there are use cases where groups are useful, I'd like to know as well.

By Tyler on Friday, February 23, 2024 - 21:12

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

In my opinion as a Mac user, I find grouped navigation somewhat helpful as it allows me to choose whether I want to examine elements like toolbars, tables and web frames, or quickly bypass them with a single keystroke. However, I find that if groups aren't implemented consistently throughout an app or interface, the concept becomes less intuitive and more confusing.