Apple Vision Accessibility: The 2025 AppleVis Report Card

By AppleVis, 17 March, 2026

AppleVis is pleased to unveil our 2025 Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card. The only report of its kind to focus specifically on the needs of people who are blind, DeafBlind, or who have low vision, the Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card provides valuable insights into the lived experiences and opinions of people who rely on VoiceOver, braille, and/or low vision accessibility features on Apple products.

Inspired by the Six Colors Apple Report Card and now in its fourth year, the aim of the Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card is to give users a voice and present information to Apple, our community, and other key stakeholders about the real-world customer experience for blind, DeafBlind, and low vision users of Apple products and services. In so doing, it is our hope that this report card will be the starting point for constructive discussions about the current state of vision accessibility on Apple’s platforms; influence Apple’s accessibility roadmap for 2026 and beyond; and be a catalyst for positive change.

The Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card is entirely community-driven. To compile the ratings and comments included in this report card, we conducted a comprehensive survey where blind, DeafBlind, and low vision participants rated their experience using Apple's major platforms (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS) with the available vision accessibility features provided in the software. The ratings were on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the least favorable rating and 5 being the most favorable. Additionally, we invited participants to provide detailed written feedback and suggestions for enhancing Apple's vision accessibility features and user experience. The survey also included questions that assessed Apple's performance in addressing vision-related bugs, as well as the new vision accessibility features added in 2025.

A primary goal of our Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card is to provide blind, DeafBlind, and low vision users a platform where they can speak openly and honestly about their experience using Apple products and services. Each rating included a question that invited participants to provide written comments on the aspect being evaluated; included is an expansive and wide-ranging selection of the responses we received. Participants were given the option to have their comments be quoted anonymously or attributed to their AppleVis display name. Selected comments are presented in the order in which they were submitted. To ensure accurate and authentic representation of user voices, AppleVis did not edit the content (diction, grammar, spelling, etc.) of participant comments. Comments were lightly formatted to ensure readability and content accessibility.

The report card is separated into the following sections (all navigable by heading and subheading):

Executive Summary: This section presents a brief, high-level summary of the Report Card results and key takeaways.
Cumulative Rating: This section provides the overall rating and grade for Apple's performance in 2025, as determined by the compiled survey data across all categories and questions.
Ratings At-a-Glance: This section provides a listing of all 2025 Report Card ratings in one place. It also gives an overview of the highest and lowest ratings across all surveyed platforms and vision accessibility options, including a listing of the most-changed ratings in 2025.
VoiceOver: This section presents ratings and selected participant comments regarding VoiceOver features and user experience across Apple’s platforms.
Braille: This section presents ratings and selected participant comments regarding braille features and user experience across Apple’s platforms.
Low Vision: This section presents ratings and selected participant comments regarding low vision features and user experience across Apple’s platforms.
Other Ratings and Comments: This section presents:
- Ratings and comments regarding the new accessibility features for blind, DeafBlind, and low vision users introduced by Apple in 2025;
- Ratings and comments regarding Apple’s performance in addressing VoiceOver, braille, and low vision-related bugs in 2025;
- Comments on how Apple can improve their vision accessibility experience and better serve their blind, DeafBlind, and low vision customers; and
- Additional feedback on the experience of using Apple products as a person who is blind, DeafBlind, or who has low vision.

For the 2025 Report Card, we added new ratings and provided expanded information about previous ratings. Each rating includes a summary of historical context and the corresponding values for 2022, 2023, and 2024, allowing readers to compare changes over time. Ratings were also assigned a letter grade; the grading scale may be found at the end of this report under the “Grading Scale” heading.

We hope you find our 2025 Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card to be both helpful and informative. If you have questions or feedback, please feel free to post a comment below. For media inquiries, please see the “Media Inquiries” section.

Executive Summary

This year saw our highest level of survey participation to-date, as well as our highest-ever level of engagement thus far with the low vision-specific questions.

Our survey results indicate that across almost all categories, satisfaction with Apple’s accessibility offerings for blind, DeafBlind, and low vision users decreased when compared to 2024. (You can see all 2025 ratings in the “Ratings At-a-Glance” section below, as well as in the sections for each category.) Many categories saw their lowest individual ratings since we began this survey for the 2022 year, including both VoiceOver features and VoiceOver user experience on iOS and iPadOS, among several others. Satisfaction with the braille user experience on iPadOS and macOS, and the low vision user experience on tvOS, increased when compared to 2024.

For VoiceOver and braille users, dissatisfaction with software quality and the presence of long-standing accessibility bugs were overarching themes throughout participant comments. For low vision users, participant comments show that Apple’s 2025 Liquid Glass user interface redesign had a significant negative impact on the user experience for many.

Overall, user comments reflected a mixture of frustration with the state of vision accessibility on Apple's platforms and appreciation for Apple's work in this space. Many participants called on Apple to prioritize fixing bugs over adding new features.

Cumulative Rating

Grade: B

The Cumulative Rating represents total user satisfaction with Apple's performance across all surveyed questions and is calculated as the average of all question ratings. Although introduced in the 2025 report, corresponding values have also been calculated for 2024, 2023, and 2022 to provide historical context and allow for comparison of trends over time.

Cumulative Rating: B (3.7)
- The Cumulative Rating decreased by 0.2 points over 2024. Historically, the highest Cumulative Rating received (4.0) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.6) was in 2022:
  - 2025: B (3.7)
  - 2024: B (3.9)
  - 2023: B (4.0)
  - 2022: C (3.6)

Ratings At-a-Glance

All 2025 Ratings

Cumulative: B (3.7)
VoiceOver – Overall: B (3.7)
- VoiceOver Features – Overall: B (3.8)
  - iOS: B (4.2)
  - iPadOS: B (3.9)
  - macOS: C (3.4)
  - watchOS: B (3.9)
  - tvOS: C (3.5)
- VoiceOver User Experience – Overall: C (3.6)
  - iOS: B (4.0)
  - iPadOS: C (3.6)
  - macOS: C (3.1)
  - watchOS: B (3.8)
  - tvOS: C (3.3)
Braille – Overall: B (3.7)
- Braille Features – Overall: B (3.7)
  - iOS: B (4.2)
  - iPadOS: B (3.9)
  - macOS: C (3.6)
  - watchOS: C (3.5)
  - tvOS: C (3.5)
- Braille User Experience – Overall: C (3.6)
  - iOS: B (4.0)
  - iPadOS: B (4.0)
  - macOS: C (3.4)
  - watchOS: C (3.5)
  - tvOS: C (3.3)
Low Vision – Overall: B (3.9)
- Low Vision Features – Overall: B (3.8)
  - iOS: B (3.9)
  - iPadOS: B (4.2)
  - macOS: B (4.0)
  - watchOS: B (3.7)
  - tvOS: C (3.2)
- Low Vision User Experience – Overall: B (4.0)
  - iOS: B (4.1)
  - iPadOS: B (4.2)
  - macOS: B (4.0)
  - watchOS: B (3.9)
  - tvOS: C (3.6)
New Accessibility Features Introduced in 2025 for Blind, DeafBlind, and Low Vision Users: B (3.8)
Apple’s Performance in Addressing VoiceOver, Braille, and Low Vision-Related Bugs in 2025: C (3.0)

Highest and Lowest Ratings

Below is a listing of the highest and lowest ratings across all surveyed platforms and features in 2025:

Highest Ratings (Ranked Highest to Lowest):
- iOS VoiceOver Features (4.2)
- iOS Braille Features (4.2)
- iPadOS Low Vision Features (4.2)
- iPadOS Low Vision User Experience (4.2)
- iOS Low Vision User Experience (4.1)
Lowest Ratings (Ranked Lowest to Highest):
- Apple's Performance in Addressing VoiceOver, Braille, and Low Vision-Related Bugs in 2025 (3.0)
- macOS VoiceOver User Experience (3.1)
- tvOS Low Vision Features (3.2)
- tvOS VoiceOver User Experience (3.3)
- tvOS Braille User Experience (3.5)

Most-Changed Ratings

This section presents the ratings which saw the most change during 2025. (Editor's Note: As there were only three ratings which saw increases in 2025, the corresponding list of increases in satisfaction is shorter.)

Largest Increases in Satisfaction:
- iPadOS Braille User Experience (4.0, 3.9 in 2024)
- tvOS Low Vision User Experience (3.6, 3.5 in 2024)
- macOS Braille User Experience (3.4, 3.3 in 2024)
Largest Decreases in Satisfaction:
- tvOS Low Vision Features (3.2, 4.1 in 2024)
- iPadOS VoiceOver User Experience (3.6, 4.2 in 2024)
- tvOS VoiceOver User Experience (3.3, 3.8 in 2024)
- iOS Low Vision Features (3.9, 4.3 in 2024)
- VoiceOver User Experience – Overall (3.6, 3.9 in 2024)
- iOS VoiceOver User Experience (4.0, 4.3 in 2024)
- iPadOS VoiceOver Features (3.9, 4.2 in 2024)
- iPadOS Braille Features (3.9, 4.2 in 2024)
- iPadOS Low Vision User Experience (4.2, 4.5 in 2024)
- watchOS VoiceOver User Experience (3.8, 4.1 in 2024)
- watchOS Low Vision Features (3.7, 4.0 in 2024)
- tvOS Braille User Experience (3.3, 3.6 in 2024)

VoiceOver

Grade: B

Overall satisfaction with VoiceOver accessibility on Apple products decreased compared to 2024.

VoiceOver – Overall: B (3.7)
- Overall, satisfaction with VoiceOver accessibility on Apple products decreased by 0.2 points over 2024. Historically, the highest overall rating received (3.9) was in 2022, 2023, and 2024, while the lowest (3.7) was in 2025:
  - 2025: B (3.7)
  - 2024: B (3.9)
  - 2023: B (3.9)
  - 2022: B (3.9)

VoiceOver Features

Grade: B

Satisfaction with the VoiceOver features on Apple products decreased across all surveyed platforms compared to 2024.

VoiceOver Features – Overall: B (3.8)
- Overall, satisfaction with the VoiceOver features on Apple products decreased by 0.2 points over 2024. Historically, the highest overall rating received (4.0) was in 2022, 2023, and 2024, while the lowest (3.8) was in 2025:
  - 2025: B (3.8)
  - 2024: B (4.0)
  - 2023: B (4.0)
  - 2022: B (4.0)
iOS: B (4.2)
- Satisfaction with the VoiceOver features on iOS decreased by 0.2 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.5) was in 2022, while the lowest (4.2) was in 2025:
  - 2025: B (4.2)
  - 2024: A (4.4)
  - 2023: A (4.3)
  - 2022: A (4.5)
iPadOS: B (3.9)
- Satisfaction with the VoiceOver features on iPadOS decreased by 0.3 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.2) was in 2022 and 2024, while the lowest (3.9) was in 2025:
  - 2025: B (3.9)
  - 2024: B (4.2)
  - 2023: B (4.1)
  - 2022: B (4.2)
macOS: C (3.4)
- Satisfaction with the VoiceOver features on macOS decreased by 0.1 point over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (3.6) was in 2022 and 2023, while the lowest (3.4) was in 2025:
  - 2025: C (3.4)
  - 2024: C (3.5)
  - 2023: C (3.6)
  - 2022: C (3.6)
watchOS: B (3.9)
- Satisfaction with the VoiceOver features on watchOS decreased by 0.1 point over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.1) was in 2022 and 2023, while the lowest (3.9) was in 2025:
  - 2025: B (3.9)
  - 2024: B (4.0)
  - 2023: B (4.1)
  - 2022: B (4.1)
tvOS: C (3.5)
- Satisfaction with the VoiceOver features on tvOS decreased by 0.2 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.0) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.5) was in 2022 and 2025:
  - 2025: C (3.5)
  - 2024: B (3.7)
  - 2023: B (4.0)
  - 2022: C (3.5)

Do you have any comments regarding the VoiceOver accessibility features offered on Apple products? Please feel free to share them here.

Anonymous wrote:

Not so bothered about 'features'. Stability is all I really require.

Lee wrote:

For the first time in years I didn't find anything new that really made me happy. Normally there is at least one new feature I look forward to. Not in 26.0.

Devin Prater wrote:

I very much hope that in 2026, VoiceOver gets AI image descriptions and screen recognition.

Andrew J Godwin wrote:

I feel as though, in the past three years, VoiceOver on the iPhone and the Mac has regressed in how well it works, especially on the Mac. On iPhones with the notch or home button running iOS 26, voiceover is generally fine, and we get a four out of five for me. It gets a three out of five for me because of how poorly it works on phone with the dynamic island. When things pop up in the dynamic island, it entirely screws with the focus of VoiceOver, causing it to do you want me to the dynamic island, and for whatever is in the dynamic island to take up the entire screen. On the Mac, accessibility regressions from macOS Sequoia have not been fixed, and from what I can tell, they've gotten slightly worse, navigation in text fields sometimes becomes mute along with typing and deleting characters, and the overall, it makes me consider switching to windows and anytime I use my Mac for text ending purposes.

Minionslayer wrote:

2025 hasn't seen many significant additions to VoiceOver per se, however just as important is ensuring all core features work as intended and without issues with this assistive technology. This has seemingly been Apple's goal this year, and I am happy to announce that (while a couple of issues were introduced this release cycle) most long-standing VoiceOver bugs were addressed this year.

Jonathan Chacón wrote:

The new VoiceOver features seem interesting to me, and I’m excited about the new AI-powered capabilities they include. The problem is that VoiceOver has many long-standing bugs that never get fixed, and it feels like Apple isn’t interested in addressing them. From being able to browse the web on a Mac comfortably without missing any content, to making sure that when reviewing a list of items on an iPhone we don’t skip one due to VoiceOver focus jumps—those issues are still there, and they’re becoming more and more frustrating over time.

David Taylor wrote:

It's honestly hard to do any better than Apple have done on a touch screen. My lower than perfect scores reflect that fact that touch screens just never will be as practical as keyboards for finding things and typing quickly, but I do think they make the best of what they are working with

Graham wrote:

Just wish apple would fix the bugs and forget about introducing new features until the faults have been resolved. The Mac is getting unusable for me. I've a gorgeous macbook pro from 2023 and not used it for nearly five months because it's so much easier these days to jump on my surfacebook to get things done. this wasn't the case a while back it's incredibly sad the way it has regressed.

Ashley wrote:

Voiceover on iOS and iPad OS is exceptional. There are a couple of features missing from iOS - for example, the ability to disable the voiceover cursor visuals to facilitate taking clean screenshots. Screen recognitition would also be made more intelligent and dynamic, with an 'auto' mode to disable itself based on the level of accessibility information in the app UI.
Voiceover on MacOS however remains a buggy mess with persistent bugs that have been outstanding for over a decade. Every MacOS update, major or incremental, seems to break more than it fixes for Voiceover users. Web browsing, in particular any browser using WebKit (for example Safari) is badly broken in countless areas. Voiceover jumps over page elements, misses page elements completely, crashes repeatedly, mishandles any kind of non-standard input field or markup control, and speech verbosity bugs still remain. Voiceover on the Mac lacks any intellignece features beyond very primitive image recognician (which doesn't work well at all). There is no native OCR, no screen recognition, support for reading PDF documents remains very poor, and even many of Apple's own native apps bundled with the OS have plenty of inexcusable accessibility bugs. This is especially frustrating with apps like APple Music, which provides access to a service we pay for. Were it not for the fact that I have a library containing tens of thousands of tracks and carefully curated playlists built up over many years, including tracks from physical discs that aren't available on any streaming service, I would have switched to Spotify.
In summary - Voiceover on iOS is excellent with only minor improvements needed to plug a few holes in functionality. Voiceover on MacOS is a buggy, bloated, broken mess - much like MacOS itself.

Anonymous wrote:

Although VoiceOver has many useful features, there are long-term issues such as focus that clearly need attention.

Rik Wouters wrote:

It would be nice if AI is integrated in the screenreader and safari. For instance when I open a site; VO will describe the screen. E.g. Webshop with topmenu and search results. Additional a chat function using AI would be great. Conparable with bemyai but then for sites.

Leah Dykema wrote:

VoiceOver is by far the best screen reader I’ve ever used, but I find the Apple Watch VoiceOver is difficult to use and the voice is almost always heavily distorted for no apparent reason.

Sanjana, a computer girl wrote:

The accessibility implementation is really poor.
The back button isn’t available in every application and can’t be detected by the VoiceOver screen reader.
Many applications are also not accessible through VoiceOver.

Troubl156 wrote:

I like the fact that: a. VoiceOver is an integrated part of the software, not an afterthought or not done at all (like with Windows OS, Android, etc.). I also appreciate, for the most part (see below), that the gestures are universal so that you don't have to memorize different gestures for different Apple products. With the exception of Apple Watch, I think this is great (again, see below).

Anonymous wrote:

Overall, VoiceOver support for IOS is quite good. I do notice a bit more lag in some apps, and there's the long standing focus jumping problem that I wish would have been fixed years ago. Mostly though, VO works quite well and consistently.

Anonymous wrote:

The reason I picked the reading I did for iOS, iPadOS and watchOS is because VoiceOver works really well however it’s still really glitchy some of the voices that you use with voiceover do not read the keyboard correctly. For example, the Indian voice two does not read the letters correctly on the keyboard besides that when navigating through apps some things are still unlabeled, partially labeled and some pretty weird volume issues that cannot be fixed

Anonymous wrote:

In general, the feature set across iOs and watchOs are solid. It would be useful to see the feature set cover all aspects of the device. For example, on WatchOs, it is not possible to verify the dept, time, nor the water temperature with VoiceOver. Given that there are several buttons available on the watches, a combination of presses, twists and long presses could yield a mode where a taptic time like feature could communicate the current temperature, time or dept.

علي حسين المرفدي wrote:

VoiceOver feels like a closed ecosystem compared to other screen readers like NVDA or Jieshuo. Apple should allow the blind community and developers to create and share custom extensions, scripts, and plugins (similar to an Add-on store or repository). This would enable users to fix accessibility bugs or add missing features without waiting for a yearly OS update. We need a more 'open' architecture that allows for community-driven improvements to the screen reader’s core functionality.
There are many powerful features available on other platforms that are still missing from iPhone. For example, the ability to highly customize multi-finger gestures, advanced sound schemes that can be shared, and deep integration with third-party tools that enhance productivity. Currently, VoiceOver feels static. We want the ability to import resources from a community repository (like the ones found in Jieshuo) to enhance web navigation, text processing, and overall system interaction. Apple needs to bridge the gap between a simple screen reader and a powerful, customizable accessibility engine.

Holger Fiallo wrote:

Picture description is not that great. Third party apps do a better jo. Sad.

Anonymous wrote:

There needs to be better OCR of text in documents like pdfs. As well as image descriptions that r more accurate and detailed

Anonymous wrote:

Voiceover does not always read smoothly. Perhaps, it is the way the content is coded and not the blame of voiceover.

Missy Hoppe wrote:

I can't honestly rate any of the products of five, but overall, I'm satisfied with how VoiceOver works on my phone and watch. Apple TV has become increasingly quirky over the past couple of years, so that is frustrating, and my Mac is so old that it hasn't advanced plus macOS High Sierra, so I don't think I have much right to an opinion there, but I still gave it a rating of three based on what I do try to use my Mac for. I don't use an iPad, so that one was definitely an NA.

Justice wrote:

VoiceOver on Mac still feels like the most neglected version and it really affects the appeal of using Mac.

Satyanarayana wrote:

Hello, I am from India. All Indians are eagerly waiting for auto language switching in VoiceOver.. still in India we can’t able to use multi language option so try to solve the auto language detection problem, specially in Indian languages because we are facing very difficulties while using navigating with multi language, documents and text messages and government orders and much more

Zach M wrote:

VoiceOver ahas a solid set of features. However, I do wish, given newer phones have apple intelligence, that we would get better image descriptions.

Umut KORKMAZ wrote:

I think Apple does not give as much importance to VoiceOver as it used to.

Anne Mauro wrote:

Voiceover has great features.

Kaushik wrote:

Whenever we use VoiceOver, we have only one problem that is Auto language detection for South Indian languages like Telugu Kannada Tamil Malayalam

Anonymous wrote:

Personnaly, I use Apple products since over 12 years ago. Actualy, I use an Iphone and a Macbook Pro with Voiceover and a Braille display. My job is sound engeneer. I allso use Logic Pro, witch is for me, a great music recording software from Apple. After these 12 years of using, here is my personnal opinion. I have the impression Apple listen to their customers and improve eatch year their products. I constating that through some updates I made only when it's realy usfull. Personnaly, I see improvements update by update; overall today. Now, I use a new Macbook Pro M5 on Mac OS 26. And when I use my new Mac on Mac OS 26, I have impression Voiceover has been realy improved on many points , especialy at the point of the Braille. I say that for the IOS and Mac OS side. Now, I have a personnal impression to find an identical Voiceover on Iphone and Mac. And that's why I realy appraciate the Apple products for their performances and their great accessibility for blind people like us. My favorite new fonction in Voiceover is Braille Access witch is verry usefuull to take Braille notes verry fast and perfectly. So, I want to be realy recognising for Apple for the work they do to make their products accessible and usable for blind people.

Chris wrote:

VoiceOver on iOS receives far more attention than macOS, though it appears there have been some significant efforts to improve the experience on macOS since Ventura. The addition of custom VO commands for the VoiceOver modifier and native accessibility for remote control tools are just a couple examples from the last couple releases, and I hope this continues.

Darrell Hilliker wrote:

Sadly, I think VoiceOver frequently acts just like JAWS does on Windows, so more like something bolted on rather than built in. I experience unexplainable loss of speech and crashes sometimes requiring me to reboot the device. I'd also say that VoiceOver just isn't competitive enough anymore especially in situations where apps have lots of accessibility regressions, yet VO doesn't have scripting or other advanced configuration. We have Screen Recognition, but I don't see where anything has ever been documented about exactly what it does.

Anonymous wrote:

Improve stability, enhance the usability of existing features, and leverage Apple Intelligence for screen recognition

Fatima.Hamoud10 wrote:

I think the VoiceOver accessibility features offered on Apple products are excellent. I am satisfied with the VoiceOver features in iOS 26, WatchOS 26 and MacOS 26.

Lit Xuan wrote:

I'm overall very happy with the amount of customizations Apple has been providing to VoiceOver users on iOS over the years. I just wish that the existing features will be made more polished and work more consistently as they're suppose to be. For example the ability to preview certain Siri voices before download don't always appear to all the voices especially the new ones. Also, speaking of Siri voices, I wish Apple will enhance all of them to use the much smaller file package like what they have done for the US voices so hopefully people with storage concerns will have the chance to download and use them and if they like them, they'll be able to enjoy the voices with comfort and peace of mind. I also would like to see the expansion of languages supported for features like image description, text and screen recognitions, and VoiceOver in general.

Gaurav J wrote:

Major issues with Voiceover on Mac. Hotspots have not been functioning properly for a long time.
Apps like Pages frequently freeze and Voiceover makes it difficult to do advanced editing due to the user having to interact and uninteract with screen elements.
Numbers spreadsheet application is almost impossible to navigate with Voiceover when viewing or editing a large spreadsheet because of the lack of a "Jump to Cell" feature. Such a feature would allow Voiceover users to directly jump to a specific cell instead of having to use the arrow keys.
If i have to navigate to a cell which is on row number 300 of a 600 row spreadsheet, i will have to press the down arrow key 299 times.

Basia F wrote:

The experience is mostly great. Except when it isn't. The most annoying things of all? VO gets silent with Nuance voices. As in dead silent. Getting it to speak is possible, but takes time. And sometimes the voices skip some parts of the sentences or individual letters. Needs repeating things several times to understand sometimes. 2. Safari... The beginnings and endings of paragraph is non-existent, really. Obvious when used with ChatGPT, for example. 3. Punctuation pronnunciation. The punctuation marks, parenthesis and other symbols are spoken using current app language, and not current voice. That's annoying, and plain wrong. Apps like Slack or other web-based apps might have their interface in English, but I communicate with team members in my native tongue, Polish in my case. So I'm used to the interfaces English names and the rest of the messages being spoken in Polish. I work in multilingual contexts more often than not, so it's a bit frustrating, really.

Macky wrote:

Mac VoiceOver definitely needs updated. When a window pops up on front of the window you’re using, I always feel should automatically go there. This is not the case. tvOS VoiceOver could also do with a facelift.

Jennie A Facer wrote:

I appreciate all of what Apple does for accessibility! It is my favorite OS all the way around. I do wish though that when you launch a new product that you really try harder to keep up with the development team. I understand that it can be complicated. Keep up the good work!

Brennen wrote:

I wish there was a better way to type on Apple Watch using voiceover. Also tvOS voiceover could use some work as far as bug fixes and improvements.

elmer t wrote:

It would be nice if macOS features or more similar and useable like the other eye devices

BlackCat wrote:

Most of the time very good on IOS using an iPhone Air

Swathi wrote:

I am the user from India we have only one major issue that is auto language detection, even though we have TTS for language language is not switching automatically when the text arises

Young wrote:

Accessibility QA is becoming worse. Too many bugs whenever OS gets upgrade.

paul Faucheux wrote:

i would like to see screen recognition added to tv os. i have requested it in the past through apple accessibility however it has not been added to apple tv as of yet.

Justin Philips wrote:

If any changes in native app are made, they should be announced and alternative ways should be specified. The case in point, change in apple mail's ability to attach files. The button disappeared, and we were left confused on how to attach files. Overall, I am happy to be using voiceover.

Siva wrote:

First of all, thank you for taking this feedback. It will be very useful to all the blind Apple users. In India, there are thousands of blind users are using Apple products. Mainly we are facing one major issue that is auto detect language. The voice over is not switching automatically while reading an article which combines two languages. We gave feedback lot of times to Apple accessibility developers regarding auto detect language with video demo. It is very irritating thing. Please try to solve this problem as soon as possible because it is very important to all Indian blind users. Thank you.

Anonymous wrote:

They can be time consuming, difficult to learn and unreliable.

Ayub wrote:

I feel that VoiceOver on iOS is very helpfull for a lot of visually impaired people. Like me for example, I rely on it a lot for my daily living. However, there are some improvements that Apple could improve on. When people use VoiceOver, they know how frustrating it can be to get images described. A lot of times When I encounter images, VoiceOver says, "A black object against a white background." The problem with that is that how can blind people tell what's the object? Or where is it? That would be really hard especially for me. I think Apple should focus on giving VoiceOver AI generated descriptions. Because how do you know what's on the image if you don't have your vision?

LEELEE Lee Lee wrote:

I think it’s very beneficial for me. However, when they do their updates, the latest one, caused much challenges for me. It changed all the features on the screens and the different functions was located differently and made it very difficult to operate.

Rob Turner wrote:

Braille Access is a big step forward.

Anonymous wrote:

I think Apple's VoiceOver feature is truly excellent, with a sound framework, but that's where it ends. In recent years, Apple has made almost no progress with VoiceOver; so-called upgrades are essentially minor tweaks to existing features. Especially now, with the rapid development of Apple Intelligence, VoiceOver has gained no ground from it whatsoever. I hope VoiceOver can at least improve system-level operations, such as support for multi-tasking windows on macOS and iPadOS. It's a terrible shame that features like Stage Manager have been out for years, and VoiceOver still can't use them.

Anonymous wrote:

There have been significant issues with the difference in value when using the keyboard. It is ridiculously loud, particularly on tvOS. Audio ducking is sometimes problematic on iOS devices also. I have also experienced issues whereby when inputting in an emoji, rather than putting in the emoji itself, it puts in the words smiley face for example. This can be rectified by using the word emoji after the fact, but this is something that has only just started happening. I think in particular, tvOS need looking at. I have had numerous glitches whereby VoiceOver has just repeated itself or stop speaking altogether for a few seconds. It's not ideal. Issue which seems to have been around for years and is still not been addressed is that the Siri voices in the UK miss out the words "our" and "are". Ironically, if you surround them by quotation marks like I have just done, they are Read out properly. But if you are reading Word by word using the cursor, they are not read out. Apple accessibility are aware of this because I emailed them and they were able to replicate the issue. This was back in October or November of last year though. It wasn't until I got together with some friends of mine that we were able to diagnose more thoroughly the issue that this only ever happens with the Siri voices rather than any others. As these are the best voices in the UK, particularly the female voices, this really does need to be addressed. It's a long-standing bug

Anonymous wrote:

I am quite happy with the features of VoiceOver, it has evolved into a wonderful screen reader.

Marc from Montreal wrote:

Often when we make complaints either in beta testing or afterwards, they are ignored. I’ve been waiting since the final release candidate of iOS 26 for them to fix the flashlight notification for Siri to tell you when the flashlight is on or off after saying to Siri turn flashlight on or off or the Harry Potter command, Lumos or Knox and acknowledgement is not provided, although the function does take place

blindstein wrote:

IOS is probably the strongest in accessibility but mac os is where most of the functionality is at. I'd like to see safari/webb kit get better on mac os and IOS and watch os to get snappier.

Jason White wrote:

The screen readers are all quite mature at this point. Most of my remaining concerns are with reliability rather than with gaps in the feature sets of the products.

Sharath kumar reddy wrote:

Voice over is useful for visually impaired iOS users now a days Apple device users are rapidly increasing in southern part of India like Telangana, karnataka, Tamilnadu, and kerala etc. so I would like to bring to your kind attention of adding south Indian languages for Auto language detection especially Telugu language

Callum Stoneman wrote:

VoiceOver on iOS feels extremely polished and generally bug-free, at least for me. I find WatchOS to be much more buggy and inconsistent. For example, the time is not always spoken as expected when tapping the screen or pressing the digital crown to wake the watch up, and there can sometimes be an announcement of "notification centre" that constantly gets repeated until the watch is put back into sleep mode and woken up again. There seems to be no particular pattern that causes this, but it has persisted for a long ttime.

Pat Ships wrote:

I feel that overall it is great that we can use these devices via VoiceOver screen reader, but the number of bugs is steadily mounting and it is becoming a much more frustrating experience. For me this is both iOS iPhone SE third generation and Apple Watch 10 42 millimetre.

Michael Feir wrote:

Over all, I think Apple has introduced a lot of useful features in 2025. The additions for Braille users and the capabilities of live recognition are commendable.

Bruce Harrell wrote:

Way too many bugs show up in every September OS upgrade, and too many old bugs are not fixed. Therefore, I routinely wait until august before upgrading since by August, you've done as much as you're going to do to fix the bugs you created. Also, you've reduced Accessibility staff. Nowadays. what we get are form letters. Is this because staff faced too much frustration from users? You never explained why you reduced staff, not that I've seen anywhere.
Despite all the above, Apple VoiceOver Accessibility manages to stay the best available. I used to use Windows. I've considered going back but haven't . . . yet. Seriously, why doesn't Apple work on releasing bug-free upgrades instead of rigidly sticking to a one year cycle? Because Apple makes more money this way? At what price?

John wrote:

The only reason I gave a couple of four ratings was because there are some persistent problems that have been around for many iterations of the OS. They have not been addressed. Yet they are known. That disappoints me. I find I have to use. Screen recognition often. In fact in the last couple of iOS updates, I have to use it much more often just to get simple things done. Screen recognition should be the last resort feature. I’m glad we have it, but it shouldn’t be needed as often as it is. Whittle down that bug list, please!

AbleTec wrote:

Since IOS 26, my ability to use my phone has significantly decreased, due to the lack of feedback when typing characters into edit fields using the IPhone's keyboard. The problem has become so bad, in fact, I'm seriously thinking about switching to an Android phone. The speech recognition w/Siri also seems to have deteriorated as well, not that it was all that great to begin with, but it really did used to be better.

Anonymous wrote:

The iPhone and watch have been game changers in wonderful ways. Sometimes Voiceover talks too much, especially on the watch. And then sometimes when I want it to read, little notifications interrupt the flow. There need to be more ways to control and maybe some of this is operator error. Much of the time Siri is more trouble than it's worth. Face ID works much of the time except when it stubbornly won't it's a time-waster. Maybe simple check boxes for when I want Braille-screen input, or Siri, so it doesn't automatically engage, and a simple one on the watch, so it doesn't talk every time it's touched. It would be nice if things were more intentional. A literal touch is different than a bump from a sleeve. It's all the game changers I wouldn't want to be without yet sometimes I want to throw it across the room. (but I don't.) I've been a user since iPhone 4, now using a 15 Pro Max.

Anonymous wrote:

VO is a game changer for me. I am fully blind.

Anonymous wrote:

Hello. I am once again so glad that Apple has continued to deliver great accessibility features, and I know that this trend will continue.

Anonymous wrote:

There are features fissing on the least used devices, like a languaje rotor on Apple TV OS to be able to add more languages

michael wrote:

Voiceover works well for me most of the time

samuelkarlsen wrote:

Voice over is amazing. However, with something so close to being perfect, the problems that still remain seem even more apparent. I have too many good things to say about Voice over, so here I'll only mention the things that can be improved.
It seems that voice over gets slower with new updates, and there are a lot of bugs following an update. some updates make voice over experience worse for the entirety of those specific updates, e.g. for iOS 26.2, dictation has gotten less precise; voice over lags - especially when swiping rapidly; there seem to be glitches with apps that previously worked fine - like Messenger and Youtube; some buttons can no longer be pressed; and at times, narration seems to be misaligned with the cursor - one name may be pressed in the Messenger app to access a chat, and the chat actually entered corresponds to the name below the name pressed.
In general, I also worry when I have to get a new phone, because the 'Home'-button has been removed from the newer generations of iPhones. Since I'm not only blind but also have paralysis in my hands, I can't perform the proper gestures for different commands - including activating the VoiceOver function.
VoiceCommand works poorly with VoiceOver.
The last improvement is a nice-to-have rahter than a need: I have often found myself wishing that the VoiceOver sound output could be seperated from Media sound output (such as playing music over Bluetooth), so I can use VoiceOver on my iPhone while playing music. It does seperate it sometimes, but i seems random, and I want to be able to have control over this function. In a bluetooth headset, the VoiceOver ad Media sound outputs should be congruent -- in a car audio bluetooth system, not so much!

DPinWI wrote:

My biggest concern is regressions. Bugs get fixed, and then reappear a couple of releases later. Navigation in the Apple News app comes to mind.

Matthew Whitaker wrote:

Yes. I use VoiceOver daily across all Apple platforms, and while Apple has built one of the most comprehensive accessibility systems available, there is still significant room for improvement in the features offered across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS.
To start with the positives, Apple deserves recognition for making VoiceOver a first-class feature on every device. A blind user can independently set up and use an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or Apple TV right out of the box. Core features like consistent gestures, the Rotor, braille display support, Braille Screen Input, and deep system integration have had a lasting impact on accessibility and independence. Apple clearly understands that accessibility is not optional, and that foundation matters.
That said, feature development across platforms feels uneven, and in some cases outdated.
On iOS, VoiceOver is powerful but increasingly complex. There are many advanced features—Rotor customization, text navigation levels, Braille Screen Input command mode, custom gestures, and per-app settings—but they are often difficult to discover or understand. Important VoiceOver features can feel hidden behind multiple layers of settings, and users are expected to already know they exist. Apple should invest in clearer onboarding, contextual guidance, and better explanations so users can actually take advantage of the tools that are already there.
On iPadOS, VoiceOver struggles to fully embrace the platform’s evolving identity. As iPad becomes more laptop-like with multitasking, external keyboards, trackpads, and windowed apps, VoiceOver features have not kept pace. Navigating multiple apps, split views, and floating windows can feel clumsy and inefficient. VoiceOver needs platform-specific features that acknowledge how iPad is now used, rather than treating it as a large iPhone.
On macOS, the VoiceOver feature set feels dated compared to modern macOS applications. The interaction model—especially navigating groups, toolbars, sidebars, inspectors, and nested UI elements—does not scale well to today’s complex apps. Features like “interacting” with content are unintuitive and slow down navigation. VoiceOver needs modern navigation concepts that reflect how macOS apps are actually structured today, particularly for professional and creative software.
On watchOS, VoiceOver works but remains limited. Navigation is largely linear, which makes everyday tasks slower than necessary. As the Apple Watch becomes more capable and independent, VoiceOver needs better summarization, quicker ways to jump between sections, and more efficient interaction patterns. Features should be designed around speed and glanceable information, not just basic accessibility.
On tvOS, VoiceOver is functional but minimal. Browsing content is slow and verbose, and there are few features designed to help users quickly scan, compare, or discover media. Smarter summaries, adjustable verbosity, and faster navigation features would greatly improve the experience on a platform built entirely around content consumption.
Across all platforms, VoiceOver feature consistency needs improvement. Settings, customization options, gesture behavior, and terminology often differ between devices, forcing users to relearn VoiceOver every time they switch platforms. VoiceOver should feel like one cohesive system across Apple’s ecosystem, not a collection of related but inconsistent implementations.
Customization is another area that needs attention. While VoiceOver allows significant customization, the process can be fragmented and unintuitive. Gesture assignments, verbosity controls, braille behavior, and command customization should be easier to manage and more consistent across platforms.
Finally, VoiceOver features would benefit from deeper involvement of blind users who rely on these tools for professional, high-efficiency workflows. Many features feel designed around basic usage rather than speed, precision, and long-term productivity. Accessibility should not stop at “usable”—it should support excellence.
In summary, VoiceOver remains one of Apple’s strongest accessibility offerings, but its feature set needs refinement and modernization across all platforms. iOS and iPadOS need better discoverability and platform-aware features. macOS needs a modern navigation model. watchOS and tvOS need efficiency-focused tools. And across the entire ecosystem, VoiceOver features must be more consistent, discoverable, and designed with real-world workflows in mind.

GAH wrote:

Generally very good but updates to new operating systems often seem to introduced unexpected problems/bugs. Need better testing with VoiceOver before releasing updates.

Anonymous wrote:

Voiceover has declined in terms of its intuitiveness and responsiveness in its current itteration IOS26. Particularly frustrating is the typing input, where it is difficult to hear the characters being typed for some reason. This was not the case in the previous version. Navigation also feels a bit clunky compared to previous versions and many 3rd party apps have unlabelled buttons that are not intuitively picked up and described well by Voiceover on the current IOS version.

Furkan wrote:

Although a generally positive direction has been taken in accessibility in 2025, not being able to fully benefit from some of the features introduced this year has been a negative experience for me. In particular, VoiceOver’s spatial recognition feature does not work as expected and does not provide sufficiently reliable results in real-world use. Photo and visual description features also show significant shortcomings in terms of accuracy and consistency. Additionally, there are notable gaps and unfinished areas in vision accessibility on the macOS side. We expect these issues to be acknowledged and improved, and for accessibility features to become more mature, consistent, and genuinely usable across all platforms.

Sindre of Norway wrote:

VoiceOver makes using Apple's products accessible. AppleTV though, could use more focus. Using VoiceOver on TvOS is a test of patience - it's a slow thing. So is Apple Watch, but being physically bigger I expect more from an AppleTV than from a watch.

Zebs wrote:

Office 365 needs to work better with voiceover and offer the same experience as Windows with JAWS and NVDA.
Enabling Voiceover at login screen should also be available in the VO utility. VO has a speech history for Braille users, but nothing for the majority who can’t read Braille.
App store on Mac is awful to navigate. Too many groups and containers to interact with. The experience should be flat like iOS and iPad OS. Empty groups should be ignored.
New premium voices, current ones are stale.

remixman wrote:

I really enjoy the new Braille Access feature!

Robin wrote:

I think their intent is there but I do feel like less attention has been paid to MacOS as compared with iOS

macOS_Skyline wrote:

I am very happy with the current direction of the VoiceOver features of iOS and iPadOS.
macOS, however, is a completely different story. In my personal opinion, the current lack of features with VoiceOver especially, but all of the accessibility features of the operating system, are quite disappointing. The fact that basic features that have been on iOS for years like screen recognition and rotor secondary actions for items are still unavailable from macOS are things I would absolutely love to see.
tvOS and watchOS continue to get the job done, although I still find double tapping the screen for “tactile time” on the watch with voiceover enabled to be quite inconsistent, and a Siri Remote with a built-in speaker for both “Find My” and VoiceOver, so it doesn’t necessarily have to take over the audio of the entire TV but can still be used successfully, would very much be welcomed.

Elena Brescacin wrote:

VoiceOver features on iOS: I'd like something to support auto-complete. When you write something in an autofill mechanism, such as mentioning a user in a social network, usually after you press the @ sign you get a pop-up window appearing And you have to explore it. It's not so intuitive if you are typing with a hardware keyboard or with Braille screen input. Provide a rotor option to switch from main container to auto-complete container.
This applies to split view as well in iPad, it's not always easy to switch between one opened app and another. Rotor options to manage this split view better.
Screen recognition: this feature needs improvements as too many apps seem to need it and it doesn't always reproduce faithful results.

Anonymous wrote:

It feels like new features just aren't as polished as they could be. Also it would be lovely to see voices for some minority languages.

Anonymous wrote:

I have four suggestions. First, I love the VoiceOver rotor and how it makes it so easy to switch between functions, but it would be nice if it could be made less clunky. I think this could be done by having the rotor consist of the individual functions, and just the categories for the functions that can be grouped, and then being able to swipe up and down to select the specific functions. For example, having speaking rate as it is, then navigation styles, link styles, and textfield styles. Then once you are in the one you want, just swipe up/down to get to the exact one you want. For example, once you get to navigation styles, swipe up or down to switch between characters, words, and lines, and vice versa with the other categories. I think this would make navigating the rotor to get to the individual functions, (speaking rate, edit, headings,) easier and faster. Second, I love that iPhone has started including definitions for different function options so you can better understand what the functions are/do. It would be nice though, if this was done with the different rotor options. That way, it would be easier to understand what the more exotic functions are and what they do. For example, I have no idea what activities or radio groups are. So it would be nice if there were a quick description beside or below them to better understand what they do. That way, I would have a better understanding of the various options available to me. Third, I love being able to customize all the different VoiceOver commands, but I feel like there could be some helpful updates. It would be nice if there were more customizable functions. It is great that there are so many command options, but it would be nice if there were a large variety for the functions you can assign to each command, as well as different command gestures. For example, having five finger gesture options, and being able to do a five finger triple tap to call a certain person. Finally, it would be nice if there were more ways to customize the helpfulness of the lock screen. The main things you can do right now are see the time, and access the camera, flashlight, and notifications. It would be nice if you could customize it’s capability even further by setting up a way to add a “call mom” button, or something.

Susan wrote:

The VoiceOver is rather abrupt and monotone. If it is accidentally triggered it continues until it is done. This makes zoom meetings difficult, as everyone can hear the VoiceOver and it interrupts the flow of the discussion.

Wahid Raza wrote:

Its awsam. Super fast, super smooth, super accessible and still far more accessible on accessibility standards, compared to talkback in android, which still have few accessibility compromises slow little lag talkback functionality and features.

Anonymous wrote:

VoiceOver lacks quality assurance testing. Errors occur regularly that would be caught by proper manual testing.

Julianne Crim wrote:

I think the voice over features are easy to use and excellent.

Alicia Krage wrote:

I think screen recognition is one of the most useful features. It helps with inaccessible apps and websites when things aren't always labeled accordingly.

avg66 wrote:

It would be nice to have better support of VoiceOver keyboard shortcuts on iPad.

Dream wrote:

VoiceOver on iOS provides a wide range of powerful accessibility features and is essential for my daily use. However, the Japanese text input bug with extra characters significantly affects usability and needs to be fixed urgently.

mr grieves wrote:

I think on the whole there are enough VoiceOver features. I say this every year, but what we need are less new features and more improvements to existing ones. In particular the Mac.

Barry Brown wrote:

With certain apps, Voiceover says a little too much especially with Safari.

Dennis Long wrote:

The copied speech needs to be enhanced. A caller id option needs to be added. If added as I suggest this will give all several choices.

Tyler wrote:

The new VoiceOver features introduced in iOS 26, such as the ability to share accessibility settings and reset VoiceOver without resetting all settings, and macOS Tahoe, such as the ability to view and control remote Macs, as well as improved toolbar customization capabilities, show to me that Apple can introduce new features and innovations when they put their minds to it. However, these features are only as valuable as the overall VoiceOver user experience, which continues to be held back somewhat by the lingering presence of bugs and inconsistencies that, in some cases, have remained unaddressed for years with no action or public acknowledgement from Apple as to their status.

Arya wrote:

More innovative features using AI can be brought to voice over to make it stand out from rest of the screen readers

Brian wrote:

The features are good, but could be a lot better. Also, the entire lineup of Apple OS is plagued with bugs, which seriously need to be resolved in order for these systems to truly be "universally accessible".

VoiceOver User Experience

Grade: C

Satisfaction with the VoiceOver user experience on Apple products decreased across all surveyed platforms compared to 2024.

VoiceOver User Experience – Overall: C (3.6)
- Overall, satisfaction with the VoiceOver user experience on Apple products decreased by 0.3 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (3.9) was in 2024, while the lowest (3.6) was in 2025:
  - 2025: C (3.6)
  - 2024: B (3.9)
  - 2023: B (3.7)
  - 2022: B (3.8)
iOS: B (4.0)
- Satisfaction with the VoiceOver user experience on iOS decreased by 0.3 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.3) was in 2024, while the lowest (4.0) was in 2025:
  - 2025: B (4.0)
  - 2024: B (4.3)
  - 2023: B (4.1)
  - 2022: B (4.2)
iPadOS: C (3.6)
- Satisfaction with the VoiceOver user experience on iPadOS decreased by 0.6 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.2) was in 2024, while the lowest (3.6) was in 2025:
  - 2025: C (3.6)
  - 2024: B (4.2)
  - 2023: B (4.0)
  - 2022: B (4.0)
macOS: C (3.1)
- Satisfaction with the VoiceOver user experience on macOS decreased by 0.1 point over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (3.3) was in 2022, while the lowest (3.1) was in 2023 and 2025:
  - 2025: C (3.1)
  - 2024: C (3.2)
  - 2023: C (3.1)
  - 2022: C (3.3)
watchOS: B (3.8)
- Satisfaction with the VoiceOver user experience on watchOS decreased by 0.3 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.1) was in 2024, while the lowest (3.8) was in 2025:
  - 2025: B (3.8)
  - 2024: B (4.1)
  - 2023: B (3.9)
  - 2022: B (3.9)
tvOS: C (3.3)
- Satisfaction with the VoiceOver user experience on tvOS decreased by 0.5 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (3.8) was in 2024, while the lowest (3.3) was in 2025:
  - 2025: C (3.3)
  - 2024: B (3.8)
  - 2023: C (3.5)
  - 2022: C (3.4)

Do you have any comments regarding the VoiceOver experience on Apple products? Please feel free to share them here.

Anonymous wrote:

Mostly it's fine. On Mac it is junk. Safari Not Responding continues to be a bug requiring app restart, also the issue with the voiceover focus either not going into the new page window or skipping large parts of the page remains.

Lee wrote:

For me in general VO is working very well and as expected. However, as each update comes out there is always the nagging feeling that something new may break that worked in the previous version which shouldn't be the case.

Andrew J Godwin wrote:

Since iOS 18, I feel as though the VoiceOver screen reader on the iPhone and Mac has regressed in its usability. On iOS 26 devices with the home button or notch, voiceover generally works fine, and would get a four out of five for me, if Dynamic Island devices did not exist. This past December, I got my first dynamic island device, upgrading from a 13 mini to a 17 pro. Upon doing so, I found that whenever something pops up in the dynamic island, a lot of times that item ends up taking over the entire screen when I drag my finger around the screen, or at the very least, it jumps the focus of VoiceOver to the element. This is quite an annoying bug and is one that I feel should not occur. On the Mac, accessibility regression from macOS Sequoia has not been fixed. For example, when editing in text fields, often times the screen reader will stop talking when typing or refocusing the cursor. The key mapping, namely which arrow keys are used for navigating, seams also to change, sometimes it's the left and right arrows, sometimes it's up and down. Do take these comments about the Mac with a grain of salt though, as I have not used VoiceOver on the Mac very extensively.

Minionslayer wrote:

By in large, VoiceOver is easy to use and control but almost infinitely customisable. This is hugely in favour of the feature, as it is particularly difficult to create software that is both easy to use and customisable.

Jonathan Chacón wrote:

The VoiceOver user experience on any platform is a bit bittersweet. We get a lot of new features with every new release, but we always know there will be accessibility regressions, or that some minor issues will become serious because of some long-standing VoiceOver problem. That feeling that accessibility is up to date in Apple’s products is starting to fade.

David Taylor wrote:

Sometimes it interupts when you're in the middle of listening to something, particularly for notifications, and sometimes it doesn't speak notifications when it could

Ashley wrote:

iOS is excellent. Smooth, generally bug free, extremely responsive and very easy to use. MacOS is at times unusable with plenty of bugs, missing features and a very poor experience over all.

Soren wrote:

It Sucks. Bugs everywhere except for mac. There is a reason for why i am typing this on my pixel and not my Iphone.

Anonymous wrote:

After over 10 years with VoiceOver, I feel comfortable in using it and expect it to be available on any new Apple products.

Leah Dykema wrote:

The biggest issue I find with VoiceOver on Apple Products is when apps are either not compatible, or it glitches out and I am unable to do anything and must disable it to even exit the app I may be in. I also notice there are a couple glitches that have not been fixed since iOS 16.

Sanjana, a computer girl wrote:

The Voiceover in Apple watch is works very well.

Troubl156 wrote:

Using VoiceOver on the Apple Watch is almost impossible. The watch face is just too small for me to use two or three finger taps/swipes. For iPad and iPhone it works fairly well but, overtime, the tap function just stops working. I've had to get my iPhone (the thing I use the most) serviced several times because the touch screen just stops registering that you've tapped or double tapped on anything. While I haven't taken the iPad in for service, this is happening on it also to the point where now it takes several times tapping the screen before it will register that you even touched it.

Anonymous wrote:

In general I consider VO to be highly usable and better than other phone screen reader options. The watch and TV versions are more difficult to use because of the method of interface. That's a limitation of the device. On the watch the main button is to easy to trigger causing speech when not wanted. The touch pad on TV remote doesn't behave quite like other Apple touch devices. Having Eloquence for Mac-os is an improvement. On the Mac is not so much VO as the vastly greater number of key presses to do the same tasks you need to do on Windows.

Anonymous wrote:

I use VO on my iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, and have little problem with any of these. I don't use the Mac much, other than rarely at work. I have heard complaints about VO's reliability and consistency from other VO user and co-workers I trust.

Anonymous wrote:

The MacOs side of VoiceOver remains to be riddled with bugs. With haphazard focus jumps, to unreliable web navigation, to lack of text attributes customisation, to in general, inefficient navigation compared to windows based screen readers doesn't let Macos shine for VoiceOver users as much as it does for everyone else. ON TVOs, the main user experience issue with VoiceOver is VoiceOver constantly talking whenever the player controls are visible and media is palying. Since sometimes the VoiceOver volume is way louder than the viewed contents, I usually need to turn of VO for content playback on TVos.

علي حسين المرفدي wrote:

While VoiceOver remains a stable screen reader, it has started to fall behind its competitors, such as Jieshuo (the Chinese screen reader). The system feels too restrictive for advanced users. We need more flexibility in customizing gestures and a more open architecture that allows for deeper integration of third-party accessibility tools. Additionally, the lack of diverse, high-quality natural voices in many regions makes the experience feel outdated compared to the rapid advancements in AI-generated speech seen on other platforms.
Apple needs to urgently integrate advanced AI features directly into VoiceOver. We need 'On-Device' AI that can describe complex screen layouts, identify unlabelled buttons more accurately, and provide real-time descriptions of images and surroundings within apps. Furthermore, we need more freedom in 'Voice Schemes' and the ability to use third-party AI voices seamlessly. The current limitations on AI tools and voice customization are hindering our productivity. We look forward to seeing Apple lead again by implementing generative AI to make the digital world more descriptive and interactive for blind users.

Holger Fiallo wrote:

VO is OK but the bug in notification need to be address by apple. VO does not read notification and the screen locks up in the middle of reading them.

Anonymous wrote:

There is lots of lag and unexpected glitches. Especially on websites. The watch even attest models r super unresponsive. I have an iPhone 15 pro max and m1 iPad Air, and there r just so many weird lags and glitches which are very frustrating.

Joshua wrote:

Voiceover isn't the best it could be, it has gotten better since last year but there is still some very annoying bugs, I was trying to fill out this servay on my iPad and couldn't do it, I have to use my Samsung phone cause the pop-up menus would come up when I was swiping through the options so it made it impossible to do

Anonymous wrote:

I wish VO would read everything very smoothly and could interpret the unlabeled buttons and checkboxes

Missy Hoppe wrote:

My ratings are somewhat similar, but I gave the user experience on the phone three, because even and just taking this survey, I'm having a lot of focus issues, and iOS 26 in general just has not been an ideal experience. It's usable, but also frustrating. Hard to articulate it better than that.

Anonymous wrote:

The watch is not as responsive as it could and should be

Jeff wrote:

Voiceover has some focus issues that are not show-stoppers, but they have become very tedious to deal with. The most annoying is the unreasonably short duration of wake mode on the lock screen. Also, even when focus lands on the correct place, the item isn't always spoken. e.g., If raise-to-wake is enabled and the phone is raised, focus may land on the time, but the time is not spoken before the phone goes back to sleep. Until issues like these are fully remedied, Voiceover doesn't deserve a perfect score.

Anonymous wrote:

The issues I have experienced have been exclusively following the iOS26 update. VoiceOver will sometimes skip around the screen, far from any contact with the screen or the cursor, in the case of my iPad and keyboard. On iPhone, I can find my spot again, which can take time if I was in the middle of an email or website.
On iPad, however, this sometimes causes VoiceOver to either get stuck on one button or to stop talking altogether.
Sometimes, turning VoiceOver off and back on works, but many times, I have to completely shut down my iPad to get it functioning again. It is very frustrating and disruptive, especially if I have to save a document before shutting down my device, but can't use VoiceOver to locate the save button. I have lost data this way.

Justice wrote:

long standing accessibility bugs, and new bugs on IOS affecting focus detrimentally affect productivity.

Satyanarayana wrote:

I want to give one suggestion why using VoiceOver if we get any notifications the sound is completely low, so please try to fix the problem

Zach M wrote:

There's a reason I switched to android... Unfortunately, especially for braille display users, things seem to be getting worse and worse. While I love the ideas of some of these new features that have been added, (which is a totally different section that I won't talk about here) is incredible in theory, I think Apple, instead of coming out with these flashy new updates, focus on making the user experience better for everyone! For example, we still have long-standing voiceOver issues that have been a sticking point since I got my first iPhone eight years ago! The focus jumping, the braille display cursor jumping fix, and now, to make everything 100 times worse, the user interface is very different now! I don't mind change, but most of these changes are useless, for us blind users. Moving the search boxes to the bottom, in apple music, if you expand the search tab, you have to double tap on home collapsed tab, it jumps you back to the top, and then you have to find your tab again! This is true for most apple native apps. All for this for more battery drain, being less responsiveness, and maybe a few cool new features? Please, for the love of all of us blind people, prioritize fixing bugs over adding cool features and radically changing things at the expense of breaking accessibility features we rely on daily!

Umut KORKMAZ wrote:

After each new update, I started to worry about how much of my existing experience I would lose.

Misty Dawn wrote:

In iOS, there are still far too many bugs when reading with VoiceOver. Especially with iOS 26, the lock screen has become almost unusable and it is very mangled. FOr instance, swiping right rarely moves smoothly (if at all) from one element to another. As for TV OS, one particular bug has been too-long persistent: when attempting to re-arrange apps within a folder, movement up/down/left/right is not indicated at all by VoiceOver; VoiceOver is completely silent except for an initial indication that movement can occur.

Kaushik wrote:

We have vocaliser voices for Indian languages, but apart from Hindi, other languages are not been automatically detected. When reading the text. We need to be getting this issue fixed as soon as possible. Thank you.

mcox wrote:

There are still issues with focus. on the lock screen, while reading notifications sometimes if you delete one instead of moving to the next in the list it will put you somewhere completely randum, it make going in cronological order almost impossible. There is also an issue with the Mail app. The compose toolbar is completely inaccessible by voiceover at the moment. Also whild reading anything on the lock screen Voice Over will simply stop in the middle of a sentence and the phone will turn off the display and lock itself. For reference I have auto lock set to never for reasons I won't go into here and it's still a problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Since over 12 years with Apple products, I'm realy glade. Voiceover is easy to use and verry great. I use Voiceover on the Iphone and the Mac every day; in ma daily life and in my work of sound ingeneer. For me, Voiceover make all what I need to do and is improved each year, overall today with IOS26 and Mac OS 26 where I have the personnal impresion that Voiceover on Mac is now identical the the Iphone, with the same performance. In the past, Accessibility on Apple product was allso good. But now, for me, it's a big step forward with the uniformity of each Apple product and the new voiceover fonctions like the Braille Access.

Chris wrote:

macOS needs a lot of bug fixes. Even though there have been significant enhancements over the past few years, there are still many minor and more severe bugs that need to be addressed. A good place to start is looking at the bug tracker on this website and seriously prioritizing these issues rather than ignoring feedback reports and/or sending generic canned responses to users.

Blake Sinnett wrote:

There have been a few regressions with VoiceOver on iPadOS

Darrell Hilliker wrote:

User experience is reasonable, but, again, we need to find ways to better keep up with apps that aren't and may never be made fully accessible.

Anonymous wrote:

The stability is particularly poor; it sometimes freezes, and the screen reading becomes garbled in certain areas

Fatima.Hamoud10 wrote:

I think my VoiceOver experience on Apple products is very good. I do not have any issues with VoiceOver on iOS 26, WatchOS 26 and MacOS 26.

Lit Xuan wrote:

Just like every other parts of iOS, Apple has to pay a lot of attention to fixing plenty of bugs that have been severely impacting VoiceOver users for years. From my experience, VoiceOver speech at times become silent for a considerable amount of time, screen recognition not being reliable with lag, overheat and inconsistent result with VoiceOver cursor jumping all over the place, and VoiceOver as a whole shutting itself off and coming back on again on its own, along with general slow of responsiveness and lag, all of which are concerns I've been having across many iPhone and iOS generations over the years. Also, features like language switching for VoiceOver supported languages don't always work as expected, if at all. For a lot of my friends, for example those living in Southern India, despite having official language support by VoiceOver, auto language switching never work at all for them, forcing the constant manual Rotor based switching to do their day to day tasks like reading official government documents in their native languages for example Telugu which VoiceOver supports, but is never being auto switched to from English. And even if it's working, the auto switch also has the issue of being laggy in the transition between the two voices from different languages, and for some odd reason, reading for extended amount of time using voices in certain languages like Arabic causes the device to heat up. So I really hope Apple will address these issues along with others, and improve VoiceOver stability, consistency, performance, and reliability for a much better user experience.

Brennen wrote:

I think that the voiceover experience could be a little bit better some apps it works great other apps it does not. I know that has a lot to do with the app developers but I think that Apple could improve upon this process as well by keeping voiceover, up-to-date, and fixing bugs as necessary related to focus issues and things of that nature

Anonymous wrote:

I have found the experience really positive, however sometimes the focus jumps around meaning you click on an item you won’t intending to. It has been less bad recently but it’s still an issue. Also for some reason sometimes text is read out twice on certain websites.

elmer t wrote:

As I said in the above section, it would be nice to see macOS more similar to the other Apple products that are in this survey
Example, moving through functions rather than having a swipe, etc., or arrowing back-and-forth as we do in an iPhone, in the Mac you’re always interacting un interacting and it isn’t always announced, and it makes it much more difficult to learn

Samuel wrote:

VoiceOver is still one of the most powerful and important accessibility features across Apple platforms. It enables real independence thanks to its deep system integration, consistent navigation model, strong speech and braille support, and the ability to use mainstream apps alongside everyone else. Features like the rotor, reliable text reading, and the overall ecosystem experience are a big reason many blind and low vision users choose Apple. That said, the biggest ongoing issue is stability and consistency over time. Many users experience regressions after major OS updates, where focus can jump unpredictably, controls become harder to reach, or gestures and rotor options behave differently across apps. In some areas, the experience can feel less consistent between iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, and third party apps (especially those using newer UI frameworks) can introduce accessibility gaps that make navigation slower or confusing. Performance issues, occasional lag, and intermittent braille display connectivity problems also affect trust in daily use. My main suggestion is for Apple to prioritize reliability and predictability: fewer regressions, faster fixes for VoiceOver breaking bugs, and stronger quality assurance focused specifically on real world screen reader workflows before releases. More transparency around known accessibility issues and clearer release notes for VoiceOver changes would also help users plan updates with confidence.

Young wrote:

For iOS 26.2, I get focus-trap error more on several app. I have to use explore by touch to get out of the trap.

kurtkris227 wrote:

Swiping down on iOS is an easy experience until it will glitch and not work, forcing me to restart my phone.

Mani L wrote:

VoiceOver is the best feature in iPhones, specially for blind people, but sometimes automatically turned off and turned on. I hope you will fix the problem in upcoming updates and please add more future in voiceover to easy using.

LEELEE Lee Lee wrote:

My only comment is when they do their updates, it changes the location of the items on the screen. I feel like I have to learn how to navigate the screen all over again.

ChoonHwee wrote:

Too complicated, especially on the Mac

Gianni wrote:

Since iOS 2026 data entered into an input field are not read correctly on iPhone 13 Mini.
It's difficult to control the slider on the media player for moving back or forward the audio stream.

Rob Turner wrote:

In most situations it offers excellent accessibility.

Anonymous wrote:

I am a user of Simplified Chinese, and I can only describe the VoiceOver experience this year as extremely, extremely, extremely bad. Within the Chinese framework, VoiceOver urgently needs a major overhaul because its problems are now structural. First, although VoiceOver offers over a dozen voices in Chinese, the only one truly usable by users daily is TingTing, which has been around for over a decade. But even this sole usable voice is now facing big trouble. It cannot accurately read numbers, especially when reading dates. If you want to hear the specific date clearly, you have to use the rotor to listen to it character by character; otherwise, what you hear is likely to be garbled. When encountering phone numbers or numbers exceeding five digits, VoiceOver experiences noticeable stuttering. For example, when I browse the call history page, every time I swipe the screen, I have to pause for a second, waiting for VoiceOver's voice to respond before it can read the phone number. So, are there no problems other than numbers? I can only say that the number reading issue is the simplest problem. The worse problem is that VoiceOver has become very unstable and difficult to predict when reading text. For example, when we read an article, VoiceOver might suddenly skip a certain section, and the user has no idea that it skipped this content. This skipping of content is very random; it could be skipping the first few words of a paragraph, or reading the first half of a paragraph and skipping the latter half. Even stranger, it might read the beginning and end of a paragraph but omit the middle part. Therefore, I absolutely dare not use the two-finger swipe-down gesture for full-text reading when reading articles now; I don't know how much content I would miss that way. There are many, many more issues, but due to space limitations, I won't write about them for now.

Anonymous wrote:

From a renvenue perspective, one of the things that is making me strongly consider the cancelation of my Apple News subscription is the ads which completely disrupt the reading of articles as a VoiceOver user. Casting the rediculousness of having ads in a premium service aside, the issue I am having is that some ads seem to trigger VoiceOver focus to jump to the bottom of the screen while in the middle of reading an article. There is no way to quickly return to where I left off either. PLEASE FIX!

Marc from Montreal wrote:

the watch experience leaves a little to be desired, especially when in water lock mode more information needs to be provided by voiceover also when rubbing the watch against material, such as putting a shirt or jacket on voiceover becomes active too easily this needs to be addressed Acknowledgement from Siri is not provided when asking Siri to turn the flashlight on or off since the release of the release candidate of iOS 2026

blindstein wrote:

mostly what I said above. An OCR feature in mac os would potentially be helpful, but VOCR is quite robust. Maybe voiceover needs a framework for add-ons to be published the way NVDA does

Jason White wrote:

The experience is consistently good in many respects, and it hasn't changed much compared with previous years. I think more attention to preventing and resolving bugs would improve the experience further.

Pat Ships wrote:

I feel that there are just too many bugs at the moment for it to be a good or great experience.

Michael Feir wrote:

Time needs to be taken to catch more trouble spots before changes are released to the public. Especially ones which interfere with or prevent basic use as was experienced earlier in the year. Also, it can be frustrating when problems are encountered while using third party apps or web sites. I've had situations where neither Apple nor a thind party developer will actually take responsibility and get things fixed.

John wrote:

Again, persistent bugs that haven’t been addressed. On macOS overall I think it’s really great. But some of the keyboard commands can be difficult to do, especially if you have any kind of dexterity issues or tremor. Occasionally, we see a voice command that mirrors a keyboard command for non-voiceover. Well, why not just use that so we don’t have to use the VO keys. Unless I’m missing some difference between the commands.

Anonymous wrote:

Using an iPhone 17 with ios 26, typing with voiceover is poor. Voiceover is not speaking the characters as they are being tight and the cursor is not holding the focus. It is nearly impossible to type a sentence without having to re-orient the cursor.

Dani Anglada Pich wrote:

I'm completely blind and thanks to voiceover to let me get in touch and update of my interests, life and work.

Apple-fan01 wrote:

South Indian languages don’t work for language auto detection making it inconvenient to read news articles, multi language articles and job offers.
The only way to make it work is to switch our voice-over rotor away from the primary English language.
This is very inconvenient.
Arranging app icons on the Home Screen is also extremely slow and difficult for VoiceOver users not to mention buggy.

Anonymous wrote:

In my experience, VoiceOver has only gotten better over the years. I've absolutely no doubt in my mind that Apple will continue to make enhancements to this wonderful screen reader.

Michael wrote:

My main complaint about the voiceover user experience is I think apple doesn’t do enough to encourage app developers to make their apps accessible

Marcia Yale wrote:

For the most part, VoiceOver makes it easy to access apps. However, there are still parts of third-party apps which are inaccessible, and I wish Apple would toughen up their restrictions so that apps must be made fully accessible.

ZsuZsuPetals wrote:

I love the voiceover feature, and I have no clue what I would do without it!

Matthew Whitaker wrote:

Yes. I use VoiceOver daily across all Apple platforms, and while Apple has made accessibility a core value, the actual VoiceOver experience still varies widely in reliability, performance, and trust depending on the device and context.
At its best, VoiceOver is empowering. Apple remains one of the only companies where a blind user can independently set up and use an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or Apple TV without assistance. When VoiceOver works as intended, it enables speed, confidence, and independence. That foundation matters and should not be understated.
However, the real-world VoiceOver experience is too often inconsistent and fragile.
A major issue across platforms is trust. VoiceOver users need to trust that what is spoken or shown in braille accurately reflects what is happening on screen. Too often, VoiceOver announces outdated information, misses changes, or fails to communicate state clearly. This forces users to second-guess the system, slowing everything down and increasing mental fatigue.
On iOS, the VoiceOver experience is generally strong but not perfect. There are moments of lag, missed state changes, and unnecessary verbosity in situations where fast feedback is critical. Small changes between iOS releases can disrupt long-established workflows, and gesture conflicts still occur in some apps. Even so, iOS remains Apple’s most stable and reliable VoiceOver platform.
On iPadOS, VoiceOver struggles to keep up with the platform’s evolution. Multitasking, split views, floating windows, and external keyboard or trackpad usage often result in unclear focus and confusing navigation. VoiceOver does not always clearly communicate which app, window, or pane is active, making complex workflows more difficult than they should be.
On macOS, the VoiceOver experience is the most problematic—and this is where things must change fundamentally. VoiceOver on Mac needs a complete rewrite from the ground up. Focus frequently jumps or gets lost, VoiceOver focus and system cursor focus desynchronize, and users are often unsure where they actually are within an app. VoiceOver can lag, freeze, stop speaking, or speak incorrect information, especially in complex or professional applications. These are not edge cases; they are daily realities. The current macOS VoiceOver architecture feels like layers of patches built on an outdated foundation, and no amount of incremental fixes will fully solve these issues without a full redesign.
On watchOS, VoiceOver works but is inefficient. Navigation is slow and overly linear, requiring too many gestures to complete simple tasks. Feedback can be either too sparse or too verbose, and the lack of intelligent summaries makes quick interactions harder on a device designed for speed.
On tvOS, VoiceOver is functional but exhausting for extended use. Browsing and comparing content is slow, repetitive, and information-heavy, with very few tools to help users scan or jump efficiently. The experience feels technical rather than intentionally designed.
Across all platforms, VoiceOver behavior is inconsistent between apps and system areas, including Apple’s own software. Updates often introduce regressions, which makes users hesitant to upgrade and undermines confidence in the platform. Too often, blind users are forced to adapt their workflows around VoiceOver’s limitations instead of being supported by it.
In summary, VoiceOver remains one of the most important accessibility tools Apple has ever created, but the experience needs serious refinement. iOS sets a strong baseline, iPadOS needs clearer focus handling, watchOS and tvOS need efficiency-focused design, and macOS requires a full, ground-up rewrite of VoiceOver itself. Apple has proven what’s possible with accessibility—now it needs to deliver a VoiceOver experience that is stable, predictable, and trustworthy everywhere.

GAH wrote:

There is a lack of good online training material for users to learn how to effectively use VoiceOver. macOS is difficult to navigate, save files et cetera relative to a screen reader software package such as jaws which is much more powerful.

Furkan wrote:

While VoiceOver remains a powerful tool in general use, it did not fully reach the expected level in terms of user experience this year. Some new features feel as though they were introduced before being fully matured, which leads to inconsistencies in daily use. In particular, the VoiceOver experience on macOS lags behind iOS, undermining continuity across platforms. We expect a more stable, predictable, and consistent VoiceOver experience across all platforms.

Zebs wrote:

While VoiceOver is capable of reading text, managing complex documents with hundreds of tracked changes and comments is currently much slower on macOS than on competing Windows platforms. Specifically, I am requesting "List-based Reviewing" features that allow users to manage document metadata without manually scanning every line of text.
Requested Features for VoiceOver / Word Integration:

Centralized Revisions List: A dedicated command (similar to the JAWS "Revisions Window") that generates a list of all tracked changes in a separate window. This would allow users to quickly browse, accept, or reject edits from a unified list rather than finding them inline.

Enhanced Comment Navigation: A native VoiceOver menu or "Rotor" category for comments that allows a user to see the comment text, the author, and the timestamp in one view, with a direct link to jump to the commented text.

Auditory Proofing Cues: Customizable audio tones or pitch changes that signify an "Insertion," "Deletion," or "Formatting Change" while reading. Currently, hearing "Insertion" spoken out loud before every edited word can be highly disruptive to the flow of reading.

Proofing Summary: A command to hear a quick summary of the document’s status (e.g., "32 Tracked Changes, 12 Comments, 4 Spelling Errors") without needing to navigate to the Status Bar.
For professional users, editors, and students, these features are essential for ensuring document quality. Bringing a "Reviewer’s Mode" to VoiceOver would make the Mac a much more powerful tool for professional collaborative writing.

remixman wrote:

Mac OS is terrible. Laggy, freezes, no way to copy/paste text from a WEB BROWSER...

Robin wrote:

I wish that VoiceOver had its own API which could at least in theory allow Apple to push out more frequent fixes rather than having to wait for OS releases. There are some bugs that have dutifully been reported during beta cycles from even before the current OS's have been released that persist until this very day and that causes me some concern which is why I didn't give straight 5's when I could.

macOS_Skyline wrote:

For the most part, VoiceOver on the iPhone and iPad has been smooth sailing for me. My only issues have been the occasional freeze on the iPhone, and the experience typing with the Magic Keyboard on the iPad and VoiceOver to be a bit annoying, with VO randomly exiting the text field I am actively typing in and starting to ignore whatever I’m typing to start performing actions I did not intend it to. Other than that though, it has worked exactly as described.
Once again, however, macOS has left a lot to be desired. From a general feeling of sluggishness, to significant issues in Safari, Apple Music, Apple TV, and the phone app with VoiceOver specifically, VoiceOver on macOS has felt a little bit abandoned, despite new active improvements being released with the 26th operating system. There’s a new customizable control center in Tahoe, and yet so far with VoiceOver it’s extremely difficult, if not impossible, to customize it with VoiceOver.

Elena Brescacin wrote:

I feel that sometimes the VoiceOver experience degrades with usage. Especially with third-party headsets and bluetooth glasses, there's a huge lag. And even with complex apps, touch screen input is slow.

Anonymous wrote:

I wish they would make testing for bugs more of a priority.

Anonymous wrote:

I absolutely love VoiceOver and how accessible it makes iPhones, and, thus, how independent it makes me. I have experienced three VoiceOver issues with the newest update, and even before though. First, I am a very experienced VoiceOver user, making me able to navigate my phone VERY quickly. It would be nice if VoiceOver were better able to keep up. Right now, it is so extremely frustrating when I am trying to work on an assignment, and my VoiceOver keeps telling me to slow down. My sighted, iPhone using friends are able to navigate and use their iPhones super fast and accurately without being slowed down. I wish it was the same for blind users, and we could use our iPhones just as fast without constantly being told to slow down. Next, I have been experiencing several issues with VoiceOver turning off in certain situations. I’m not sure if it is an issue with the app or function, or if it is just a result of my speed. First, I have experienced issues with VoiceOver when I get a phone call. For some reason, once my phone starts ringing, my VoiceOver turns off, making it hard to see who’s calling or find the answer button. Second, I frequently encounter issues with being closed out of apps. For example, I will be working on a list in notes, and it will randomly close on me, sending me back to my home screen. Third, I will be in a textfield, for example, in notes, typing with my bluetooth keyboard, and my VoiceOver will stop talking as I am typing. I usually end up having to refresh the app and go back in to hear what I typed. Finally, I have been encountering issues with my VoiceOver in the Safari app. I don’t know if it is an issue with VoiceOver or the Safari app itself, but I will be working in one tab, want to switch to a different tab, but once I try to go to my tabs screen, it glitches and I can’t access anything. I end up having to close the app completely to refresh it, then go back in and try again. It is often though, that this will happen multiple times in a row, causing me to constantly have to exit and refresh the app.

Wahid Raza wrote:

I m little disappointed to VO experience on mac os I wish that and expect, VO becomes super accessible super functioning and smooth lazy fast as in IOs, ipad os and watch OS
There are lots of bugs and issues in mac os VO, which needs to be fix.
I feel also that Apple should give us opption to use jaws and NVDA on mac, we as a consumer has right what or which software can use run install
If apple not willing to fix those long running bugs, atlas they give us opption to switch screen reader software.

PhBG wrote:

The VoiceOver user experience has been getting worse with each update due to the introduction of numerous accessibility bugs that are rarely fixed.

Anonymous wrote:

Voice over does not work for me on my computer. I have Siri read my emails, documents, browser information, Excel spreadsheets, etc. Voice over becomes a second, competing voice and drives me crazy. I wish you would allow Siri to read the subjects of my emails as you did several operating systems ago. I would also like Siri to read the sender and the date. This is where voice over would be helpful but I would have to keep turning it on and off in order to let Siri read me the content of my emails and my responses to those emails. Same holds true for correcting a word document, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Voice Over on TVOS started to feel a little finicky, especially later in the year. Things like the TTS engine cutting out and only the navigational sound cues being played. Or not returning audio to normal after ducking it for Voice Over speech. They're not exactly dealbreakers and hard things to pin down, but it seemed like I had more minor frustrations pop up with Voice Over more often in the last few months of the year.

avg66 wrote:

VoiceOver is generally works fine. Two issues that make it is not perfect: reset VoiceOver position by itself when app and navigation stuck somewhere (the last one is happens often on Mac).

Dream wrote:

There is a serious bug when entering Japanese text with VoiceOver enabled on iOS.
Extra characters are inserted during input.
This occurs especially when using a Bluetooth external keyboard.
This issue did not occur up to iOS 18, but it started in iOS 26 and became worse in iOS 26.2 and later.
I am currently using iOS 26.3 and the problem has still not been fixed.
This makes accurate Japanese text entry very difficult in daily use.
Stable text input is essential for VoiceOver users.
On macOS, the detailed explanation of Japanese kanji in VoiceOver is not sufficient in both speech and braille.
Accurate and detailed kanji descriptions are essential for Japanese users, and this limitation makes macOS difficult to use in practice.
Improving Japanese text input stability on iOS and enhancing detailed kanji descriptions in VoiceOver on macOS would greatly improve accessibility for blind and DeafBlind users in Japan.

Anonymous wrote:

Frankly, the situation with Mac OS is a disgrace at this point. I bought a new M4 MacBook Air last year, and in many ways love it. But the fact that I have still yet to update to Mac OS 26 speaks volumes. The OS is getting worse, not better, each year with VoiceOver. There are bugs and issues that are so damaging to productivity that I simply can't risk updating, and can't risk depending on my Mac for serious work. The user experience can also vary wildly depending on what type of app it is, and many interfaces, including Apple apps like Music, are very clunky. I want to be all in on Mac, but it's not an option.
iOS and iPad OS have a few mildly irritating bugs but on the whole are superb in my view. I would though like better keyboard support, especially on iPad.

Amanda wrote:

Siri used to be my main way of doing Google searches on my iPhone. I would just ask her to search for what I wanted, and then take my time scrolling through the results. Now the response window times out before I get a chance to read through all the results. This is a major problem for me.
I used to use the Mac a lot, but now I don’t use it much at all, as the voiceover experience is very disappointing. I often find that when typing text into pages, text edit, or Ulysses, I lose speech altogether. The only way to get it back is to command tab away from the app I’m using, and stop and start VoiceOver. This is unacceptable.

mr grieves wrote:

It’s generally pretty good on the Phone - the Lock Screen is full of phantom notifications but otherwise generally does what I need. The Shortcuts app is awful with VoiceOver though - it is the least pleasant thing I’ve had to try to do on the phone.
The Watch is generally pretty good. WatchOS 26 is less prone to getting stuck saying “notifications” than before. It’s not perfect but I don’t have many problems. I do wish I could ask Siri to turn VoiceOver speech back on for the times I accidentally turn it off and then can’t remember the gesture to restore it.
I got my first Apple TV this year - it is a pretty bad experience when starting to use it. The navigation is all grid based so takes some getting used to. The touch sensitive pad thing is horrible, but once turned off things improve. I also had some problems with VoiceOver sound cutting out, probably because it was trying to use Atmos. Now I have changed my soundbar, and got used to things it works fairly well. I wish it would stop talking over the start of programmes though.
But the Mac. Maybe I am being harsh with a one, but I am so fed up of the terrible web browsing experience. It is so erratic and the focus shoots all over the place. It makes being efficient almost impossible. It should not be so difficult to get from the toolbar to the web content for example.
And on Sequoia I still get Safari Not Responding lock-ups fairly regularly, not to mention VoiceOver just going quiet for a minute when I unlock sometimes. Or speech locking up completely when trying to use VS Code for some tasks.
And that’s not to mention the many incomprehensible and unintuitive first party apps like Shortcuts, App Store and pretty much anything that throws me into a Collection of any kind.
VoiceOver on the Mac has so much potential but regularly feels like torture. The NumPad is a genuinely great controller, but the bugs and the poorly thought out UI just makes it feel frustrating and depressing.

Matthew Robinson wrote:

I have seen significant improvements in the VoiceOver experience in macOS in recent updates; however, it is frustrating that it still seems to lag behind all the other operating systems. New bugs have been introduced and have yet to be resolved! When will this pattern end?!

Tyler wrote:

On macOS, while the VoiceOver screen reader itself boasts a respectable feature set, the unpredictable and divergent behavior between apps, and the relative lack of documentation of how various functions are supposed to work, detracts from what would otherwise have the potential to be a highly capable, robust computing platform for blind, deaf blind, and low vision users.

Arya wrote:

The Voice over features in iOS, iPad OS and the Watch OS has excellent features and works as expected.
The voice over in mac has a huge scope for improvement with respect to web navigation, text navigation and screen recognition.

Brian wrote:

Bugs! They exist. Fix these. Make Apple OS work, like it did a decade ago.

Braille

Grade: B

Overall satisfaction with braille accessibility on Apple products decreased compared to 2024.

Braille – Overall: B (3.7)
- Overall, satisfaction with braille accessibility on Apple products decreased by 0.1 point over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (3.8) was in 2023 and 2024, while the lowest (3.7) was in 2022 and 2025:
  - 2025: B (3.7)
  - 2024: B (3.8)
  - 2023: B (3.8)
  - 2022: B (3.7)

Braille Features

Grade: B

Satisfaction with braille features on macOS and watchOS was unchanged from 2024, while satisfaction decreased on iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS.

Braille Features – Overall: B (3.7)
- Overall, satisfaction with the braille features on Apple products decreased by 0.1 point over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (3.9) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.7) was in 2022 and 2025:
  - 2025: B (3.7)
  - 2024: B (3.8)
  - 2023: B (3.9)
  - 2022: B (3.7)
iOS: B (4.2)
- Satisfaction with the braille features on iOS decreased by 0.1 point over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.3) was in 2024, while the lowest (3.9) was in 2022:
  - 2025: B (4.2)
  - 2024: B (4.3)
  - 2023: B (4.1)
  - 2022: B (3.9)
iPadOS: B (3.9)
- Satisfaction with the braille features on iPadOS decreased by 0.3 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.2) was in 2024, while the lowest (3.8) was in 2022:
  - 2025: B (3.9)
  - 2024: B (4.2)
  - 2023: B (4.1)
  - 2022: B (3.8)
macOS: C (3.6)
- Satisfaction with the braille features on macOS was unchanged from 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (3.6) was in 2023, 2024, and 2025, while the lowest (3.3) was in 2022:
  - 2025: C (3.6)
  - 2024: C (3.6)
  - 2023: C (3.6)
  - 2022: C (3.3)
watchOS: C (3.5)
- Satisfaction with the braille features on watchOS was unchanged from 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.3) was in 2022, while the lowest (3.5) was in 2024 and 2025:
  - 2025: C (3.5)
  - 2024: C (3.5)
  - 2023: B (3.7)
  - 2022: B (4.3)
tvOS: C (3.5)
- Satisfaction with the braille features on tvOS decreased by 0.1 point over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.0) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.4) was in 2022:
  - 2025: C (3.5)
  - 2024: C (3.6)
  - 2023: B (4.0)
  - 2022: C (3.4)

Do you have any comments regarding the Braille accessibility features offered on Apple products? Please feel free to share them here.

Devin Prater wrote:

Braille Access is wonderful, and I hope it only improves in iOS 27.

Jonathan Chacón wrote:

Developers need a function in the Accessibility API to show a text in braille display and other text for Speech display. It is mandatory to open to new experiences

Ashley wrote:

Exceptional on iOS. arguably as good on MacOS, though let down by the Voiceover bugs that also affect speech.

Anonymous wrote:

I actually quite like the Braille Screen Input that has been in IOS for the past couple versions now. I like not having to use the rotor, and just use the tap gesture to enable it in any edit box. It's useful for entering longer blocks of text when a bluetooth keyboard isn't around.

Anonymous wrote:

I am mainly a Braille Screen Input user and have found the feature excellent.

Anonymous wrote:

Braille access is amazing

Missy Hoppe wrote:

For the most part, I don't use braille with my Apple products. In the case of my Mac, the Mac side is way too old to work with the braille display I have. When I do need to use it on the phone, it's OK. It does what I need to do, but that's about all I could say for it. I'd love to use it on Apple TV, but so far, have never had any luck making that happen.

Justice wrote:

The feature set is good, comprehensive and beneficial.

Zach M wrote:

I love the braille features on iOS. They are very customizable, both for braille displays and braille screen input.

Umut KORKMAZ wrote:

Great.

Anonymous wrote:

Some of the Braille features on MacOS could be improved, such as the Dictionary app for reading definitions.

Anonymous wrote:

In my personnal opinion, over the years, Voiceover brings improvements and allso in Braille displaying. But, from IOS13 to IOS 17, there ware some bugs with the Braille display, overall to rwite long texts. Sometimes, the Braille display disconnected of the phone without any reason. I con't rwite anymore one a texte. On Mac OS, the Braille typing with a Braille keyboard like (Focus Blue Freedom Scientific,...) had some bugs especialy for the return to the next line of a text document,... But since IOS18 and Mac OS Bigsure, These bugs I have meet at the point of the Braille typing with a Braille keyboard have been fixed. That's my personnal opinion; in IOS 18 all bugts with Braille has been fixed. And now, with Mac OS 26, I didn't found any bug at the Braille in Voiceover. Now With IOS26 and Mac OS 26, the Braille with Voiceover works perfectly.

Chris wrote:

I don't use Braille extensively on Apple devices so can't comment on specific issues, but Apple really needs to implement true plug-and-play USB Braille support on other platforms besides macOS. These operating systems should have the same support the Mac has had since Snow Leopard. Bluetooth isn't always an ideal connection, and while it's great USB works with devices that support the HID protocol, the reality is there are still many devices out there that don't support this, and upgrading Braille hardware isn't feasible due to the high cost. It shouldn't be difficult to port the existing universal USB Braille support from macOS to iOS and iPadOS, especially now that all the systems use the same ARM architecture, and macOS 27 and beyond will also only support ARM on Apple Silicon processors. While it may be inconvenient to use a Lightning to USB adapter, true USB Braille support would be very useful in all kinds of situations where wireless connectivity isn't possible or extremely inconvenient. It's also critical for deaf-blind users that rely exclusively on Braille. In situations like that, you want an extremely reliable connection that just works when you connect your device, as opposed to fiddling with Bluetooth which may randomly disconnect or fail to reconnect at critical times. It should also get significantly easier once all devices that have Lightning connectors lose software support and everyone transitions to USB C, even if that means using a USB C to A adapter to connect older Braille devices.

Fatima.Hamoud10 wrote:

I think the braille accessibility features on Apple products are excellent.

Marie-Laurence wrote:

Really easy to connect.
Super on note.
Not really easy on Safari but it is better now

Anonymous wrote:

I find braille screen input very helpful, however it would be great if the screen did not adjust as often as if you move your hands too close together by accident you have to recalibrate the whole display

BlackCat wrote:

Most of the time very good using a Chamelion Braille Display also known as Braille One display

Justin Philips wrote:

There are excellent. BSI is excellent. Organization of options in the menus can improve though.

Rob Turner wrote:

Very good, especially with a connected braille display..

Anonymous wrote:

Love Braille Access! Thank you for that! Apple should be commended for these specific features.

Jason White wrote:

It is disappointing that the Monarch multi-line braille and tactile device is not yet supported, especially under macOS, even though the Braille Terminal mode was available in the closing months of 2025 on the Monarch side. I look forward to the addition of support in 2026, in the hope that Apple will design it thoughtfully and develop a reliable implementation. Bluetooth access to the Braille terminal mode is now available as of version 1.4 of the Monarch's firmware, opening the way to support for iOS and iPadOS as well.

Michael Feir wrote:

Apple introduced a lot of new features for Braille users. I applaud their efforts in this area.

Anonymous wrote:

I'm still happily using my HumanWare eReader, and I have to say that the latest Braille features are very nice indeed. I haven't used Braille Access much yet, but I'm so glad Apple saw fit to include it.

Matthew Whitaker wrote:

Yes. I use braille extensively across Apple products, and while Apple has made meaningful progress with braille accessibility, the experience is still inconsistent and often limited by the same underlying issues that affect VoiceOver overall.
To start with the positives, Apple deserves credit for supporting a wide range of braille displays across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Connecting a braille display is generally straightforward, and core features like braille input, output, routing, and table selection are built directly into the system. Braille Screen Input on iPhone and iPad is still one of the most innovative accessibility features available, especially for users who do not always want to carry a physical display. More recent additions like Braille Access show that Apple is again taking braille users seriously, and that is encouraging.
That said, the braille experience still feels uneven and, at times, fragile.
One of the biggest issues is reliability and focus accuracy. Braille is only as good as the information it receives, and when VoiceOver focus drifts or becomes inaccurate, braille output immediately suffers. This is especially noticeable on macOS, where braille can display the wrong content, lag behind user actions, or lose routing accuracy. When focus is unreliable, braille users are often affected even more severely than speech users because braille depends entirely on precise structure and timing.
Another major concern is connection stability. Bluetooth braille displays can disconnect unexpectedly, reconnect slowly after sleep or wake, or require manual intervention to become responsive again. Input can sometimes feel delayed or dropped. These issues vary depending on the display and operating system version, but from a user perspective, braille connectivity should be boring and rock-solid. Any uncertainty in connection or input undermines trust and productivity.
Braille table and translation behavior also needs improvement. While Apple allows users to select input and output tables, real-world usage is more complex than a single global setting. Contracted versus uncontracted braille expectations change depending on context—password fields, code, file paths, URLs, music notation, and technical text all demand different behavior. Apple needs smarter, more predictable rules and easier ways to switch or automate braille modes without forcing users to constantly manage settings manually.
Customization of braille commands and key assignments, particularly on macOS, is powerful but not user-friendly. Assigning commands to braille display keys works, but discovering commands, resolving conflicts, and managing layouts can be cumbersome. There is no easy way to search, organize, export, or share command configurations, and there are no guided defaults for common workflows. This makes advanced braille use harder than it needs to be.
The braille user interface itself could also be improved. Features like braille panels and status cells can be useful, but they are not always intuitive and can become cluttered or confusing. There should be clearer explanations, quick toggles, and preset verbosity modes so users can tailor braille output depending on whether they are reading, navigating, or working quickly. Braille Screen Input, while excellent, still feels like a power-user feature rather than a mainstream one. Discoverability, feedback when switching modes, and clearer confirmation of command versus text entry would make it more approachable, especially for newer users.
Finally, braille workflows such as reading and managing BRF files, notes, and documents still feel limited. While newer features are a step in the right direction, file management, sharing, and cross-device consistency need to be stronger so braille users can rely on Apple devices as true braille productivity tools, not just access terminals.
In summary, Apple has laid a solid foundation for braille accessibility and has recently shown renewed interest in improving it. However, the braille experience still suffers from reliability issues, inconsistent focus, limited customization usability, and gaps in real-world workflows—especially on macOS. If Apple wants braille users to fully trust and depend on its platforms, braille accessibility must be treated as a first-class, professional-grade experience, not an add-on built on top of unstable foundations.

Furkan wrote:

On iOS, I actively use Screen Braille Input. While it was previously more consistent, I have recently started experiencing a clear issue. Even when I am confident that I am entering the correct character, incorrect characters are frequently inserted into text fields. This behavior is not random; it occurs consistently, which strongly suggests a bug or regression that needs to be addressed.
On macOS, my experience with Braille input is limited. Since I primarily type using the built-in keyboard on my Mac, I do not regularly use Braille input, and therefore cannot provide a detailed evaluation of the Braille experience on macOS.

InfoRover wrote:

While there are lots of features, braille display cursor problems still persist and the typing echo bug where words were not spoken when using a QWERTY keyboard for 6 dot braille input has still not been fixed. I have found, however, that braille screen input is quite reliable.

remixman wrote:

Braille Access is amazing!

Robin wrote:

There is potential I just wish it was given more consistent attention on all operating systems.

Elena Brescacin wrote:

Braille display on iPad and iPhone is quite slow, many times braille display gets disconnected and it's hard to make it work - then when you disconnect, virtual keyboard disappears.
And regarding Braille input, it's good but it has some improvements to perform: for example on Italian 6-dots-Braille we don't have many signs. The +, the =, the #, the iPad hasn't that issue because it runs with Braille 8 dots. But iPhone is very sluggish.

PhBG wrote:

The Braille features with VoiceOver are a very long way from what JAWS or NVDA offer. Apple is seriously behind.

Dream wrote:

The braille access features introduced in iOS 26 are excellent.
In particular, Live Captions in braille are extremely useful.
Audio from radio and phone calls can be displayed directly in braille.
This is a major breakthrough for DeafBlind users, greatly improving access to information and communication.
It has the potential to transform daily life.
If Japanese braille input and output become more stable, the experience will be even better.

Barry Brown wrote:

I use an Orbit Writer and ever since I installed IOS26, the experience has been poor. For instance, when I type a Password in UEB Contracted Braille, the letters are fine but when I press the number sign, the numbers come out as letters, not numbers as they should be. This is very disappointing.

Josh Kennedy wrote:

braille seems to work good.

Brian wrote:

Like with VoiceOver, the Braille features of Apple products suffer from a series of bugs, which make using the adaptive technology difficult at best. Braille displays either not connecting, or constantly disconnecting and reconnecting, BSI glitching out, other things are why this technology needs an overhaul. It's good, but definitely not great.

Braille User Experience

Grade: C

Satisfaction with the braille user experience increased on iPadOS and macOS when compared to 2024, while satisfaction decreased on iOS, watchOS, and tvOS.

Braille User Experience – Overall: C (3.6)
- Overall, satisfaction with the braille user experience on Apple products decreased by 0.1 point over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (3.8) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.6) was in 2022 and 2025:
  - 2025: C (3.6)
  - 2024: B (3.7)
  - 2023: B (3.8)
  - 2022: C (3.6)
iOS: B (4.0)
- Satisfaction with the braille user experience on iOS decreased by 0.1 point over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.1) was in 2024, while the lowest (3.7) was in 2022:
  - 2025: B (4.0)
  - 2024: B (4.1)
  - 2023: B (4.0)
  - 2022: B (3.7)
iPadOS: B (4.0)
- Satisfaction with the braille user experience on iPadOS increased by 0.1 point over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.0) was in 2023 and 2025, while the lowest (3.5) was in 2022:
  - 2025: B (4.0)
  - 2024: B (3.9)
  - 2023: B (4.0)
  - 2022: C (3.5)
macOS: C (3.4)
- Satisfaction with the braille user experience on macOS increased by 0.1 point over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (3.5) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.2) was in 2022:
  - 2025: C (3.4)
  - 2024: C (3.3)
  - 2023: C (3.5)
  - 2022: C (3.2)
watchOS: C (3.5)
- Satisfaction with the braille user experience on watchOS decreased by 0.1 point over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.2) was in 2022, while the lowest (3.5) was in 2025:
  - 2025: C (3.5)
  - 2024: C (3.6)
  - 2023: B (3.9)
  - 2022: B (4.2)
tvOS: C (3.3)
- Satisfaction with the braille user experience on tvOS decreased by 0.3 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (3.6) was in 2022 and 2024, while the lowest (3.3) was in 2025:
  - 2025: C (3.3)
  - 2024: C (3.6)
  - 2023: C (3.4)
  - 2022: C (3.6)

Do you have any comments regarding the Braille experience on Apple products? Please feel free to share them here.

Jonathan Chacón wrote:

Braille is good and the new features in iOS26 are awesome

Anonymous wrote:

I have some issues inputting things in to safari that contain letter and number combinations with my braille display. I have to use the copy paste method or use the keyboard through voiceover which is tedious and time consuming. Last time I tried to use my brailiant through the apple tv the braille commands were clunky and worked poorly . Apple watch has no braille features at all to my knowledge which was a little upsetting.

Justice wrote:

the experience of reading long-form content on IOS is hugely hampered by focus issues where the braille reading position across almost all reading apps, first and third party alike, isn't retained. If I open a HTML article, read part of it then return later, there's no guarantee where focus will land, or a way to get my Braille cursor to land where I left off.

Anonymous wrote:

Lag with Braille displays esp when typing still not totally gone

Zach M wrote:

I love the features that are being added for us blind users with braille displays, but there's this one issue with braille that makes braille unusable for us. If you put your cursor anywhere in a document, when you do put the cursor, it'll jump back a space or two. So naturally, you would think, okay, just adapt and move over a couple of spaces to the desired place. Now, let's say you used the wrong word and you want to delete it or insert new content. The surrounding content then combines together and turns into complete gibberish the moment you start editing or deleting things. And trying to delete that gibberish, you guessed it, produces more gibberish! For a company that wants people with disabilities to be able to pursue professional lives and do everything we need to, a fundamental part of a braille user's experience being broken, (with temporary fixes like using a certain writing app), is unacceptable. And for those times that it does work correctly, it is a very temporary fix, and apple breaks the experience once again.

Umut KORKMAZ wrote:

It brought the freedom to write on touch screens.

Misty Dawn wrote:

In iOS: The one thing that has been a persistent bug for perhaps years now is the persistent focus regression as one reads through an element in Braille on a Braille display. It is extremely disruptive to reading flow.

Anonymous wrote:

On Apple products I used, Braille reading was allways good for me. The bugs ware presents overall in the case of the Braille typing with a Braille keyboard like my Focus Blue 14 from Freedom Scientific. But now, on Mac OS26, all bugs has been fixed. Now, in Mac OS 26 and IOS 26, Braille works perfectly with Voiceover.

Fatima.Hamoud10 wrote:

I think the braille experience on Apple products is very good. I don't have any issues with the braille access feature in iOS 26, WatchOS 26 and MacOS 26.

Jennie A Facer wrote:

Oh boy do I have a sore spot for Braille features in the Apple ecosystem! I feel as if Braille is the last feature you keep in mind when developing or continuing support for Apple products. If you plan on supporting Braille, which I highly think it is a must, then PLEASE FIX some of these longstanding bugs that plague us. The skipping lines bug in iOs especially needs to go! That has been an issue since iOS 17 at least. I do appreciate you supporting Braille, but like I said, if you plan to support it, then support it all the way. Deaf/blind people depend on it, and I as a Braille user also really depend on it. Keep up the good work though.

rachel wrote:

Braille is my preferred reading format. I love being able to use this while reading using the iPhone. For me it beats having to listen to long documents being read to me. Naturally i struggle with listening to and remembering information.

Gianni wrote:

Sometimes Orbit Reader 40 is not showing Braille content after connecting with the iPhone 13 Mini. A VoiceOver restart solves the issue.

Anonymous wrote:

It's the same story as in past years. Braille bugs continue to exist for many versions beyond when they were reported. For example, the dropping of letters with braille input, most present in the Mail app, was reported with iOS 26.0. As of the latest 26.3 beta, composing an email is nearly unusable unless you use another app to copy and paste the finished product into the text field. There are also some significant issues surrounding the incorrect behavior of Cursor Routing buttons in a multi-line text field, when there is an inserted line break.

Callum Stoneman wrote:

iOS seems to have a habit of dropping connections to Braille displays and it can be difficult to establish a connection again. Admittadly it#s hard to determine exactly what is a Braille display issue and what is an iOS issue, but iOS seems to be the most common platform this happens on. I also only discovered the "disconnect on sleep" option by accident when trying to troubleshoot why my Braille display kept disconnecting whenever I locked my phone.

Matthew Whitaker wrote:

Yes. I use braille daily across Apple products, and while Apple has made important strides, the overall braille experience still lacks the consistency, reliability, and polish that blind users need—especially those of us who rely on braille for speed, accuracy, and professional work.
When the braille experience is working well, it is genuinely empowering. iPhone and iPad offer flexible braille support, Braille Screen Input provides a powerful alternative to on-screen keyboards, and Apple’s broad braille display compatibility gives users choice. Recent investments in braille-focused features signal that Apple understands how essential braille is for literacy and productivity. That foundation matters.
However, in everyday use, the braille experience often feels fragile.
A major issue is trust and accuracy. Braille users must be able to trust that what appears on the braille display reflects what is actually happening on screen. Too often, braille output lags behind user actions, shows outdated information, or fails to update when focus changes. This breaks flow and forces users to constantly verify what they are reading, which defeats the purpose of braille as a precise and efficient medium.
The braille experience is also deeply affected by focus and navigation problems. When VoiceOver focus becomes unclear or inconsistent, braille suffers immediately. This is especially noticeable on macOS, where focus drift and desynchronization cause braille to display incorrect elements or lose routing context. These issues make braille feel unreliable in complex apps and professional workflows.
Responsiveness and performance are additional concerns. Braille input and output should feel instantaneous. In practice, there are moments of delay, missed input, or slow updates, particularly after system wake, app switching, or display reconnection. These delays add friction and slow down experienced braille users who depend on fast interaction.
The Bluetooth experience also impacts daily use. Unexpected disconnects, slow reconnects, and inconsistent behavior between OS updates make braille displays feel less dependable than they should be. Braille users should not have to troubleshoot connections as part of normal workflow.
Another issue is workflow efficiency. While Apple provides many braille features, they are not always designed around real-world braille usage. Switching between reading, navigating, editing, and command input can feel clunky. Context awareness—such as knowing when uncontracted braille is preferred or when speech should be reduced—is still too manual. Braille users often have to manage settings instead of focusing on their task.
On macOS in particular, the braille experience exposes deeper architectural problems. Braille is tightly coupled to VoiceOver, and because VoiceOver on Mac needs a complete rewrite from the ground up, braille inherits the same instability. No amount of braille-specific refinement will fully succeed unless the underlying VoiceOver focus and interaction model is rebuilt.
Across all platforms, the braille experience also lacks consistency. Behavior, feedback, and customization differ between iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, forcing users to adjust their habits depending on the device. Braille should feel like a unified experience across the Apple ecosystem, not a different one on every platform.
In summary, Apple has built a strong foundation for braille support, and recent improvements are encouraging. But the braille experience still struggles with trust, focus accuracy, performance, and consistency—especially on macOS. If Apple wants braille users to rely on its products with confidence, braille must be treated as a first-class experience built on a stable, modern accessibility architecture, not one that inherits long-standing system limitations.

Furkan wrote:

Overall, the Braille user experience has become less reliable compared to previous versions. On iOS, issues with Screen Braille Input significantly affect typing accuracy and confidence, which directly impacts daily use. While Braille support remains an essential feature, these consistency problems reduce trust in the input method. Improving stability, accuracy, and regression testing—especially for Braille input—would greatly enhance the overall user experience.

remixman wrote:

Braille Screen Input misses many of my characters. They're announced, as if they were typed, but they never get inputted.

Robin wrote:

I think the experience on most OS's trends a bit better but Mac is the worst. It's the reason many I know have moved away from Mac usage over all and that's a shame. It just doesn't get the attention from Apple that it deserves.

Elena Brescacin wrote:

Braille Screen Input should be improved to access multi-language, especially the 6 dots. Then, of course we have the command mode now; but there should even be a dictionary where you can add words - the text abbreviations are a good idea but then it's quite difficult to memorize them.

Anonymous wrote:

My only experience is with using Braille input on iOS, and I have not used a physical Braille display with Apple products, so disregard if that is not applicable here. Braille input is very helpful though! I still haven't gotten to the point where direct touch typing is a natural process, so it's my fastest form of text input on the move.

Dream wrote:

Braille significantly improves access to real-time information and communication.
Greater stability in Japanese braille input and output would make the experience even better.

mr grieves wrote:

I use an Orbit Reader 20, and the one problem I have is the inconsistency with connecting to Bluetooth with both the Mac and iPhone. I don’t know if it is an Orbit thing, but they told me it was a problem with my Apple devices. So if I want to use it I often end up switching things on and off endlessly until it either connects or I run out of time.
Once it does connect it works pretty well.

Brian wrote:

Fix the glitches with BSI. Work with third-party vendors to resolve the connectivity issues with braille displays.

Low Vision

Grade: B

Overall satisfaction with low vision accessibility on Apple products decreased compared to 2024.

Low Vision – Overall: B (3.9)
- Overall, satisfaction with low vision accessibility on Apple products decreased by 0.2 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.4) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.3) was in 2022:
  - 2025: B (3.9)
  - 2024: B (4.1)
  - 2023: A (4.4)
  - 2022: C (3.3)

Low Vision Features

Grade: B

Satisfaction with low vision features decreased across all surveyed platforms compared to 2024.

Low Vision Features – Overall: B (3.8)
- Overall, satisfaction with the low vision features on Apple products decreased by 0.4 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.4) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.4) was in 2022:
  - 2025: B (3.8)
  - 2024: B (4.2)
  - 2023: A (4.4)
  - 2022: C (3.4)
iOS: B (3.9)
- Satisfaction with the low vision features on iOS decreased by 0.4 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.4) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.9) was in 2022 and 2025:
  - 2025: B (3.9)
  - 2024: B (4.3)
  - 2023: A (4.4)
  - 2022: B (3.9)
iPadOS: B (4.2)
- Satisfaction with the low vision features on iPadOS was unchanged from 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.3) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.5) was in 2022:
  - 2025: B (4.2)
  - 2024: B (4.2)
  - 2023: B (4.3)
  - 2022: C (3.5)
macOS: B (4.0)
- Satisfaction with the low vision features on macOS decreased by 0.2 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.7) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.5) was in 2022:
  - 2025: B (4.0)
  - 2024: B (4.2)
  - 2023: A (4.7)
  - 2022: C (3.5)
watchOS: B (3.7)
- Satisfaction with the low vision features on watchOS decreased by 0.3 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.1) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.0) was in 2022:
  - 2025: B (3.7)
  - 2024: B (4.0)
  - 2023: B (4.1)
  - 2022: C (3.0)
tvOS: C (3.2)
- Satisfaction with the low vision features on tvOS decreased by 0.9 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.5) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.0) was in 2022:
  - 2025: C (3.2)
  - 2024: B (4.1)
  - 2023: A (4.5)
  - 2022: C (3.0)

Do you have any comments regarding the low vision accessibility features offered on Apple products? Please feel free to share them here.

Leah Dykema wrote:

macOS’s low vision features are by far easier and more intuitive than those on Windows. They are very reliable and responsive why I find Windows low vision feature cumbersome, and clunky to use.

Anonymous wrote:

I am extremely glad Apple vixed the Magnifier app focusing and blurring problems in IOS 26. I use my phone as a handheld CCTV every day, and in IOS 18, despite regularly contacting Apple Accessibility, it was never fixed. For the last several months of IOS 18, I was largely unable to use this feature. Thakfully IOS 26 fixed this, and I can use this feature daily again. I do also wish the Zoom gestures for zooming in and out were less clunky, but I've said this for eyears. I'd love to just see a simple pinch to zoom gesture over-ride the standard pinch to zoom gesture when Zoom is enabled. The 3 finger double tap and drag is one of the hardest gestures for new users to learn, or for others to teach.

علي حسين المرفدي wrote:

Furthermore, the Magnifier app should include an 'AI Descriptive Mode' that doesn't just zoom, but explains the visual context of what the camera sees (e.g., 'The menu is on the left wall with large blue text'). We also lack a 'Community Repository' for custom color filters and contrast profiles tailored to specific eye conditions (like Glaucoma or Macular Degeneration). Apple should allow users to share these visual 'presets' just like developers share code. Finally, more seamless integration of AI-powered object recognition within the standard UI would help low-vision users navigate apps that have poor native scaling or cluttered layouts."" Apple needs to move beyond basic magnification and static filters. For low vision users, the integration of Generative AI is crucial. We need 'Interactive Visual Intelligence' that can dynamically enhance parts of the screen based on context—for example, automatically increasing contrast or isolating text from complex backgrounds in real-time using AI.

Anonymous wrote:

Liquid Glass makes it much harder to see things, especially on the light mode keyboard. There should be a customizable high contrast keyboard mode!

Natureboy wrote:

I cannot enlarge the font to make it easier to read as I can on the Samsung Android products.

Anonymous wrote:

The Magnifier is not stable enough and frequently becomes unresponsive

Fatima.Hamoud10 wrote:

I think the low vision accessibility features offered on Apple products are great.

Annie in Atlanta wrote:

The recent Glass feature made my phone much harder to operate. Instead of rolling out the new OS with Glass enabled, how about offering the ability to choose whether we want to have a harder time seeing everything?

L60 wrote:

Constast is inadequate. Text appears as very light gray. No ioptions for font. Kindle does this very well.
New ipad color and contrast for sign in is poor. First screen is barely visible and next screen for password is totally black so IO can't sig in.
Tech in Apple store cannot help

Anonymous wrote:

I like the fact that we have dark mode and that there is a mode to reduce transparency, however I wish you could turn off liquid glass altogether. I found certain things a lot more easier to see without the glass effect, and reduce transparency doesn’t get rid of it entirely.

Anonymous wrote:

The text size is able to be enlarged and bolded, which is good, but I am not able to enlarge the keyboard on iOS. More things should be able to be zoomed in on with the pinching movement. The integrated Mail able should be able to convert emails to dark mode. This is a feature that even Yahoo mail can perform.

Number Muncher wrote:

I would love the ability to navigate in Zoom with just one thing instead of using three. Is a bit difficult to do. We have large hands any small screen.

Poojitha Ravu wrote:

Dark mote

Dark Mode is not fully dark in some inbuilt apps and screens.

Light or grey backgrounds are difficult to see in low light.

This causes eye strain for low-vision users.

Speak screen
Speak screen is not working for all content like Notification Centre

John wrote:

My only comment because I used to be a high partial now I’m very low vision. But I really would like to see more app developers encouraged if not forced to embrace dark mode. I find even though I can’t read the screen in dark mode, I can see the layout of it. I can see the text I can see buttons, and I don’t have this glaring white light in my face.

Arnold wrote:

On TV iOS the zoom/magnify it's really not workable

samuelkarlsen wrote:

I would be nice to be able to choose border colors on texts and apps, so they have a colored outline, e.g. my eyes are naturally drawn to light, so if I need to see something on a screen, or read text, I need the text to be bright colors on a black background. but it also helps having a high contrast outline, if there are multiple colors on the screen at the same time, e.g. on Youtube.
Also, i have decided to not use the 'Zoom in' feature when also using voice over, sometimes. It seems that the VoiceOver feature gets confused by the Zoom In feature, even when it isn't activated, but as long as it is enabled to be acivated, it caused problems, in my experience.

Furkan wrote:

While Apple continues to show commitment to accessibility, there is a clear need for more substantial improvements, particularly on the macOS platform. Vision accessibility features on macOS lag behind iOS in terms of maturity, reliability, and overall user experience, and require focused development and refinement.
In addition, accessibility should be supported consistently across all platforms with stronger language support and greater linguistic diversity. For example, Turkish VoiceOver voices and language options remain very limited, which directly affects usability and inclusion for Turkish-speaking users. Expanding language support and ensuring feature parity across platforms would significantly strengthen Apple’s accessibility efforts and help deliver a more truly global and inclusive experience.

macOS_Skyline wrote:

Some of the low vision and audio options available on iOS and iPadOS would be nice to have on the Mac. One that especially comes to mind is a “Power Off” sound, and even the option to either enable or create shortcuts to have Audible alerts when Logging in and out of user accounts.

Susan wrote:

The streaming apps on AppleTV are smaller than they once were. If the option of having larger apps was possible, I would be able to see them again.

Julianne Crim wrote:

They are extremely helpful.

NC Tom wrote:

My wife has vision impairment. What helps the most is I creasing don't sizes. However, they become so large that other features of the phone don't work as easily.

Jeremy wrote:

Please make these easier to find and more intuitive. Please give Siri the ability to turn these on and off. All of them! Display and brightness settings all need to be consistently placed in the Settings menu. Search needs to be more dynamic and allow for finding things that are regularly toggled on and off. Settings should be available from the pull down quick menu.

Low Vision User Experience

Grade: B

Compared to 2024, satisfaction with the low vision user experience on tvOS increased; was unchanged on macOS; and decreased on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS.

Low Vision User Experience – Overall: B (4.0)
- Overall, satisfaction with the low vision user experience on Apple products decreased by 0.1 point over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.3) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.3) was in 2022:
  - 2025: B (4.0)
  - 2024: B (4.1)
  - 2023: B (4.3)
  - 2022: C (3.3)
iOS: B (4.1)
- Satisfaction with the low vision user experience on iOS decreased by 0.2 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.4) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.7) was in 2022:
  - 2025: B (4.1)
  - 2024: B (4.3)
  - 2023: A (4.4)
  - 2022: B (3.7)
iPadOS: B (4.2)
- Satisfaction with the low vision user experience on iPadOS decreased by 0.3 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.5) was in 2023 and 2024, while the lowest (3.4) was in 2022:
  - 2025: B (4.2)
  - 2024: A (4.5)
  - 2023: A (4.5)
  - 2022: C (3.4)
macOS: B (4.0)
- Satisfaction with the low vision user experience on macOS was unchanged from 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.5) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.4) was in 2022:
  - 2025: B (4.0)
  - 2024: B (4.0)
  - 2023: A (4.5)
  - 2022: C (3.4)
watchOS: B (3.9)
- Satisfaction with the low vision user experience on watchOS decreased by 0.2 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.1) was in 2024, while the lowest (3.0) was in 2022:
  - 2025: B (3.9)
  - 2024: B (4.1)
  - 2023: B (4.0)
  - 2022: C (3.0)
tvOS: C (3.6)
- Satisfaction with the low vision user experience on tvOS increased by 0.1 point over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.3) was in 2023, while the lowest (3.0) was in 2022:
  - 2025: C (3.6)
  - 2024: C (3.5)
  - 2023: B (4.3)
  - 2022: C (3.0)

Do you have any comments regarding the low vision experience on Apple products? Please feel free to share them here.

CertDoctor wrote:

I beleive there's room for improvement in transitional cases where one is using Zoom and VoiceOver. There's a fair amount of tracking and panning challenges in these situations with both tools on at the same time. I'd add too, despite numerous color enhancement options Apple often has so UI bugs that cause those using dark modes or inverted colors to get snow blinded by bright screens, and of coasrse 2026 iOS presented new graphical UI features that weren't optimal for low-visoin folks.

Leah Dykema wrote:

The low vision features across iOS and iPadOS are awesome but Apple Watch is a bit challenging and that mainly is due to it being a small screen in the first place.

Anonymous wrote:

Still to many bugs

Fatima.Hamoud10 wrote:

I think the low vision experience offered on Apple products is very good.

Annie in Atlanta wrote:

Upgrading my watch was great because with my previous watch, I couldn't set enough contrast on the watch face to clearly see what time it was. The latest watch fixes that by giving me some great options. Also, setting up my new watch was much easier than in the past.

L60 wrote:

I have AMD and low vision.. Accessabillty features sucj as large type,bold and contrast are inadequate;
I think all the new features on Apple products are for the camera which I can't use.
The screen cannot be adjusted for bright sun.

David wrote:

The magnifier app is ne that I use mostly. It was easy for me to learn and I do like the fact I can take photos, save them, and be able to view them at a later time. The ability to change the size of the text is a major help for me. Being able to use voice to completed searches onlin instead of having to thpe is also very helpful.

samuelkarlsen wrote:

Other than the problems associated with using LowVision features together with other accessibility features, such as VoiceOver or VoiceCommand, it works pretty great.

Sindre of Norway wrote:

iOS 26: My expectations towards Liquid Glass was very low, but then when the updates rolled around I found out that I could turn a setting on to meditate most effects, but not all. For some reason, the keyboard in dark-mode - the mode I prefer - seems brighter grey, not dark. For many circumstances I temporarily go to light-mode just to write something - and then turn dark-mode on again. This is a new thing after iOS 26, which makes using an iPhone worse. I am increasingly thinking of switching to Android, which I don't want.

Anonymous wrote:

I find the experience on my phone to be very frustrating except for texts. But I need Siri to read my draft responses before I send them. And, when I ask Siri to start a text, she cuts me off before I am finished so I have to start all over. And, I need Siri to read apps to me as well as browser information, etc.
On my computer, I would like Siri to read the names of my files. The magnifying lens helps somewhat but not enough. I would like to be able to increase the font size of nearly all of the features--such as doing an email search for a sender--the options are too tiny for me. I have to try to hold up my own magnifying lens to make it work--the computer magnifying lens is too difficult for such a small font size.

Jeremy wrote:

Let’s start with the fact that for a survey for the vision impaired, this provides way too much text and way too little flexibility! The fact that I had to switch from iPad to iPhone in order to actually dictate this answer speaks volumes. Why did I have to do that? Because the microphone is un functional on the iPad for this text box, and iOS 26 has changed the contrast set up so that the keyboard is essentially unuseable to me. When I switched to a high contrast white on black setting as I required to see, the keyboard now switches to a high contrast opposite which is absolutely useless to me. When I try to switch back to a regular person‘s view, the white background of the main screen causes me vision problems and seeing the keyboard is also difficult.
In short iOS 26 is a major step back. I have screamed loud and clear to everyone who will listen to me that Apple devices are the cats ass when it comes to accessibility for the vision impaired. 26 basically stopped me doing that. We went from a system where it was perfectly functional to one where it is perfectly dysfunctional! Not only do I need to go in and customize the system to reduce transparency to zero with the liquid glass setting, but there are multiple screens/functions that are now inaccessible. Point: contacts. My contacts used to be perfectly viewable when I inverted the screen. Now however not only are they basically unviewable in standard view but when I invert the screen and they become worse! It’s like somebody purposely went in and said this should be invisible for those who require an inverted screen.
The aforementioned keyboard situation is also very problematic. In short if you’re going to invert a screen which is what I need to do, do not invert the keyboard as well! Most low vision people require some kind of high contrast set up. Having the keyboard be the opposite contrast to the background is absolutely a no go. What works best for low vision people is consistency. This has been designed in a manner that almost speaks to someone saying we want it to work opposite to how it should!
Another function that that need improvement is smart invert. Well the feature itself is brilliant, its consistency is very hit or miss. Similarly there are many apps/website/documents that force their own colour set up and wear invert does not work. Or where I am required to switch to light mode in order to get invert to work properly. Much if this is not Apple‘s fault although it would be nice if you forced this issue for developers. I cannot tell you the frustration it is when someone sends me a PDF and I need to switch on light mode and then invert the screen once again in order to be able to change the background of the PDF.
Finally as someone who uses dictation a great deal it is incredibly frustrating to have words from my speech substituted out for words from my contacts. I understand why somewhere along the way someone thought this was a good idea. It isn’t! There are far more times where words from my contacts are substituted for words that I am trying to say then the opposite way around. The effort that is required for someone with low vision to actually select a word in the middle of a sentence and replace it is very high. Also I cannot imagine that sighted users are particularly happy with dictation that constantly puts the name mark instead of the word mark in a sentence. And that is just one example of many! At the very least it would be great to be able to turn this function in dictation off. A toggle that simply says do not select from my contact list would be perfectly acceptable.
I do not want these comments to make it sound like I am unappreciative of all the work capital as put into the accessibility features on my iPhone and iPad. It has literally changed my life to be able to use these features to read and write. For this I am incredibly grateful. My comments are more designed to allow for an improve improvement and flexibility that is not currently within the existing iOS. the accessibility features on my iPhone and iPad. It has literally changed my life to be able to use these features to read and write. For this I am incredibly grateful. My comments are more designed to allow for a improve improvement and flexibility that is not currently within the existing iOS. Also, if you’re going to make a major change like liquid glass, please include the functionality to allow those of us with accessibility issues to turn it off!
I should not have to smart invert just to see the pulldown quick menu. Once I have it turned on I should have high contrast for everything I do as opposed to what happens now with the iOS 26. The system as it was before it wasn’t broken! But it is now!
Thank you for all your hard work and thank you for having this survey availableh.

Other Ratings and Comments

The New Accessibility Features Introduced by Apple in 2025 for Blind, DeafBlind, and Low Vision Users

Grade: B

Satisfaction with the new accessibility features introduced by Apple in 2025 for blind, DeafBlind, and low vision users, in terms of their effectiveness and usefulness in enhancing the experience with Apple software, decreased compared to 2024.

New Accessibility Features Introduced in 2025 for Blind, DeafBlind, and Low Vision Users: B (3.8)
- Satisfaction with the new accessibility features introduced by Apple in 2025 for blind, DeafBlind, and low vision users decreased by 0.2 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (4.0) was in 2024, while the lowest (3.5) was in 2022:
  - 2025: B (3.8)
  - 2024: B (4.0)
  - 2023: B (3.7)
  - 2022: C (3.5)

Do you have any comments regarding the new accessibility features introduced by Apple in 2025? Please feel free to share them here.

Anonymous wrote:

I don't care. I just want things to work in a predictable and reliable way. I rarely use the promoted new features and want apple to stop ading them. They may be good ways of showing how virtuous Apple is to the public, but what we actually want is VoiceOver on mac to be burned down and started again.
We don't want features, we need mac voiceover stability.

Devin Prater wrote:

The VoiceOver tutorial is great, but I wish it started whenever VoiceOver was activated on a new device. Braille Access is wonderful, and I hope one day it can open and convert text documents, Word files, and EPUB's for a nice Braille reading experience, with formatting and such.

Jonathan Chacón wrote:

new accessibility features are awesome. They are very useful but old errors in Accessibility API or VoiceOver are damaging the user experience

Ashley wrote:

Screen sharing support for voiceover on MacOS is a useful addition. Otherwise I have noticed little change in iOS and MacOS is more broken than ever.

Anonymous wrote:

I love the additions to the copy feature! I often forget it's there though.

Anonymous wrote:

Not really sure about the improvements. It would be nice if Apple could give us a walkthrough of the features specific to VoiceOver like they do for the phone after an update is installed.

Troubl156 wrote:

The new features, that I've used, are OK; admittedly, I think these things should have been introduced a long time ago (ex. Siri sounds to alert when Siri is on or off). While I think the Accessibility Nutrition Labels is a good idea, I think the name is a bit misleading/confusing. My first thought when seeing this name is that it's reading nutrition labels for blind people which, as someone with food allergies and diabetes would be an awesome thing (although a bit niche). My point is the name doesn't scream -- Accessibility Features Label -- which is what it actually is and I'm not exactly sure why that wasn't chosen as the name which would make it easier to understand the purpose and end use. Having said that, I like that it's available but I, honestly, have yet to see this label show up on any app so I'm not exactly sure when and if this will make an actual impact.

rawest2063 wrote:

I wish they’d stop adding new features and fix the other problems with VoiceOver and get that squared up before adding new features. I know it’s difficult with the operating system changing all the time and then voiceover has to catch up but annoying.

Anonymous wrote:

The reason I gave the rating I did is because the new features seem very helpful. However they’re not always accurate for example point and speak was brought to all iPhones that can run the 26th software but when using it, it doesn’t work like it should but if you have the pro or Pro Max phones, it works perfectly fine. Besides that I think the other Accessibility features such as VoiceOver tutorial and a physical button to reset VoiceOver settings is amazing along with accessibility labels in the App Store.

Anonymous wrote:

I honestly haven't used most of them so I can't grade them. I wish that the braille notes thing worked to where I could copy paste from websites and stuff without that it's not useful for me because I already have pages and the notes app.

Holger Fiallo wrote:

Apple need to focus on addressing bugs instead of developing new features.

Anonymous wrote:

The Mac magnifier app should be on the iPad so u can use a phone as a camera for the iPad. Braille access is awesome but should let u type with a qwerty keyboard like on a mantis q40.

Missy Hoppe wrote:

I'm not entirely certain what features are being asked to be evaluated here. I love the live recognition feature. More often than that, it's more accurate than any of the apps I have. So, based on that alone, I would give it a high rating, but I think that's been around longer than one year.

Anonymous wrote:

Reduce motion is helpful, but doesn't do nearly enough. The liquid glass animations that are still present after turning on reduce motion strain my eyes and confuse my brain's processing. It doesn't know what to focus on if too many things are happening in my vision field, especially motion. Reduce motion improves it to an extent, but it is not reducing enough motion

Zach M wrote:

Braille access is a beautiful feature in theory and concept, though I can't particularly comment to their stability or how well they work. I love the neutrition labels on apps in the pap store. It's just a shame that the rest of iOS isn't as polished or easy to use.

Anne Mauro wrote:

I like the new apple features.

Misty Dawn wrote:

Really barely noticed them, except for screen Braille, which I have never used because I could never get the hang of using it.

Anonymous wrote:

These new accessibility fonctions in Voiceover are realy great for me. For exemple, I use now, Braille Access to take personnal notes in Braille verry quickly and verry clearly. That's why I like to work with Apple products. For me, they are powerfull to compose, produce, recording and listening music. But overall, Apple products are verry easy to use with Voiceover, a great screenreader, powerfull. That's why I'm realy recognising for the team accessibility at Apple. They make their products usable by everyboddy; sighted and blind people. I say that because since over 12 years, I use Apple products and after all these years, I'm personnaly happy to use them at work and in my daily life.

Chris wrote:

Braille Access is a great idea that has a lot of interesting use cases, and I hope it continues to expand over the years. Apple should be commended for implementing native remote control accessibility on macOS. This is the first time a major mainstream tech company has done this, and it's amazing to see! I hope we eventually get native remote control support via VoiceOver on iOS and iPadOS, as it would be very useful to help both other blind users and sighted people with their devices as a blind or low vision technician relying on VoiceOver.

Darrell Hilliker wrote:

The new Access Braille features are amazing!

Anonymous wrote:

Hardly useful

Fatima.Hamoud10 wrote:

I think the new accessibility features introduced by Apple in 2025 are excellent. I am not experiencing any issues with VoiceOver and braille on iOS 26, MacOS 26 and WatchOS 26.

Lit Xuan wrote:

I'm overall quite satisfied with the feature set Apple delivered for accessibility in 2025, in particular the simplification of the Personal Voice creation process. I just hope that Apple will be more transparent with the documentations they provide on the features they offer. For example, it took quite some testings and confirmations after the release of iOS 26 to the public for me and fellow users to figure out that the updated and simplified Personal Voice creations along with the enhancements it brought to the table require devices supporting Apple Intelligence while older devices that don't support Apple's AI will have to make do with the same old long, complicated Personal Voice creation steps. I believe that a more clear system requirements for any offered features included in Apple's notes will be very helpful and informative for users to understand what they need to have if they want to have access to any specific features they may have interest in and also to avoid unnecessary confusion and disappointment in the long run.

Anonymous wrote:

No image description with AI, no new really groundbreaking feature.

Marie-Laurence wrote:

Better for braille
Moré difficult for Voice over on pro

Tarja wrote:

The new features are quite awesome and useful, especially accessibility reader, copied speech and accessibility settings sharings.

Jennie A Facer wrote:

Although I just ragged on Apple for their lack of support for Braille, I do like the new Braille access stuff. That works great! As for other features, I have no problems per se.

Brennen wrote:

To me, they feel very underwhelming honestly there’s not a lot of super exciting things that I see that make me want to use any of these Accessibility features. None of them really stand out to me as being something exciting or intriguing and I hope that that changes in future updates.

L60 wrote:

I am not aware of any new accessibility features. Features seem to ben the same from old products to new.
How would I know about new features?
The larger the raphics such as vvideos and icons get the worse the resolution. I got a new, larger screen ipad and the resolution was much worse than my old ipad.

KE8UPE wrote:

Copied speech is my favorite new feature in VoiceOver and I use it daily.

Anonymous wrote:

The new SIRI does not work well, and the Air Pod Pro 2 features do not seem stable.

Number Muncher wrote:

I love the live recognition feature. I use it every day. I love being able to finally disable magic tap from playing music or other media by accident when double tapping the screen

Mani L wrote:

The latest features are very good but need to improve more specially VoiceOver users, sometimes facing lagging issue

Anonymous wrote:

Based on my experience, no new features in 2025 have improved my user experience. I feel that the added accessibility features are not things I would typically use, and the long-standing neglect of system-level support by the accessibility team is very disappointing.

Anonymous wrote:

LOVE Braille Access!

Jason White wrote:

Support for accessible remote desktop access in macOS is a welcome addition. I haven't needed it personally, but I can readily appreciate the value of this feature to people who need to interact with the graphical desktop environment of a remote system using VoiceOver. I think this effort is a strategically good decision on Apple's part.

Callum Stoneman wrote:

As well as my comments on Braille Access above, the coppied speech feature has also been incredible for me, making it so easy to capture multiple pieces of information and paste them wherever I need them to be. Again, this shows that Apple are still considering the genuine needs of VoiceOver users and finding new ways to make these available.

Pat Ships wrote:

I have hardly noticed any to be honest, the only one that I use and find useful is the copying text to buffer, and therefore pasting multiple times from the buffer. This is useful.

Michael Feir wrote:

Apple continues to raise the bar in terms of accessibility. A lot of new features appeared which I've found very helpful.

Matthew Whitaker wrote:

Yes. From my perspective as a daily VoiceOver and braille user, the accessibility features introduced by Apple in 2025 feel incremental rather than substantial, especially when viewed through the lens of real-world, professional use.
To be clear, any accessibility work is appreciated, and it is good to see Apple continuing to acknowledge disabled users in its roadmap. Features like expanded braille-related tools and refinements to existing accessibility options show that accessibility has not been abandoned. However, when looking at the overall picture, 2025 did not bring the kind of meaningful, system-level improvements many of us were hoping for.
Most of the new features feel like extensions or refinements of existing ideas, not solutions to long-standing problems. While there were additions and enhancements, they did not significantly change day-to-day usability or reliability—particularly for VoiceOver users. For many of us, core issues remain untouched: focus instability, inconsistent behavior across apps, performance problems, and regressions between OS updates.
On iOS and iPadOS, the updates largely improved or expanded features that were already present rather than addressing deeper workflow or efficiency concerns. These changes are helpful at the margins, but they do not fundamentally improve speed, trust, or discoverability for experienced users.
On macOS, the situation is more concerning. The 2025 accessibility updates did not meaningfully address the underlying VoiceOver experience. The same issues with focus drift, cursor desynchronization, unreliable navigation, and performance remain. From a blind professional’s point of view, this reinforces the reality that VoiceOver on Mac needs a complete rewrite from the ground up, not incremental feature additions layered on top of an unstable foundation. Without addressing that core architecture, new features offer limited real-world value.
On watchOS and tvOS, accessibility updates continue to feel minimal. There were no major improvements that significantly enhance efficiency, speed, or long-term usability for VoiceOver users on these platforms. The experience remains functional but basic.
Overall, the 2025 accessibility features feel more like maintenance updates than progress. They do not reflect the scale of the issues blind users have been reporting for years, nor do they meaningfully reduce the daily friction many of us still experience.
From my point of view, Apple’s accessibility efforts in 2025 would have been far more impactful if they focused less on adding new surface-level features and more on fixing the fundamentals: stability, consistency, performance, and trust—especially on macOS. Accessibility advances are most meaningful when they change how confidently and efficiently users can work, and in 2025, that bar was largely unmet.

Anonymous wrote:

I have not seen any significant improvement in accessibility in the new features introduced. I would rather prefer to see refinement of what was already a fairly good system.

Furkan wrote:

While introducing new accessibility features in 2025 is appreciated, the primary need for blind users is improving and fixing existing features rather than adding new ones. Many accessibility tools still suffer from inconsistencies and reliability issues in daily use. In particular, AI-based accessibility features and their integration with VoiceOver remain very limited and far from being truly supportive. Before expanding with new technologies, Apple should focus on delivering stable, consistent, and fully reliable accessibility across all platforms.

Elena Brescacin wrote:

The new VoiceOver cursor mode, that is letting the cursor to the right of the character, is quite buggy right now. Should be improved especially when reading text by line, it seems to behave like the old one.

Anonymous wrote:

I love some of the new features offered by Apple’s 2025 update. I think the “Share Accessibility Settings” feature is a great addition. It so helpful, especially when I am trying to help my sighted, technologically challenged grandparents learn how to do things on their iPhones. It is so much easier to share my accessibility settings to their phone rather than having to go through and customize all of the features. I also love the accessibility nutrition labels. It is so much easier to go through and find apps that will actually be accessible, rather than just downloading a bunch of apps and hoping that at least one of them will work.

Anonymous wrote:

First of all, I am not aware of your updates--do you send out messages by text and email? Please let users know. My tech guru had to Google it for me in order for me to answer this question.
I like the idea of colors but need them most in my email folders. It would be wonderful to have entire sections of my email folders in different colors, regardless of who the sender or recipient is.

Alicia Krage wrote:

While I'm not sure if this qualifies as an accessibility feature, one thing I use often is the "describe my screen" feature as part of Apple Intelligence. I find this especially helpful if I have issues of apps, or getting image descriptions.

Anonymous wrote:

Shared accessibility settings is one of those things that after you use it once you start seeing all sorts of places where it's helpful. Great addition.

Piotr Machacz wrote:

The braille access feature is not something I use particularly often because I don't often work with BRF files, but I can see how it would be very useful, especially in educational settings in english speaking countries where BRF books are very popular. What I do use regularly is the new item overview feature, the new enhancements to braille screen input, the option to underline the braille cursor, and the easier text selection in braille. In speech, I really appreciate the option to have list positions announced automatically, but I think my favorite feature on iOS has to be the copied speech function. I never thought something like this would come to a first-party screen reader like VoiceOver because I felt it was more of a power user feature, but I was very pleasantly surprised with this one. On Mac, the most outstanding feature has to be the support for screen sharing. This is something I have already used extensively to help a new Mac user get used to their computer as well as help them configure it, and I have no doubt I'm going to be making more use of it in the future.

avg66 wrote:

I really like new Magnifier on Mac that uses iPhone as camera.

Anonymous wrote:

It's quite iterative at this stage, but that's ok as I think VoiceOver, especially on iOS, is now a very advanced screen reader. Better keyboard support on iPad is a missing piece for me though. I realise it fits in with the overall delays to Apple Intelligence, butt I was disappointed with the lack of an easy method to get detailed image descriptions. I love the accessibility nutrition labels in the App Store, but think they need to be made mandatory to become truly useful; the overwhelming majority of apps, including fully accessible ones, say that the developer has not provided this info.

mr grieves wrote:

I don’t think I have really noticed any of the new features at all. That’s not to say none of them are any good, but they have all passed me by.
Whilst I doubt I will ever use them, the new braille features are very interesting. If this did result in cheaper braille displays coming to the market then this could be ultimately a very good thing.
The nutrition labels are a nice idea. Again I’ve not noticed them yet but I am glad they exist.
The clipboard history is a nice feature - I may use it on Tahoe but haven’t felt much need on the phone. It’s odd that this is restricted to VoiceOver clipboard history and not in general.
I like that I can have different playback speeds for different shows in the podcast app. It’s just a shame there is still a bug whereby if I play two shows in a row then it goes back to 1x until I close and reopen the app.
I would 100% prefer the Mac to stop receiving new features for a while and just have engineering effort concentrate on improving what is there. Please, please - more time on bugs and less on headline features.
My understanding with Tahoe is that it has made Safari an even worse experience - it is even more difficult to get from the toolbar into content, and then when you get there some content is just missing from VoiceOver. This has made me unable to upgrade because the feedback I hear about it is so bad.
Not accessibility upgrades as such, but I like the new call-outs during a workout

Matthew Robinson wrote:

While I appreciate that Apple is always looking to introduce new accessibility features each annual update, it would be significant if they would put at least as much effort into fixing the ones that end up persisting year after year!

Jeremy wrote:

iOS 26 has essentially been a major step backwards in the accessibility of my iPhone and iPad. Many of the low vision settings have been undermined by the liquid glass and other changes. A default function that allows the user to return to a previous display regime would be very very helpful. Sometimes developers need to follow the Jurassic Park rule: you need to ask not whether you can but whether you should make a change! It’s all well and good to move things around and change display settings but those of us who can’t see very well and rely on these devices are often the ones who pay the price with those changes.

Arya wrote:

Most of the features introduced in 2025 added little value in improving the productivity and efficiency for voice over users.

Apple’s Performance in Addressing VoiceOver, Braille, and Low Vision-Related Bugs in 2025

Grade: C

Satisfaction with Apple's performance in addressing VoiceOver, braille, and low vision-related bugs in 2025 decreased compared to 2024.

Apple’s Performance in Addressing VoiceOver, Braille, and Low Vision-Related Bugs in 2025: C (3.0)
- Satisfaction with Apple’s performance in addressing VoiceOver, braille, and low vision-related bugs in 2025 decreased by 0.2 points over 2024. Historically, the highest rating received (3.2) was in 2024, while the lowest (2.8) was in 2022:
  - 2025: C (3.0)
  - 2024: C (3.2)
  - 2023: C (3.0)
  - 2022: D (2.8)

Do you have any comments regarding Apple's performance in 2025 in addressing VoiceOver, Braille, and Low Vision-related bugs? Please feel free to share them here.

Anonymous wrote:

I've told apple accessibility about my issues with safari on mac more times I can count. I've given logs. I do always get a reply but it is always the same, send logs. it's like talking to a parrot. Safari, as I may have mentioned, and voiceover on mac are seriously broken. If sighted users of mac had the screen go blank for an extended period with Safari Not Responding, or large swaths of web pages hidden from view, it would have been fixed yearsago. Instead, the safari experience continues to decay. The people involved with this are either inept, which I very much doubt is the case, or are simply not working on the problem because the number of voiceover mac users aren't worth the allocation of resources.
I am grateful for all the accessibility that apple does provide, I just feel there are far better solutions on other platforms. The constant issue being, Macs are brilliant, voiceover is terrible, where as NVDA is amazing, windows is dreadful. We're in a lose lose situation.

Lee wrote:

There are still bugs that appeared in iOS 18 that have not been fixed. Not sure this is acceptable as these will have been reported again and again with no change.

Minionslayer wrote:

Apple has seemingly used 2025 to fix bugs and patch broken features introduced in prior years. This is good news, as there were a number of outstanding issues that had accrued and that were starting to negatively impact the overall usage of Apple products.

Jonathan Chacón wrote:

some easy bug reports while the OS were in beta are fixed. Old bug reports and heave bug reports were ignored

David Taylor wrote:

I feel like there are fewer bugs now than for a long time

Graham wrote:

Just wish apple would fix the bugs and forget about introducing new features until the faults have been resolved. The Mac is getting unusable for me. I've a gorgeous macbook pro from 2023 and not used it for nearly five months because it's so much easier these days to jump on my surfacebook to get things done. this wasn't the case a while back it's incredibly sad the way it has regressed.

Ashley wrote:

iOS bugs seem to be addressed in a timely manner. MacOS bugs don't seem to be addressed at all. There are Voiceover bugs in MacOS that have existed for well over a decade. Feedback submitted through feedback assistant generally goes unanswered, wehre once upon a time (back in 2016 or so) we used to get answers and have useful conversations with Apple engineers. eMails to APple Accessibility are met with asurance that the issues are being investigated, but the responses still seem cookie-cutter and corporate. Sometimes further information is requested which does demonstrate some interest in fixing issues, though nothing ever seems to come of it. There is no telling whether feedback actually reaches engineers, nor whether there are any engineers at apple who are actually using Voiceover day-to-day - in the case of MacOS, I suspect there are very few.
Feedback works both ways, and Apple needs to be willing to work openly with the community. This is especially true if they are going to fix Vocieover on MacOS, given its current state. I believe that Apple should make Voiceover on MacOS an open source project, allowing the community to contribute to it and fix the bugs.

Davy Cuppens wrote:

Apple is not responsive and very slow in solving tremendous bugs, even in betas.

Anonymous wrote:

I think the braille bugs were addressed quickly, compared to previous years but there are still issues with focus in VoiceOver, plus issues with the Siri voices when used as primary VO voices that persist.

Anonymous wrote:

I don't really encounter bugs, but then again maybe I just work around them. Overall, I think it is good. I still have the odd issue of VO rasing the volume in appps randomly, but I just deal with that sense it is hard to expalin and not a show stopper.

Leah Dykema wrote:

Apple in more recent years has heavily failed in fixing bugs to enhance the user experience. They have focused more on features rather than reliability and general performance. The bugs with VoiceOver in more recent years has grown and while some are fixed, I find many are not.

Troubl156 wrote:

I've run into a couple of bugs over the years that I called into Apple's accessibility number (thinking it was a me problem) and found out it was a known software glitch that, years later... still there. While I recognize that some software glitches are difficult to pin down and fix, to run into the same glitch a year or two years after first running into it is a bit frustrating. Having said that, Apple does have an accessibility number that I can call into 5 days a week to get help when something goes horribly wrong which I can't say the same for other companies.

Anonymous wrote:

New features are great but long standing bugs that go unaddressed should recieve more attention.

rawest2063 wrote:

Again, I’m not sure if it’s actually VoiceOver or if it’s the operating system, but VoiceOver on my Mac and VoiceOver on my iPhone seem to crash an awful lot lately. I never remember this being the case but now it does it all the time at least 34 times a week.

Anonymous wrote:

They have responded to and fixed some bugs, but I wish Apple was more transparent specifically on Accessibility features, fixes, and updates. Because this is a nitch market, and people need these features to use their devices, people need to know if and when some features will be fixed, like when people were unable to use the touch screen to unlock their phone for a brief time. These types of problems shouldn't happen, because it literally prevents the user from accessing their device. But when communicating with Apple Accessibility, I wish they would not keep the same level of secrecy as general Apple support does. My Magnifier problems in IOS 18 was another good example of this. I was so frustrated this wasn't getting fixed because it was such an essential tool I rely on daily. I finally broke down and installed the IOS 26 beta in the hope that things would be different, and thankfully they were. But that's my major frustration. The features themselves are good, but I wish Apple was more responsive in letting the community know if and when things are being fixed.

Anonymous wrote:

The reason I’m giving the reading I am is because ever since iOS 18, I’ve had really weird issues with voiceover such as glitches, pauses in occasionally when I turn on and off voiceover, my volume will spike drastically all the way up or drastically all the way down not sure why these issues are occurring but it seems like with each update is getting glitchyer and glitchyer with more pauses, freezes, and volume issues

Anonymous wrote:

I know its not fun and doesn't earn credit on marketing and press conference stages, but dedicating a year to fixing bugs, and overhauling VoiceOver on Macos would be the feature of the decade for VoiceOver.

Holger Fiallo wrote:

Apple has not address issues with bugs with VO ASAP. This year with iOS VO created more bugs than previous years.

Anonymous wrote:

There’s lots of new bugs, and not many old ones fixed

Joshua wrote:

I use the hable and all through out iPadOS 18 the hable was horrible to use but in the later versions of iPadOS 26 it's gotten a lot better and it's usable now

Anonymous wrote:

Apple could do better. I wish the bugs would be addressed more promptly. Voiceover is very dependent on it reading as it should and reading the content effectively.

Missy Hoppe wrote:

Maybe I'm just getting more impatient in my old age, but it seems that there are a lot more quirks to work around than there used to be. I can nearly always do what I need to get done, but either voiceover is getting worse, or apps and websites are just getting more complicated and frustrating. Or, maybe I just don't know how to take full advantage of all the features that could make life easier. Whatever the case, it seems that the quality of voiceover in general, at least for me, has not improved, and in fact, seems to be getting worse in some cases.

Justice wrote:

Honestly, Apple need to pull together a taskforce to track, squash and eliminate bugs across IOS and MACOS. Many blind people rely on IOS in particular for productivity, so focus bugs and things like notifications on the lock screen only being partially read before the screen locks, really negatively affect productivity.

Zach M wrote:

They added more bugs and they fundamentally changed the user interface in such a way that makes it more of a hassle to use the operating system.

Umut KORKMAZ wrote:

I think they don't care as much as they used to.

Misty Dawn wrote:

Small though quite inconvenient bugs continue to pile up and especially during the transition to iOS 26.

mcox wrote:

Response has been generally good, but I do wish they had a spasific team to look at and check outbound opperating systems and accessibility features. I feel enough people with a visual impairment use iPhones that there mayy be some justificatiion for this.

Anonymous wrote:

I work on Mac OS 26 since one month and on IOS26 since 2 days. Personnaly, I would like to say thanks to Appple team accessibility to be at our listening and to take the necessary time to fix Bugs and problems witch we mention to them. For my opinion, I was allways happy and satisfied with Apple Products.

Chris wrote:

As I said above, significant time needs to be spent on identifying and fixing bugs. If it's true the 27 software releases will be focused on bug fixes, I'd love all effort to be put into making VoiceOver as stable and reliable as it should have been years ago, particularly on macOS. Start paying attention to bug reports, get rid of outdated systems that don't work anymore, and optimize VoiceOver for the modern era.

Darrell Hilliker wrote:

Too many bugs just become normalized so that they stick around for years. For example, using a Bluetooth keyboard, it takes three or four presses of the command for opening App Switcher.

Anonymous wrote:

I don't think Apple is trying to fix any VoiceOver bugs; the bugs are piling up, and VoiceOver is becoming increasingly bloated

Fatima.Hamoud10 wrote:

I think Apple's performance in 2025 in addressing VoiceOver, braille and low-vision related bugs is excellent.

Lit Xuan wrote:

Just like years before, Apple has been very slow in responding to complains about issues impacting VoiceOver users in particular, and accessibility in general. So here's hoping that things will change for the better, that Apple will listen more to their users, and will act more accordingly in resolving the bugs that have been getting in the way of us users having the best possible experience with Apple products and platforms and services. Of course bugs affect everyone, even sighted users, but the consequences are arguably worse for people relying on accessibility features like VoiceOver. So I'm hoping a lot that Apple will be doing a better job in meeting the need of their users for the best quality hardware, software, apps and services, like we've been expecting to get from Apple with the high price we have to pay for their products.

Marie-Laurence wrote:

It was ok for me

Macky wrote:

Several bugs in Mac VoiceOver have been around for a long time, particularly with Safari. It would be nice to see these fixed.

Jennie A Facer wrote:

I think that the Braille bugs really need attention.

rachel wrote:

When i have reported bugs and other issues i am often disappointed with the speed at which these are investigated and fixed, especially bugs which affect the use of Voiceover.

elmer t wrote:

Focus jumping is a major problem in all devices.
Also, the liquid glass that was introduced create problems as far as finding some of the tabs in at the bottom of the page such as in the Mail app and other apps, etc. they seem to be hiding behind what seems to be an overlay on top.
This is from a totally blind person so I don’t see exactly what’s happening, but that’s what’s been explained to me.
It should also be the option When major changes are made such as liquid glass that we have the option to turn it all off and go back to the standard screens.
This could apply to all changes, and all changes should be followed up with a detailed guide to either change, bring them back or give us an understanding as to what has been changed in what areas

Anonymous wrote:

I am not able to install the latest iOS system because the Spoken Content feature is broken in the latest release, making it all but unusable. I know this, because we tested it on my (sighted) husband's phone first, and nothing worked properly.

LEELEE Lee Lee wrote:

The performance for Apple in 2025 was amazing. It kept me up to speed and help me prevent it from making errors in documents.

ChoonHwee wrote:

Very slow in fixing bugs.

Anonymous wrote:

Apple has not yet solved the bug regarding the Single quickletter nav.

Anonymous wrote:

None of the bugs submitted by our Chinese users have been resolved; in fact, many new bugs have emerged, which is truly very disappointing

Anonymous wrote:

It's good that some bugs are being addressed for braille users, but 2 issues I highlighted above need to be addressed.

Marc from Montreal wrote:

More care and attention needs to be provided prior to release aversions of iOS to make sure that things work properly and completely prior to the release and to make sure that things aren’t broken from prior releases before sending the new release out. This continues to be a common problem due to neglect and unprovided care with respect, two voiceover users

blindstein wrote:

I generally have avoided the updates, but I notice that the webkit bugs are less bad than they were before on mac. Those got dropped on us anti 26 ludites even as we sheltered from the update fallout. The partial reconstruction was appreciated.

Jason White wrote:

I mostly report macOS bugs, as I use the Mac more heavily than iOS and iPadOS. From this perspective, I would say taht the resolution of bugs remains a very slow process in most cases, even if appropriate reports and logs are submitted. On the positive side, at least one of my bug reports resulted in a fix, as noted by Apple. The occurrence of unresponsive applications in macOS has definitely continued to decline, which is exactly the trend that users want (i.e., fewer "not responding" error messages by VoiceOver and associated application inactivity).

Enara wrote:

There are still bugs that have not been solved.

Michael Feir wrote:

I think Apple needs to get better at aggresively searching for trouble spots before things are released to the public. We should be past the point where people who rely on accessibility features need to worry that major operating system releases will potentially contain accessibility bugs which severely hampter their ability to use their products. Not all users have the technical knowhow to submit effective bug reports so older bugs sometimes remain unaddressed for years.

John wrote:

I would like to see Apple more open about bugs. I generally had great experience, dealing with people from accessibility. But often I’ve been told, never heard of that one. Even though it’s something people are talking about. I just want to know that Apple is working to address the issues. There are some Apple apps, that have issues that have never been addressed. I find that shameful.

AbleTec wrote:

People do seem to have complained about the lack of keyboard feedback for the past couple updates now, & nothing seems to have been done.

Anonymous wrote:

I think it's worth stating--yet again--that accessibility isn't Apple's only focus and therefore they cannot always address these issues as quickly as some would like. The company does a fabulous job with accessibility, and even if someone or a group of people doesn't like this or that about VoiceOver and Siri, accessibility is still a high priority in Cupertino.

samuelkarlsen wrote:

I have had a pretty good experience. When there have been bugs (e.g. my voice over decided to only speak Turkish with me, or not speak at all) the technicians I called fixed the problem after a few tries and a great deal of confusion. However, I am very uncertain how to get help correcting smaller bugs, e.g. the ones occuring with new updates. They are ongoing for a long time and really affect the user experience on a day-to-day basis. It usually takes me about 1 minute to answer a message - now i can take my up to 5 minutes, just due to the lag and additional time spent on correcting the dictation mistakes. I don't know how to get in contact to give general feedback, other than this survey. I feel unsure how to explain these more general bugs to the technicians, who don't use VoiceOver everyday.

Matthew Whitaker wrote:

Yes. From my experience in 2025, Apple’s performance in addressing VoiceOver, Braille, and low-vision–related bugs has been inconsistent and, at times, frustrating.
To be fair, Apple does fix bugs. Some issues reported through official channels do eventually get resolved, and there are moments where small improvements land quietly and genuinely help. That said, the overall pattern in 2025 felt less like steady progress and more like one step forward, one step back.
A major problem is regressions. Updates frequently fix one accessibility issue while introducing another. Features that worked reliably in one OS release can break or behave differently in the next, forcing users to constantly adapt. This makes many blind and low-vision users hesitant to update, which is not how accessibility should feel. Stability should improve over time, not reset every release cycle.
For VoiceOver, many long-standing bugs remain unresolved. Focus issues, inconsistent navigation, incorrect or missing announcements, lag, and desynchronization between VoiceOver focus and system focus continue to appear across platforms. On macOS in particular, these bugs feel structural rather than incidental. The fact that they persist year after year reinforces the reality that VoiceOver on Mac needs a complete rewrite from the ground up, not more incremental fixes layered on top of an unstable foundation.
For Braille, bug fixes in 2025 were limited and often reactive. Issues such as delayed output, unreliable routing, dropped input, and Bluetooth instability continue to surface. When VoiceOver focus breaks, braille breaks with it, and those problems were not meaningfully addressed. Braille users are especially impacted by small bugs because accuracy and timing are critical; even minor issues can make braille unreliable for professional work.
For low vision users, bug resolution also felt uneven. Display scaling, contrast behavior, focus indicators, and visual consistency can change between updates without warning. In some cases, improvements for one low-vision feature create conflicts with another, requiring users to choose between imperfect options.
Another concern is communication and transparency. It is often unclear whether accessibility bugs are known, being worked on, or considered resolved. Many users report issues repeatedly across releases with little visible progress, which creates the impression that accessibility bugs are treated as lower priority compared to mainstream features.
Overall, Apple’s performance in 2025 felt more like maintenance than commitment. Bugs were addressed selectively, but core issues—especially those affecting VoiceOver and braille reliability—were not resolved in a meaningful way. Accessibility cannot be an afterthought or a checklist item. For blind and low-vision users, these bugs directly affect independence, employment, and daily life.
In summary, while Apple did address some accessibility bugs in 2025, progress was inconsistent, regressions were common, and many critical VoiceOver and braille issues remain unresolved. Without a stronger focus on stability, regression prevention, and fundamental architectural improvements—especially on macOS—accessibility bug fixing will continue to feel reactive rather than reliable.

GAH wrote:

When performing a search/query with Siri, the results flash up very quickly and disappear, making it almost impossible for a voiceover user to select an option from the results.
Lists in documents launched from within websites where there are lists do not read the contents of lists, and this does not seem to be fixed.
Media player often starts playing for no apparent reason when swiping through contacts using VoiceOver.
When ChatGPT results are displayed, it does not seem possible to go through them word by word and letter by letter using VoiceOver.

Furkan wrote:

In many cases, accessibility issues feel ignored rather than properly addressed. On one occasion, after reporting a problem, I received an unusual and dismissive response unlike any I had received before, which felt discouraging rather than supportive. Only after objecting did I receive a more thoughtful and satisfactory reply. This experience highlights the need for more consistent, respectful, and user-centered handling of accessibility bug reports.

InfoRover wrote:

Many bugs still persist, such as the bug with typing echo mentioned in my above comment, and others such as VoiceOver locking when reading a notification on the lock-screen . Braille display bugs have also still not been fixed. There is also no reliable way to use iPad OS' new windowing and menu bar system with VO. A problem which I understand multiple people have brought up to apple with 0 fixes.

Zebs wrote:

Shortcuts still has an unlabelled button in iOS. Bugs never seem to get fixed on the Mac,

Robin wrote:

As noted above some VoiceOver bugs persist through many OS incremental upgrades and Braille lags far behind on the Mac.

macOS_Skyline wrote:

Several bug reports I have submitted to Apple regarding iOS, iPadOS and tvOS have been resolved relatively quickly.
With macOS however, I actively have several VoiceOver bugs I have reported to them with none of them being resolved, and several of them being labeled as “ unable to diagnose”.

Elena Brescacin wrote:

Like usual. It's very slow to respond and fix.

Anonymous wrote:

Things actually seem to be better this year.

Wahid Raza wrote:

As mentioned above, every thing is awsam but only the mac os VO related bugs should addresse
There are lots of bugs need to fix in mac os VoiceOver
Without fixing them any new feture of mac or accessibility related is not worth also no use of it and non meaningful

PhBG wrote:

For several years now, a very large number of accessibility bugs have been introduced with each update and are rarely fixed. Many of them are small issues, but as they say in Spain “Muchos pocos hacen mucho” (or in French “les petits ruisseaux font les grands fleuves” / many little streams make a big river).
Apple seems to treat accessibility mostly as a useful marketing tool, but in reality things are getting worse. On macOS for example, not only is VoiceOver not making any real progress, it is actually regressing.
When will we finally get scripting support for VoiceOver (similar to what JAWS or NVDA offer) on macOS? That would at least allow people to work properly on a Mac in companies that use software which is not 100% “VoiceOver friendly”. Accessibility matters in the workplace too.
Maybe Apple’s executive leadership simply isn’t aware of the situation.

Anonymous wrote:

Quality control and comprehensive documentation are lacking.

Anonymous wrote:

They are responsive

Alicia Krage wrote:

There was a major glitch with iOS 26 that I didn't personally experience, but I knew several that did. After the update, a lot of VoiceOver users needed visual assistance with entering their passcode, as VoiceOver would not start back up automatically and would only work once the passcode is entered. I know there are a lot of betas before the updates are released to the public, so I'm perplexed as to how something like this got past all those betas. Even if most beta testers aren't VoiceOver users themselves, we as a community should be thought of and considered as these beta releases get tested and the updates are cleared for public. release.

Anonymous wrote:

I, like most, always wish Apple devoted more resources to accessibility so things get done quicker for us. But realistically, I think Apple did reasonably well this year. The awful bug where focus continuously went to the first element of an app seems finally squashed, at least on my devices.

Piotr Machacz wrote:

As in previous years, the Mac is what brings down the rating for me. To Apple’s credit, they did address some issues in the latest update, such as incoming notifications interrupting whatever was being spoken. There was also a lot of work done in making Google Docs work better, which for people who need to do a lot of word processing is very important. At the same time, other parts of Safari are I think by far VoiceOver’s biggest Achilles heel. Sites causing VoiceOver to say Safari not responding or the web content just disappearing completely requiring a refresh of Safari to appear again are a somewhat common occurrence. Then there is the issue of voice-over speech lagging whenever reading any links, which was introduced in a 26.1 beta, fixed for the one after, and then broken again. This issue is still not been fixed even in the 26.3 RC, which had just come out as of writing this and is by far what slows me down the most when browsing the internet. Another point is the redesigned parts of the OS not being as accessible as before. The main example of this is the new Spotlight, which no longer announces or brailles results as you type which is something which used to be the case, but also what parameters actions are asking you to enter, and what results they have when an action is completed. This is in addition to everything I mentioned in previous years like the state of speech feedback in the terminal, custom punctuation schemes not working until VO is restarted and Eloquence not splitting multicase strings which make programming more frustrating.
iOS was also not safe from redesigned applications becoming less accessible though, and I think the best example of this is the Shortcuts app. It launched with numerous unlabeled buttons, as well as no speech feedback when dragging actions around, something which is very necessary if you’re building more complex shortcuts featuring a lot of branching logic. While the button labels have been improved somewhat, there is still no speech feedback when dragging actions, which makes building complex shortcuts very difficult. The editing toolbar is also still not accessible in Mail, making inserting attachments while writing a message impossible.

Dream wrote:

I have submitted accessibility feedback multiple times, but improvements are often slow or not visible. This makes me unsure whether the reports are reaching the appropriate development teams.
Faster and more transparent responses to accessibility bugs would greatly improve trust and usability for users who rely on VoiceOver in their daily lives.

Anonymous wrote:

iOS and iPad OS are ok on this front, but Mac remains very disappointing.

the-blind-tech-duck wrote:

Many bugs remains and are also addes affecting the user experience. Prior adding new features, resolving bugs should be the priority for a few versions.

mr grieves wrote:

Some long-standing bugs were fixed in Sequoia (maybe in 2024). Some of the critical sounding iOS bugs in 26 seem to be fixed, but not all.
From my understanding MacOs Tahoe is in a very dark place. It often feels like one step forwards, two steps back.

Barry Brown wrote:

It is a pity Apple had to spoil the experience using Braille displays withIOS26. Please bring back the same user experience like in IOS18 and earlier.

Tyler wrote:

Particularly in the "26" cycle, many of the bugs originally reported and reflected in the AppleVis Bug Tracker for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS 26.0 remain present in version 26.3 of their respective platforms, with no action or public acknowledgement from Apple as to their status.

Jeremy wrote:

There is a major bug in the messaging app when dictation is used. The dictated text does not scroll so it is very difficult to see any message longer than a few sentences.
When smart invert is used the time and battery life and Wi-Fi often disappear. The contrast should remain the same and they should invert just like everything else.

Arya wrote:

The support team is excellent in acknowledging the complaints and giving a comforting reply, but the resolutions take a very long time or even many years to be resolved.
Some complaints are even carried over to the next versions of IOS. to quote one such example is that of auto switching of voice for reading for south Indian languages in IOS, which remains broken for many years now.
The Voice over experience in mac is degrading with every updated version of mac. Especially the web navigation on the mac has gone from bad to verse as in mac version 26 voice over is unable to detect various elements on the web page particularly with safari.

Brian wrote:

Ha ha ha! You're joking, right!? ??

Additional Questions

What suggestions do you have for improving Apple's vision accessibility features and the user experience, and how do you think Apple could better serve the needs of their blind, DeafBlind, and low vision customers?

Anonymous wrote:

Fix Safari and voiceover on mac. Stop mucking about with silly adverts and pointless features. Also, make voiceover accessibility of 1st party applications as good as 3rd party offerings. Find my is rubbish. Music is rubbish. Journal is rubbish... Maybe they need more blind people involved in the development of these apps as I get the feeling there are very few people with sight loss and constant voiceover users who are testing and giving internal feedback.
Do better. :)

Lee wrote:

Apple need to spend more time fixing issues rather than introducing new features that may or may not be of use to us. I'd rather have a fully working platform rather than a buggy but flashy new set up.

Devin Prater wrote:

Have more blind developers or engineers at WWDC, work with the community.

Jonathan Chacón wrote:

When Apple decides to ship an update focused on stabilizing an operating system, it should assign all accessibility engineers to fixing long-standing bugs in the accessibility API and in VoiceOver. And hire more engineers for accessibility team

David Taylor wrote:

Make dictation work even better, push making voice access and VO work better together

Graham wrote:

Concentrate on resolving outstanding bugs and forget new features until this has been completed

Anonymous wrote:

Responding more quickly to obvious bugs like when the rotor volume adjustment stopped working on the aple Watch. That stopped maybe two years ago, and only now is functional again.

Ashley wrote:

Communicate better with the community, and provide open channels for two-way communication. Make Voiceover on MacOS open source and allow community contribution, or provide code and allow contribution from registered Apple developers who sign an NDA.

Soren wrote:

Sell voice over to a company that cares. No seriously. I doubt anything that apple does can fix this. Maybe if they would take feedback seriously things could improve but well.

Davy Cuppens wrote:

Just resolve bugs! In voiceover settings, just set a link to report bugs. I know accessibility@apple.com but I feel that many blind persons are afraid to ask questions or find it too difficult.

CertDoctor wrote:

As a user and trainer I think "Screen Recognition" is a two edged sword. For one thing, it can uniquely aid you with a poorly designed App to figured out buttons and the like or just general navigation, which you would have *no* other way without sighted assistance. Convversely, its a hazard if your not aware of it, or in training; since if its on by mistake in an otherwise accessible App or interface it can really screw up your navigation and labelling will be sabotaged. I fear, that many bugs and erros I hear from even well educated users is often a result of this mode being on by mistake. I think having a seperate TTS Voice for this by deafult would be a useful indicator, an help avoid confusion.

Anonymous wrote:

Expand any "trusted testers" gorups to include productivity tools as well as standard apps for communication/social media and entertainment. Some of us use Apple as our preferred operating system for work with both computers and mobile devices. I do like the merging of mac and mobile commands/features that's evolving.

Rik Wouters wrote:

I do not know the vision of apples accessibility team. Is Apple still leading in this field?

Anonymous wrote:

Like I said, a walk thrugh of new accessibility features would be nice when they are introduced. Maybe consider a dedicated page or something on the website or in General > Accessibility to explore the new features. Staart pushing harder for app developers to declare accessibility items when they publish or update and app, maybe making the accessibility declaration a requirement for publishing an app. Would be nice if they respond that the app is not accessible if Apple could make them say why. Either we're inclusive or we're not, let's find out why.

Leah Dykema wrote:

Simply clean up the bugs. Require apps to be VoiceOver compatible before launching

Sanjana, a computer girl wrote:

Please add the back button in every application like Android.
improve the accessibility of appstore application

Troubl156 wrote:

While I like the universality of the gestures within VoiceOver, they don't really work on Apple watch and I think creating alternatives for the watch are necessary. Also, I think that providing an announcement about new features for VoiceOver (and other accessibility features) that will get advertised more broadly would be helpful. I'm sure you've got it somewhere on your website but, given how infrequently new features get added to VoiceOver.... How would one know to look there and find out about them? Honestly, I didn't find out about the new Siri features until yesterday and, I imagine, there will be people who don't learn about them for months if not years because they don't follow Apple updates, read Wired or some other source about tech. Wouldn't it be beneficial to have your customers (disabled and not) know about new features? Couldn't you send an email out to these users to let them, at the very least, get links to articles on Apple that discuss new features (ex. a link to an article about new accessibility features)? I'm sure a lot of people won't read the email but I would and, I'm sure, a lot of disabled people would too, particularly if it highlights that there are new accessibility features.

Anonymous wrote:

On Watch-os the morse code time doesn't need the leading 0. It would shorten the time and lessen the battery usage.

Anonymous wrote:

As stated earlier. Please be more up front and open with people when there are major accessibility bugs that need o be prioritized to be fixed, because people rely on these features to access their devices.

Anonymous wrote:

I think in the next major Apple software update Apple should focus more on fixing the bugs and issues throughout the operating system whether it’s on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and any other Apple products it gets super annoying when trying to do certain things on Apple products, but due to bugs, glitches and other weird occurrences, it makes things a lot harder.

علي حسين المرفدي wrote:

In iOS 26, the user experience for blind users has significantly deteriorated due to several critical bugs. First, Arabic language support is struggling; there are numerous pronunciation errors where VoiceOver misreads common words. Specifically, the clock announcement is broken; even when set to 12-hour format, it often forces a 24-hour reading or incorrectly says ‘9 PM’ in a confusing way that disrupts the experience.
Second, the ‘Focus Jumping’ bug has become unbearable. In apps like WhatsApp and X (formerly Twitter), the VoiceOver cursor randomly jumps across the screen, skipping entire chats or threads. This makes navigating messages extremely difficult and frustrating.
To better serve the blind community, Apple needs to:

Fix the Arabic localization and clock pronunciation issues immediately.

Stabilize the VoiceOver focus to prevent it from jumping randomly in third-party apps.

Establish a more rigorous testing protocol with native Arabic-speaking blind users to catch these bugs before public releases.

Adopt a more community-driven approach, allowing users to report and help fix navigation patterns through a shared repository of accessibility fixes.

Holger Fiallo wrote:

Address bugs ASAP.

Aimee wrote:

It would be nice to have explicit announcements made about advancements in the accessibility of Apple's products. It could well be that there ae are and I just don't know where to find them when they're made.

craig hicks wrote:

for me the key thing is description of photos. i am often sent photo's in whatsapp groups etc, and have to send them to a 3rd party app for description. one of the lovely things in android talkback was the quick finger gesture to access these features, would be nice to have this in apple, unless i am missing something?

Anonymous wrote:

Place more priority on voiceover and taking care of its bugs. We blind people depend on voiceover and do not read the print like sided people do.

Missy Hoppe wrote:

I'm not sure what specific recommendations to make, but I know there have been a lot of long-standing bugs that never seemed to get dressed, no matter how much they are seemingly reported. I know that in the grand scheme of life, the issue I've been dealing with is incredibly insignificant, but I've had a problem where the Siri voice on my phone and the Siri voice on my watch do not match. This has happened ever since I got my new watch, and Apple was trying to help for a while, but nothing has changed since I first got this new watch. It seems that there are almost always some kind of voice related issues going on, and focus issues in web browsing are frustrating. As for Apple TV, I don't even know where to start. It used to be great, but now, there are aspects of it that are just about unusable.

travis wrote:

If Apple were to make improvements for The Blind and visually impaired with their products, they could put some special detection technology in the phones, like it could detective reigns coming if you’re outside, etc. Also, when it comes to the computer, or surfing the Internet in general, it should describe what’s in the pictures, especially when you’re looking at a webpage, and when there’s no description of the photo.

Jeff wrote:

Apple should devote more resources to identifying and fixing bugs and maintaining the quality that it achieves.

Anonymous wrote:

Appple would do well having blind, deaf, blind, and persons with multiple disabilities, and neurodivergent people on their accessibility teams as user experts.

Anonymous wrote:

Please allow us to disable the visual aspects of liquid glass. The UI itself is fine, but the "sheen" and the extra animations are confusing. The animations strain and confuse, and the glass effect on the apps reduces contrast and can make it harder to identify certain icons. Reduce motion is already enabled and I still have these issues.

Justice wrote:

See above. Take bug fixing seriously and set up a taskforce to track and squash bugs.

Satyanarayana wrote:

So many people are legally waiting to give one suggestion that is while increase or decrease volume, the media volume also increase or decrease so my suggestion is please add media volume reduce and increase toggle that is very very very useful for so many blind people. And also specially in voice over while using eloquence the numbers reading in millions and trillions so that is also very major problem. And also add more natural voices in Indian languages to use more user-friendly..

Zach M wrote:

I seriously think, instead of adding fancy features that may be useful for some, they should address the things they've already added and give them a significant dose of polishing!

Misty Dawn wrote:

Address even small bugs before they accumulate. Reply with something more than boiler-plate “we’re researching it” even when the bug being reported has persisted and has surely been reported more than once when a bug is brought to their attention, at least expressing sincere commitment to addressing it.

Chris wrote:

Apple could serve our needs by engaging with us. Sadly, this won't happen without significant leadership changes from management.

Blake Sinnett wrote:

Improve interaction times for accessibility related feedback.

Darrell Hilliker wrote:

I'd love to see VoiceOver getting back to being a world-class screen reader. Please realize that many apps won't ever be accessible and many others have accessibility regressions that just never get corrected. Screen Recognition just isn't enough. Please add scripting and more advanced configurability. Please also better document features like Screen Recognition so we know when they can and cannot help with the inaccessibility of apps. I also think it is long past time to get more serious about having app owners making their software more accessible. I think the neutrition labels are an interesting start, although it seems that even some more accessible devs don't bother to provide those labels. Maybe we should let users review and rate their accessibility?

Fatima.Hamoud10 wrote:

My suggestions for improving Apple's vision accessibility features and the user experience are:
1. In iOS 26.3 Apple should release taptic time for the iPhone. Just like on the Apple watch the iPhone will vibrate the hours and minutes when you double tap on the screen with 1 finger. The iPhone will vibrate the minutes when you triple tap the screen with 1 finger.
2. Multi line braille support for the braille displays including the dot pad and the Monarch.

Gaurav J wrote:

Typing on the iOS keyboard using Voiceover is a pain.
None of the built in features are very smooth when it comes to typing.
There used to be an application called Flick Type Keyboard, which allowed me to type as efficiently and smoohtly as a sighted person, even though i am a Voiceover user.
It would be great if Apple could replicate this application to make it easier for us to type on our iPhone keyboards
Addtionally, the dictation feature on iOS and all Apple devices is severely lacking.
It often gets words wrong, or spells words differently as it is not able to understand the correct context.

Anonymous wrote:

Include national accessibility numbers for other countries other than US, UK, Australia and China.

Rely more on AI for new important features such as built-in OCR of files, image description with AI, video description with AI, an AI form of screen recognition.

Macky wrote:

It’s always difficult when something is a single button click on Windows, but is trickier with VoiceOver. Looking at other platforms and seeing what is possible should at the very least be the starting point. Also, making more developers aware of VoiceOver as Paramount. Hopefully the Accessibility ratings in the App Store is just the beginning.

Brennen wrote:

I would say that in general, just giving us the option to use whatever features we want to use striving to make all apps work well with VoiceOver across all platforms would be a step in the right direction also continuing to address and fix bugs relating to accessibility features on a regular basis would be a significant step forward. Also adding more features to voiceover would be a significant step in the right direction as well for example giving us more high-quality voices to use.

L60 wrote:

Low vision features are inadequate
In store help is not familiar with the low vision needs
New features are not communicated to low vision users
Kindle has done a good job with individual custome settings such as font, bold, size, backlght.

Anonymous wrote:

Please allow us to turn off liquid glass, it makes certain apps more difficult to see as a lot of of us need contrast.

BlackCat wrote:

Fixing long time existing bugs first before introducing new features

Samuel wrote:

Apple has made accessibility a core part of its ecosystem, and that foundation is strong. The biggest opportunity now is to make the experience more consistent, more predictable, and less fragile across updates and across platforms. For visual accessibility specifically, Apple could go further with per app controls that are easier to discover and easier to tune. Many low vision users need a combination of larger text, stronger contrast, reduced transparency, reduced motion, and smart color adjustments, but the current settings can feel scattered and sometimes behave differently app to app. A more unified “visual profile” that can be applied system wide and overridden per app would help a lot. It would also be valuable to improve glare reduction and contrast handling in bright environments, offer clearer control over HDR and brightness behavior, and ensure Dynamic Type works reliably in all Apple apps and encourages third party apps to support it correctly. To better serve blind and deafblind users, Apple should prioritize reliability and regression prevention above all. When screen reader focus, speech, braille input, or braille display connectivity becomes unstable after an update, it impacts independence immediately. Stronger accessibility QA, with more real world testing on pre release builds and faster turnaround on high impact issues, would build trust. More transparency would also help, such as a dedicated public list of known accessibility issues, clearer release notes for accessibility changes, and a way to track fixes. Braille support would benefit from a renewed focus on stability, pairing reliability, and predictable editing across apps, along with better onboarding and troubleshooting that does not require vision. For deafblind users, richer haptic feedback options and more consistent support for braille first workflows across system dialogs would make daily tasks smoother.

summerdaze wrote:

Fix the lock screen problem in VoiceOver that cuts off messages and notifications before completely read, and does it repeatedly.

KE8UPE wrote:

I wish bugs were given more priority when reported.

Ken wrote:

Be more efficient on fixing the bugs. Stop making us download updates for things that we do not use. It only takes up our memory, and causes more issue with our phones. Make things simple. You all use to care about your customers, but now it seems like you are becoming like everyone else.

paul Faucheux wrote:

by including screen recognition in all products not just ipad os.

Anonymous wrote:

Don't release new operating systems that break the functionality of accessibility features. Correct the issues named above.

Justin Philips wrote:

Give us the ability to customize the settings options. We should be able to rearrange the options as per our convenience.

Anonymous wrote:

Voiceover should have to learn some of my biometric information such as the size and shape of my fingers, how much pressure do I use when tapping or swiping the screen, and at what angle are my fingers in relation to the screen. Maybe this would help with some of the problems such as having to double tapping a button six times before it is activated.

Mani L wrote:

Definitely Apple will give best service to the customers and also best service to the blind community. Specially, who are using VoiceOver.. my suggestion is why typing on the keyboard the keyboard sounds are very low while using voice overso please fix that problem and also please add notification volume increase or decrease toggle. It's very very useful for us.. and also while increase or decrease the media volume and VoiceOver volume also increased and decreased so my suggestion is please try to add a toggle for media volume reduced and increased.

Ayub wrote:

VoiceOver on iOS is great. I use it a lot for my daily living. However, there could still be some improvements for Apple Accessibility to focus on. I get sent a lot of images, but the thing is that VoiceOver won't read them properly. Instead of hearing VoiceOver say, "A black object against a white background", Apple should give users the opportunity to ask users questions about the image. Like where is the object? What type of object is it? In my experience, VoiceOver features get 3 of 5. I would give it a 5 out of 5 if images were described correctly.

LEELEE Lee Lee wrote:

Hoping Apple features can be more compatible with various websites. When I do various surveys or other documents on the Internet, voiceover is not compatible.

ChoonHwee wrote:

It would be great if they have a separate team to handle accessibility issues.

Gianni wrote:

Many apps have unlabeled buttons that users can label individually. These labels should be shared with other users.
The photo app should use an image description while saving the picture into the library.

Paddu wrote:

Auto language switching in respect of Indian languages, especially Southern languages like Telugu Tamil Kannada Malayalam shall be enabled

Anonymous wrote:

I believe Apple needs a dedicated team to address the terrible experience for Chinese users. After all, China is Apple's largest market outside of the United States, and there are a relatively large number of visually impaired users in China who use Apple products. If Apple's accessibility features continue to be so poor, users may have no choice but to switch to other platforms in the future. After all, there are many mobile phone options in China.

praymapple wrote:

It is impossible for a visually impaired individual to enter a long numerical ID like a bank card number using only the Iphone screen. Apple needs to have an external numerical keypad to make possible accessing and navigating Through a bank or other administrative services by phone.

Jason White wrote:

I think a focus on code architecture, quality, reliability and maintainability would be welcome even at the expense of delaying the introduction of new features.

Poojitha Ravu wrote:

Full Dark Mode support:
Please make Dark Mode fully dark across all Apple ID and system pages. Some screens still show light backgrounds, which is difficult for low-vision users.

Improve Speak Screen on touch:
Add a Speak Screen feature that reads the content when I tap on it, especially in Notification Center and other system areas

Callum Stoneman wrote:

As I have commented previously on this survey, I would love to see more openness and collaboration with users and other organisations when it comes to accessibility features. Secrecy has always been part of Apple#s brand and culture, but I believe there is a difference when it comes to accessibility. We often see other organisations (Microsoft, Google, Meta etc) showing up at conferences and events, sspeaking to real users and collaborating with each other. It would be amazing to be able to add Apple to that list, not only because we would feel more connected to them, but also because other organisations could learn a lot from them.

Pat Ships wrote:

I did hear a rumour that iOS 27 was not going to be a feature update but instead would concentrate on tidying up the code fixing bugs. If this is the case this is long overdue and would be much appreciated if it could focus on VoiceOver which I feel gets the odd bone chuck towards it but never a good old tidy up. This is very much required.

AbleTec wrote:

Seems like they either need to recruit some blind beta testers or listen to those they already have. I cannot believe these problems wouldn't have been spotted.

Dani Anglada Pich wrote:

For blind that voice over never works badly, when it doesn't permit navigate it's frustrating. Should be obliged that any app from the app store from apple should be completely accessible

Anonymous wrote:

Much of it is great. I don't like to silence speech or turn VoiceOver off. Sometimes I do. I notice that when in Do Not Disturb if I"m using my phone it still rings. Maybe a user setting... There's too much interruption.

Arnold wrote:

On the I watch I cannot read what it says. It would be good if I could easily press a button and have a read whatever the screen is saying. Right now all I use is the magnified time.

Anonymous wrote:

My only suggestion for Apple at this time would be to improve the occasional speech crashes, or perhaps that's why we have these Braille devices.

Reg wrote:

I want more useful artificial intelligence integration into Accessibility to allow us to be more

samuelkarlsen wrote:

Not sure if you do this already, but it would be a huge benefit to have the accessibility technicians use the voiceover features for a prolonged time, so they'd be more familiar with the issues that can occur. And maybe strengthen support, so there is a place where you can collect feedback, not just when there is a big issue, like voiceover not talking, but also smaller, pervasive day-to-day issues, like voiceover lagging on messenger.
Also, especially focus on being prepared with support following updates, as there seems to be more issues and bugs in the immediate aftermath of an update.
Improving consideration of intersecting disabilities (other than DeafBlind) such as reduced dexterity intersecting with LowVision and blindness would be a major step forward. This goes both for sofware AND hardware design (such as the home button)."

Matthew Whitaker wrote:

Apple has the resources, talent, and history to be the unquestioned leader in vision accessibility—but to truly serve blind, DeafBlind, and low-vision users better, the focus needs to shift from incremental tweaks to foundational, user-driven improvements. Below are concrete, experience-based suggestions.
First and most importantly, Apple needs to prioritize stability and trust over new features. Accessibility only works when users can rely on it. VoiceOver, braille, and low-vision tools must be fast, predictable, and accurate. This means aggressive regression testing, accessibility-specific QA gates before releases, and refusing to ship updates that break previously working accessibility behavior. Blind and low-vision users should never feel afraid to update their devices.
Second, Apple must rebuild VoiceOver on macOS from the ground up. This is non-negotiable. The current system feels like layers of patches on outdated architecture. Focus drift, cursor desynchronization, lag, and unreliable navigation make professional work unnecessarily difficult. A modern macOS VoiceOver engine should have a unified, truthful focus model, first-class support for complex app layouts, and performance on par with the rest of the operating system. Without this rewrite, every other accessibility improvement on Mac will remain limited.
Third, Apple should treat braille as a first-class, professional input and output method, not a secondary add-on. For blind and DeafBlind users, braille is not optional—it is essential. This means rock-solid Bluetooth connectivity, instant input and output, reliable routing, and smarter context-aware translation behavior. Braille workflows such as reading, writing, editing, file management, and BRF handling should feel intentional and complete across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
Fourth, Apple needs to unify the accessibility experience across platforms. VoiceOver, braille, and low-vision settings should behave consistently on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Users should not have to relearn gestures, terminology, or configuration models on every device. A shared accessibility profile that syncs settings, preferences, and customizations across devices would dramatically improve usability.
Fifth, Apple should invest in discoverability and onboarding for advanced features. Many powerful accessibility tools already exist, but users are expected to know about them in advance. Guided tutorials, contextual tips, and optional walkthroughs would help users unlock features like advanced Rotor usage, Braille Screen Input commands, braille display customization, and low-vision display options without relying on external resources.
Sixth, Apple must raise the accessibility bar for third-party and first-party apps. Accessibility APIs are not enough if they are optional or inconsistently used. Apple should enforce stronger accessibility requirements, provide clearer guidance, and offer better tooling so developers can test real VoiceOver, braille, and low-vision workflows. Apple’s own apps must also lead by example and be fully accessible, consistent, and reliable.
Seventh, Apple needs to listen earlier and more deeply to disabled users. Blind, DeafBlind, and low-vision professionals should be involved at the design stage, not just during late-cycle testing. Feedback should result in visible action, not just acknowledgments. Long-standing issues reported repeatedly across OS versions should be treated as systemic failures, not individual bugs.
Eighth, Apple should expand support for efficiency and professional workflows. Accessibility should not stop at “usable.” Blind and low-vision users are musicians, developers, editors, educators, and creators. Features must support speed, precision, customization, and long-term productivity—not just basic navigation.
Finally, Apple should communicate more transparently about accessibility. Clearer release notes, known-issue tracking, and progress updates for accessibility bugs would build trust and show that these concerns are taken seriously.
In short, Apple can better serve blind, DeafBlind, and low-vision customers by focusing on fundamentals: stability, performance, consistency, and real-world workflows. Apple has already proven that great accessibility is possible. The next step is committing to accessibility as a core engineering priority, not just a feature set—especially on macOS.

Sophia wrote:

It’s very cumbersome to create a shortcut for specific functions needed consistently in various apps.
When having the text spoken using the two finger swipe down, it’s almost impossible to stop it once it starts and it’s very frustrating.

GAH wrote:

Better testing by VoiceOver users during product and update developments. Better mechanisms for blind and low Vision users providing timely feedback regarding bugs so that they can be fixed promptly. macOS VoiceOver needs to be revamped and updated to make it easier and more affected to use. Better training material needs to be developed and provided.

Anonymous wrote:

Definitely blind users need to test the Voiceover platform thoroughly before rollout. The issue of users reporting issues with Voiceover only after a major update was too frequent in this last cycle.

Furkan wrote:

While Apple’s continued focus on accessibility in 2025 is appreciated, the primary need for blind users is improving and stabilizing existing features rather than introducing new ones. Many accessibility tools still suffer from reliability and consistency issues, especially on macOS. In addition, AI-based accessibility features and their integration with VoiceOver remain very limited and are not yet truly supportive. Apple should prioritize fixing existing issues, strengthening quality control, and delivering stable, dependable accessibility across all platforms before expanding further.

InfoRover wrote:

Please focus on simply fixing bugs. I would rather a bug free or very few bug experience rather than new features. A nicer way to use the multi tasking and menu bar on iPad OS with VO would also be good. A good way of doing this would be VO / m to take you to the menu bar, such as in mac OS VO.

Sindre of Norway wrote:

Make a setting to turn off Liquid Glass. Bring back the dark-mode iOS had before September 2025.

Anonymous wrote:

sometime we dealing with difficulty within the bluetooth hearing aid connectivity. need to fix this problem. certain apps such as whatsapp, when using it, always encounter problem when reading the text at the same time receive notification from other group.

macOS_Skyline wrote:

Please focus on macOS.
iOS, iPadOS and the other operating systems, small issues aside, are relatively stable and I feel very comfortable navigating them daily with absolutely no issue.
macOS however couldn’t be a more different story. Unresolved bugs, features available on all of the other platforms for years just simply missing, issues with basic system elements like the menu bar and control center all with voiceover, it almost feels like an entire different company is in control of the Mac version of VoiceOver in comparison to the other platforms.

Elena Brescacin wrote:

AI can be a helpful feature, but the user should have control on information they get and give. Would be good to have an agent helping when developers don't make an app accessible.

Anonymous wrote:

Other than making improvements with the issues and suggestions previously outlined, there are three other areas I think could be improved. First, I think it would be helpful if there were an easier process for reverting back to previous app, or even ios versions. There are occasionally times, especially recently, where an app has been completely accessible, then I do an update, and either the app is not as accessible, or I can’t access it at all. (For example, Google Docs.) Due to these instances, it would be really nice if there were an easier process for being able to undo an update and revert back to the previous app or ios version so I can access it again. Second, I really love being able to copy and paste text because it is a lot easier than having to go back and forth to personally type everything out. I have encountered certain instances where I will not be allowed to copy text, and therefore will have to type everything out by hand. This can be especially frustrating when it is a large portion of text from an article for one of my classes. Therefore, it would be really nice if it were possible to just select and copy any text anywhere. Finally, I have experienced issues with the iPhone’s on screen keyboard. I have frequently experienced having my bluetooth keyboard connected, but my on screen keyboard stays up. This can be frustrating because it limits the amount of other screen space I have for interacting with the controls and/or information I need to access. I have also experienced issues with not being able to get the on screen keyboard back on screen after disconnecting my bluetooth keyboard. This is especially frustrating when I need to type something and don’t have my bluetooth keyboard nearby. For these reasons, it would be nice if there were an easy gesture for pulling up or hiding the onscreen keyboard any time you want.

Susan wrote:

Make AppleTV apps larger or enlargeable. (Including the names of the streaming show)

Wahid Raza wrote:

Please fix mac os related VO issues

PhBG wrote:

Apple should hire blind and visually impaired employees whose daily job would be to intensively test ALL of Apple’s software and to file accessibility bug reports for the development teams. In essence, what blind customers do voluntarily throughout the year.
Above all, when these employees report bugs, they should actually get fixed — and when it comes to major bugs, those should block the release of updates until they are resolved.
If such people already exist at Apple, the observation is bitter: they serve little to no purpose, given the degradation in accessibility over the past few years.
Apple should also meet blind employees working in various “real-world” companies to realize that yes, in order to use software in a professional environment, you need to be able to script the screen reader — the way JAWS or NVDA allow you to do. Because no, 100% of enterprise software does not comply with accessibility standards.
Apple needs to understand that accessibility also matters in the workplace, and that not being able to script VoiceOver is effectively closing the door on blind people in companies that use Macs.

Anonymous wrote:

Please let me know of your updates as they occur.

Anonymous wrote:

They should make it easier to log in and to manage websites

Alicia Krage wrote:

As stated above, VoiceOver users need to be thought of and considered especially when beta updates are tested. To go so far as to make the device completely unusable is unacceptable. Not everyone has immediate assistance available.

Anonymous wrote:

With all the new AI features on the horizon it feels inevitable that there will be pricing tiers for different usage capacities. Some of these AI features provide transformative opportunities for real world, practical independence for the disability community generally and the blind community specifically. That in mind, I would encourage Apple to offer reasonable discounts to verified disabled customers for any premium AI subscriptions, because these customers are not just using these tools for fun or novelty but as ways to be more safely and functionally independent on a day-to-day basis.

Piotr Machacz wrote:

A lot of what I said in previous years still holds true. Regarding new features I would still love to see more options on both platforms to have more control over what formatting changes are announced by voiceover, especially now that TalkBack got such features very recently. Also, on the iOS side, I would love to see more verbosity options to control the speaking order of information. With the new list position feature this is something we'll hopefully see more of. Previously, I also said the OCR engine should support more languageslike Polish which did happen this year. However, VoiceOver still disables features like screen and text recognition if the phone is set to the Polish language, so I really hope that's something else that will be fixed in the future. If we're talking about the Mac, I would still love to see more feature parity between the two platforms because there are still things that are on iOS but not on macOS, such as screen recognition, more control over audio ducking or the speech equalizer. And of course, as mentioned in previous questions, the Mac just needs more love in general, especially in the web browsing department. Hopefully this is something that Apple can invest in more in the future, though I feel like this is a more general than just an accessibility problem. Judging by reading mainstream media, it's not just the experience of users with disabilities that's suffering on the Mac, in general it feels like Apple is investing in iOS more and we just might be feeling the impact of this more. Especially in the time when Microsoft seems to be doing everything to make Windows worse for everyone.

avg66 wrote:

It is quite often when Apple release new version of software, it has some serious VoiceOver related issues. Apple usually fixes them reasonably quickly. However, this pattern suggest that accessibility while important for Apple still considered secondary criteria when assessing quality of software and its readiness to release. I believe there is a room for improvement in Apple in this respect.

Anonymous wrote:

On iOS, keep iterating, it's very good overall. While I'm sceptical about much of the AI hype, there's no doubt it has impressive accessibility applications, so I hope to see this in my Apple products. On Mac, please fix VoiceOver, even if that involves tearing the whole thing down and starting again.

the-blind-tech-duck wrote:

Having the possibility to remote into an iphone to assist a new user or to help during training will be awesome. There is currently no way to assist someone remotely if the person is having a hard time with VoiceOver gestures. A bluetooth keyboard or Braille display can help, however the pairing process can be really difficult.
When sharing accessibility settings, that would be nice that the voice settings and voice in use can also be shared.
Another feature that is broken since many years in the possibility to hear VoiceOver via a Bluetooth speaker. There is no way to cast the VoiceOver sound anymore to some BT speakers anymore which is painful for demos or just to hear a phone or apple device as a blind person when using a speaker.

Amanda wrote:

It feels like VoiceOver on the Mac has been left behind for quite a number of years. it is fantastic on the phone, but not on the Mac.

mr grieves wrote:

No new features until VoiceOver on the Mac is fixed, please.
And please stop releasing major new versions of software with critical VoiceOver bugs, at least without a way to easily go back to the previous version. I hate the major new versions cycle - I genuinely live in fear of what is going to happen to my Mac next. I just want to be efficient.

Josh Kennedy wrote:

I would like to see an accessible wine emulation layer to run a windows screen reader such as NVDA 64-bit and a sapi5 tts engine along with a chosen app on iPhone, iPad and macOS.

Matthew Robinson wrote:

Please pay attention to any feedback about persistent accessibility bugs, especially regarding macOS, and address them with the same consistency!

Dennis Long wrote:

Please add the following.

FB20953555 (please add an Eloquence volume increase)
the eloquence volume even when voiceover volume is at its max is half the volume of other TTS engines example Samantha please add an internal volume setting for Eloquence to increase the output of eloquence from 100 percent to 200 percent in increments of 10 percent. This is needed to increase the volume of eloquence to get it closer to other TTS engines. it will also help those hard of hearing.
FB13759711 (please add repeating caller ID for voiceover)
Please add an repeating caller ID option. It should repeat either the current option and give the user the following choices 1 repeat name
2 repeat number
3 repeat name and number.
4 repeat after x number of seconds. this is important because if a person misses it the first time they will have other chances to here it.
5 off or default to leave it as the default behavior in other words as currently designed.
FB18350922 (Please enhance copied speech with the following:)

Make the amount of elements stored configurable. Sometimes when working on a project, I'd need 20, or even 999 elements. Getting as close to 999 would be ideal. 2. Can we extend it to support text copied from different sources as well?
3 When long pressing on an item give an additional option called edit. This would be useful because of the example below: Hi John Joe’s address is 123 Elm street. You might want to edit it to Joe’s address is 123 Elm street

* FB20238017 (please make it when using text selection or when going to edit and do select all and copy it is seen by copied speech rotor option)
Hi, when using text selection or when going to edit and do select all and copy please make that be part of the copied speech history. this would make it easier to share stories articles and long amounts of text and greatly enhance the copied speech " feature. this of course should work as it does now either with the touch screen a braille display or braille keyboard or with a Bluetooth keyboard.
* FB21658743 (unable to enter passwords with braille displays and braille keyboards such as the Orbit writer)
1 attempt to enter passwords it won't work.
It enters extra characters this needs fixed asap. please and thank you.
* FB21244662 (please bring screen recognition to mac OS)
please bring screen recognition to the Mac. This would help with inaccessible websites and apps. i can't tell you how many times screen recognition has helped me on the iPhone this should've been brought to mac a long time ago. please add this asap
* FB21039785 (please give the user the ability to update the eloquence community dictionaries or automatically update them when a new version of iOS comes out example 26.2)
As it currently stands the Eloquence community and abbreviation dictionaries are only updated once a year. however these dictionaries are actually updated approximately every month. it would be truly appreciated if they were updated with each new version of iOS. These updates fix and improve how Eloquence pronounces things. please update these dictionaries more regularly.
* FB18940679 (please add ability to export and import voiceover pronunciation dictionary)
please give the ability to import and export pronunciation dictionary. the reason for this is because so i can help people who can't type well or for those that have limited ability to correct things spoken the way they would like. example: prdacics should be spoken as p r d a c i c s this would give them the ability to import them with out having to do the entries themselves
* FB18350922 (Please enhance copied speech with the following:)
1. Make the amount of elements stored configurable. Sometimes when working on a project, I'd need 20, or even 999 elements. Getting as close to 999 would be ideal. 2. Can we extend it to support text copied from different sources as well?
3 When long pressing on an item give an additional option called edit. This would be useful because of the example below: Hi John Joe’s address is 123 Elm street. You might want to edit it to Joe’s address is 123 Elm street
* FB20238017 (please make it when using text selection or when going to edit and do select all and copy it is seen by copied speech rotor option)
Hi, when using text selection or when going to edit and do select all and copy please make that be part of the copied speech history. this would make it easier to share stories articles and long amounts of text and greatly enhance the copied speech " feature. this of course should work as it does now either with the touch screen a braille display or braille keyboard or with a Bluetooth keyboard. thank you.
* FB14117135 No inflection when using eloquence if you insert a question mark or exclamation point
When writing with eloquence there is no inflection with eloquence if you insert a question mark or exclamation point.
* FB18072716 Spelling suggestions not deleted from mail after correction is made
Please note turn off AutoCorrect and predictive. Then compose an email or reply to an email it doesn’t matter either or will work. I did compose and purposely misspelled words. I then went to the misspelled words option in my rotor swipe up or down and picked the first spelling mistake. I then swipe right to get to the suggestions double tap the desired suggestion at that point swiping left or right should not reveal any more suggestions for that word that was corrected. those suggestions for the word you just corrected are still present. This happens both with the touchscreen and with the orbit writer again, predictive and AutoCorrect Must be turned off. Thank you.
* FB17067055 please add braille options for next and previous button
please add a braille option for next and previous button. this would make it faster on the web and be useful if you are looking for a check out or search button you could just go by buttons if this were added. thank you.
* FB20587059 (unable to bring up emoji keyboard if using a braille display or braille keyboard such as the Orbit writer)
1 assign a command to next keyboard under voiceover braille keyboard and next keyboard. 2 go into a message email or anywhere you want to put an emoji.
3 do the command you assigned to next keyboard. expected result the emoji keyboard would come into focus. actual result nothing happens. please fix this
* FB13731559 (Add a grammar check option in addition to spellcheck option in all apps for voiceover users)
Please add a grammar check option in addition to spellcheck for voiceover users. This would be able to be applied in all apps, such as mail, messages, notes, etc. this option would check for grammar such as affect versus effect FECT versus EFFECT for example this bug doesn’t affect it should be a FFECT not EFFECT would allow you to use the right spelling of the work based on the context of the message this would be extremely helpful. Thank you.
* FB17284416 (the password button for auto fill is not visible when using a braille display or keyboard such as the orbit writer)
the passwords button for auto fill is not visible if you are using a braille display it doesn't matter the password manager you are using. this can be BitWarden or 1password. after contacting one password they said "the passwords autofill is part of iOS and not something they can fix" please fix this.
* FB20690088 (orbit writer doesn't always connect)
this happens quite often i power on the Orbit Writer. unlock the phone it doesn't connect. i even assigned a command for reconnecting braille displays this sometimes works it is inconsistent. please fix this and make it more reliable and easier to connect this and other braille displays. It is worth noting the Orbit Writer is technically a Braille display
* FB18691444 please bring back an option for the old Siri sound
please bring back an option for the old Siri sound found in iOS 15. this sound is easier to here in loud environments and could be easier for those with hearing issues as well.

Tyler wrote:

I believe Apple could improve the user experience for blind, deaf blind, and low vision users by placing a greater emphasis on improving the performance, reliability, and interface consistency of its platforms, rather than adding new features each year at the expense of attention to core functionality.

Arya wrote:

We get a feeling from the response from the support team and the product releases, is that actual blind persons are not involved in the stage of designing, testing the enhancement made to the voice over.
The team at is apple accessibility should have blind employees so that they can understand the issue of the blind users of apple products and guide the users with appropriate solutions.

Brian wrote:

Stop developing new features, and spent a year or more addressing all of the bugs, glitches, and general failures of the accessibility features of Apple OS.

Do you have any additional comments about your experience as a blind, DeafBlind, or low vision user of Apple products? Please feel free to share them here.

Anonymous wrote:

Frustration.

Lee wrote:

For me overall apart from the odd bug I think Apple haven't done a bad job. As I say just wish they would spend more time fixing issues instead of bragging about how great new features are.

Jonathan Chacón wrote:

I'm still loveling Apple products and I still think they are the best in accessibility but other platforms are running with better stability

Ashley wrote:

I think I've summed it up. I mostly enjoy my Apple products. I love my iPhone, and the opportunities it has enabled for me are numerous. I tolerate the Mac, because the alternative is Windows and its privacy concerns. I'll admit that windows seems more appealing with each update to MacOS. I'm generally disappointed in Apple's lack of communication and their apparent disregard for a large community of users and developers who would be only too happy to help them significantly improve the accessibility of their products. I am also disappointed that apple doesn't consider bugs that affect our experience to be as important as those which affect a mainstream user. If they released a version of MacOS that inadvertently pixelated half of the display on certain older Mac models, you can bet it would be fixed in the next update. Yet 15-year-old accessibility bugs that, for example, affect the experience for many users in the native web browser, or make reading some PDF documents impossible (both very basic tasks) are apparently acceptable. It's not as if they are a small company with limited resources. If you are going to commit to accessibility for everyone, fully commit to accessibility for everyone.

CertDoctor wrote:

I would say, speed and responsiveness of VoiceOver is a concern, especially over the lifespan of a product. Often the responsiveness gets slower and slower, such that usually the chief reason I upgrade products is because of this, and often keyboard interactions declining so much that its becomeing a chore to use the on screen keybaord with VO anymore. I've had the iPhone SE 3rd for a while now, and felt I've seen significant decreases in its responsivieness over the past two years of updates; so much so, that my behavior with Siri has changed, namely using the button to trigger it, because its so slow I've found using the wake word more effective.

Anonymous wrote:

I appreciate the support via VO for apps like the camera app. I'd love to find more improvements there but I realize it's a fairly small population using them. Though I don't use braille with my Apple devices, I appreciate the work Apple is doing to improve on this means of communication. Finally, I'd like to take part in any research or testing, not so much of new features as of solutions to long-standing issues like focus and synthesizer problems.

Rik Wouters wrote:

Organize apple disability usergroups.

Leah Dykema wrote:

Apple products have meant more to me than anything else because of how accessible they have been over the years. They’ve played a huge role in my life since I was young and I can’t imagine life without them.

Troubl156 wrote:

Overall, I've found that Apple is a good company in relationship to accessibility, arguably one of the best if not the best manufacturer out there when it comes to making their products out-of-the-box accessible for blind people. I appreciate that you have a dedicated accessibility phone number but also that, if you do have to call the regular customer service line, most if not all of the customer service staff can help with simple accessibility issues/questions. While I take issue with some of Apple's behavior over the years (ex. using a special connector rather than a standard usb-c connector to charge), overall, I've stayed an Apple phone user because of its ease of use, accessibility features being standard (as opposed to an add-on), and solid customer service support.

Anonymous wrote:

Apple remains the best option for phone and tablet users. Having both Apple and Android as well as multiple desktop and laptops for the there is nothing better.

rawest2063 wrote:

I am grateful that Apple does this and it’s included in all their devices. That is a huge win for the blind community and for the low vision community, but we are not the mainstream. We are a small group and it takes a while for things to catch up for our benefit.

Anonymous wrote:

Overall, Apple is doing a good job with mobile accessibility, and I like the consistency of how well things work across apps and platforms.

Anonymous wrote:

I still really love using Apple products I use my iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch pretty much every day. VoiceOver still works a lot better than other devices would really love to see the ability to get more detailed image descriptions on iPhones and not limited to the iPhones that can run Apple Intelligence, I really love the ability to ask Siri to take a screenshot. Send it over to ChatGPT and get a very detailed image description along with that if I navigate through my photos, voiceover will automatically give me a detailed description of the image, but unfortunately, that is only available with Apple Intelligence would be nice to see it on all of the iPhones iPads and Apple watches and really any other Apple product that can run the latest Apple updates. It would be nice to get these features.

Apple2025 wrote:

I’ve used different types of Apple products over the years and I feel like as the years have went on Apple has added more features to their iPhones and Apple watches to make them more accessible and to help people with their daily task

علي حسين المرفدي wrote:

As a long-time user, I feel that the gap between Apple’s vision for accessibility and the actual user experience is widening. The most frustrating aspect is that bugs reported by the blind community often persist for several update cycles without a fix. We need Apple to embrace a more collaborative model. If Apple cannot fix every navigation bug in third-party apps, then they should provide us with the tools to fix them ourselves—similar to how the NVDA or Jieshuo communities use scripts and shared repositories to optimize the interface. My final message is this: Innovation is not just about new features; it is about maintaining the reliability of the core experience. Please prioritize fixing the basic navigation stability and the linguistic accuracy for non-English speakers, as we rely on these devices for our daily independence.

Anonymous wrote:

I'm grateful that apple's products are even accessible at all I do hope that they get better at improving persistent bugs

craig hicks wrote:

for me, apple has always led the way in accessibility on their devices. i have dabbled with android on 3 different occasions now, always ending up back on an IOS device. it just works! and yes, it does have its bugs, but the benefits far out way any issues.

Missy Hoppe wrote:

I love my Apple toys! I was very skeptical when I first got started in 2013, but now I can't imagine life without my iPhone and Apple Watch and Apple TVs. I just wish that Apple would fix some of the stuff that's been broken for multiple years.

Anonymous wrote:

In the main I'm happy with Apple products, but I do feel the Watch 26 is not as good as 18 when useing some apps especially when reviewing the stats after a workout.

travis wrote:

I’ve been a long time Apple user since 2013, and I sure love using voice comment and it is always gonna be my goat to for my techno, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

My experience with iOS 26 has been negative largely due to its accessibility issues. Give us more options to customize our settings to suit our needs better.

Satyanarayana wrote:

I am completely blind person, but I am very very happy with that Apple products specially I am using iPhone 16 Pro Max with the latest iOS version. I am always waiting to introduce Apple new features and updates specially for blind people.. finally I want to say one word please try to fix as possible little bit bugs in iOS. And try to add new accessibility features for easy navigating the mobile with VoiceOver.

Misty Dawn wrote:

Since iOS 6, the user experience with VoiceOver both on iOS and TV OS has continued overall to decrease in quality, especially with regard to focus bug and other bug accumulation.

Chris wrote:

As I've said repeatedly, macOS needs the most attention. For example, the experience in Apple Books and Preview should be much better. We should be able to use caret navigation in both Books and Preview to read content by line, character, word, etc similar to navigating a document in TextEdit or Pages.

Darrell Hilliker wrote:

Over the years, I still pick Apple over Android, but it has long lost its luster as being anything special.

L60 wrote:

I'm very frustrated with Apple products. I think thr only improvements Apple makes from year to year are the camera features.

Justin Philips wrote:

Good job.

Anonymous wrote:

The Apple accessibility support team always try to find an answer for me. They are very patient.

Mani L wrote:

Hello, I am completely blind person. I am very, very happy to use Apple products in my daily life specially, Apple Watch and iPhone. I am very very happy with accessibility features, but I need more improvements from Apple accessibility side. I hope you will fix everything in upcoming updates and thanks to the entire team of Apple accessibility.

ChoonHwee wrote:

When something breaks, it often takes a long time before it gets fixed.

Marc from Montreal wrote:

In general, I love Apple Accessibility and what you’ve done in particular I don’t like the fact that anytime a new upgrade to iOS happens things that work are not checked prior to the release of the new iOS and fall through the cracks thus creating problems and bugs. this is very annoying for us as voiceover users, such as the problem indicated earlier in this survey I anxiously look forward to the AI improvement both with Siri and in other areas of iOS for us as voiceover users.

blindstein wrote:

life-changing products

Jason White wrote:

I enjoy using my Apple devices, and I hope for further improvements in accessibility during 2026.

Pat Ships wrote:

I am annoyed still that I will be forced to leave my home button for Face ID. This is more due to the functionality I've just sliding my thumb or finger over the button to unlock my phone whether this is on the pillow at night on the bed stand or in my pocket, seamlessly and quietly without disturbing my partner. Face ID although a more modern feature does not give any of these benefits it is a much more physical and conscious action.
Having said that I am eagerly waiting any updates to a smaller iPhone that would have some great AI features stacked in it, at the moment I cannot see that this is on the road map, disappointing.

AbleTec wrote:

I've used IOS since 2013, &, until IOS 26, I was quite happy w/the overall experience. Now I'm thinking seriously about bailing.

Anonymous wrote:

I have brought the issue that I described in the survey to the Apple Accessibility team several times. I have tried to reset the voiceover two factory settings. I have tried numerous options to improve the experience. Nothing is working. First, I thought it was my phone, then I was told that it is definitely not. That it is a software issue. No updates so far have improved the functionality on my iPhone 17.. as this is the only device I use, and I do not have a laptop or other device, I am wary of resetting the phone itself to factory settings. as a blind person, I am not getting the accessible experience that I have come to appreciate with Apple products.

Dani Anglada Pich wrote:

Makes our live easier, but still a big step to complete.

Anonymous wrote:

In the early days I had an iPad and Mac. Had Apple Tvs. I'd like to get a Mac again one day if more work is put into accessibility.

Anonymous wrote:

Overall wonderful (except speakscreen) and brilliantly developed. It has been a life changer as I have only been blind for a short period.

Anonymous wrote:

As a hearing-aid user, I am very impressed with Apple's assistance in designing the current protocol for made-for-iPhone hearing aids. In addition, I've found that battery charge is now reported correctly at least on my end.

Reg wrote:

I want to do more with artificial intelligence to automate and integrate my workflow. I wish Apple would provide more features like that that will help with Accessibility. Shortcuts is too complicated i’m not flexible enough for what I want to do.

ZsuZsuPetals wrote:

I don’t know what I would do without voiceover, it opens up the world to me, and I do not feel so isolated. It helps me to connect with other people around the world, and it keeps me sane. As a blind and disabled 61 year-old, I can steal find experiences and new things to learn so that my mind can stay busy and keep myself mentally healthy.

Matthew Whitaker wrote:

Yes. I want to be very clear and very honest here.
Being a blind user of Apple products has been both empowering and exhausting.
Apple’s accessibility is the reason many of us are here at all. iPhone, in particular, gave blind users independence at a level that simply did not exist before. For that, Apple deserves real credit. Many of us built our education, careers, creative lives, and daily independence on top of Apple’s accessibility foundation. That impact cannot be overstated.
At the same time, using Apple products as a blind or DeafBlind person often feels like living in a constant state of workaround mode.
Too often, accessibility works until it doesn’t. A system update breaks something that was previously reliable. An app redesign quietly removes accessible navigation. A feature technically exists but is impractical to use day-to-day. The result is that blind users are forced to become problem-solvers instead of simply users. We memorize quirks, build mental maps, create custom commands, install scripts, rely on community knowledge, and warn each other which OS versions are “safe.” That should not be normal.
There is also a growing gap between basic independence and professional excellence. Apple accessibility does a good job at getting users started, but it does not always scale to advanced, high-speed, professional workflows. Blind users are musicians, developers, editors, teachers, engineers, and business owners. We need tools that are not just accessible, but efficient, stable, and trustworthy. Accessibility should support growth, not cap it.
For DeafBlind users in particular, braille reliability is everything. When braille output lags, focus breaks, or input drops, communication and productivity break with it. These are not minor inconveniences—they are fundamental barriers. Braille cannot be treated as a secondary layer that inherits problems from VoiceOver. It must be rock-solid.
Another ongoing issue is emotional and mental load. When accessibility is unreliable, it adds stress. It slows work. It creates uncertainty. It forces users to constantly ask, “Is this me, or is the system broken?” That cognitive burden is invisible but very real.
There is also frustration around how feedback is handled. Many blind users report the same issues year after year. We file feedback, submit bug reports, test betas, and write detailed explanations—yet the same problems persist. That leads to burnout and the feeling that accessibility concerns are acknowledged but not truly prioritized.
Despite all of this, most of us stay with Apple—not because the experience is perfect, but because it is still better than most alternatives. That loyalty, however, should not be taken for granted. It exists because of trust built in the past, not because the present experience is flawless.
My final point is this: accessibility is not charity, and it is not a marketing feature. It is infrastructure. When it works, blind and DeafBlind users can contribute, create, lead, and thrive. When it fails, we are locked out of our own tools.
Apple has already shown the world what great accessibility can look like. The challenge now is consistency, accountability, and follow-through—especially on macOS. Until accessibility is treated with the same engineering rigor as performance, security, and design, blind and DeafBlind users will continue to feel both grateful and frustrated at the same time.
We don’t want perfection.
We want reliability, respect, and the ability to work without fighting our tools.

GAH wrote:

Apple has generally done a very good job over the years at making it's products quite accessible, to the extent that people in the blind and low Vision community are very dependent on these products for their day today activities and work so I congratulate them on that. I would like to see Apple try to do more to encourage And even force developers to create products that are accessible to all users including those who have low vision and blindness as there are often still Accessibility issues with apps and websites where elements are not labelled appropriately to be read with VoiceOver and they cannot be navigated properly or information inputted using VoiceOver.

InfoRover wrote:

Overall, on IOS my experience has been good. I have not experienced as many bugs as some seem to have. I have, however noticed a few regressions which is disappointing.
iPad OS is not a great experience. The menu bar and multi tasking features are practically impossible to use with VO which is disappointing. iPad OS needs changes for VO users in this regard.

Zebs wrote:

I am a regular VoiceOver user on macOS, and while I appreciate the recent updates in macOS 26, I am writing to request a specific enhancement for productivity in spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel and Numbers.
Currently, VoiceOver Hotspots are excellent for navigating to static UI elements. However, they lack the "data-awareness" required for professional-level spreadsheet work. In competing screen readers, there is a feature called "Monitor Cells" that I believe would be a transformative addition to VoiceOver. The specific functionality I am requesting is:

Coordinate-Based Monitoring: The ability to lock a "watch" on a specific cell (e.g., B50) that remains active even if that cell scrolls off-screen.

Background Updates: An option for VoiceOver to automatically announce changes in a monitored cell's value while the user is inputting data elsewhere in the sheet.

Monitor Dashboard: A dedicated menu or rotor item that lists all currently monitored cells and their real-time values for a quick status check.

As a user who relies on macOS for professional tasks, having to manually jump back and forth between a data-entry row and a "Total" cell significantly slows down my workflow. Hotspots currently lose focus if the window is resized or if the cell is no longer visible in the scroll area.
Implementing a true "Monitor Cell" feature would bring VoiceOver to parity with specialized Windows screen readers and make the Mac a much more viable tool for data analysts and professionals who are blind or low-vision.

Anonymous wrote:

Overall, I think Apple does an amazing job with keeping their products accessible. I can’t begin to express my appreciation for all of the accessibility features. I have tried other phones in the past, and iPhone is the only one that makes me feel capable of doing everything all my sighted friends can do. They give me so much confidence and independence. The only other thing I think could be improved, is the readdition of FaceID and fingerprint for replacing entering a password. I used to be able to just scan my face to enter a locked note, but since upgrading to an iPhone17ProMax and ios26.2, it is no longer an option. Making it harder and more tedious to access certain information.

Wahid Raza wrote:

I suggest apple should listen and addresse long continuous bugs and issues exist in mac os VO related
As a consumer give us opption and right to switch to other screen reader such as jaws and nvda
Also apple listen and fix our complaints of mac’s VO, as same as responsive to listening and fixing feedback related to ios ipad os and watch os
Doing awsam, apple needs to do same as in mac os.

PhBG wrote:

If Apple doesn’t get its act together regarding the quality control of accessibility features soon, and if Apple doesn’t allow scripting VoiceOver on macOS in the near future, I think I’m going to switch to Android — and to Windows or Android Desktop, whose release has been announced for the coming months.

Miriam Hesselbart wrote:

Phone support has been helpful. Really happy about the support received. The accessibility staff is very patient, friendly and helpful when I have phoned in for assistance

Piotr Machacz wrote:

Again, as I said in the last year, I really hope Apple continues to invest in accessibility, especially in today's climate. While both platforms have their issues, especially macOS, there are still many reasons why I use their hardware and find them a superior experience for many tasks. Is there room to improve and grow? Absolutely, and I hope this continues to happen.

mr grieves wrote:

I appreciate that Apple generally considers VoiceOver from the start - I will buy an Apple product knowing that although it might frustrate me, I will likely be able to use it. With some companies, screen readers seem to be an unknown when you deal with support or or anyone at the company, Apple does a good job of ensuring that most people seem aware of it and not to be thrown when it enters the equation. That's really good.
Having said that, I often feel Apple is a bit too keen on big-bang announcements of exciting new things and less keen on engaging with us as to what we want - ie less bugs.

Matthew Robinson wrote:

Despite some persistent bugs, in many ways Apple devices remain my first choice because of the interest that Apple takes in their accessibility, which is more than I have seen elsewhere.

Jeremy wrote:

This device has the potential to change peoples lives. It certainly changed mine when I discovered the accessibility functions. Please, for the love of God when you make changes for those who don’t have accessibility issues, don’t screw with what those of us who do require! Also, this survey is a perfect example of something that isn’t visually impaired friendly! I am not using a screen reader or voiceover as I am not that blind, but I’m blind enough to require an inverted screen and high contrast. A massive amount of text in very small type is probably not a good way to survey someone who is visually impaired. Even if you are using voice listening to a large amount of text is much different than reading it. It is much more difficult to get your head around it.

Arya wrote:

I am a tech enthusiast and I always want to use the cutting edge technology and that is why I chose apple products as my main usage devices. The latest developments happening in the AI and the developments in the screen readers in the other platforms apple is slowly but steadily loosing ground as a leader in accessibility features.
I sincerely wish apple takes the feedbacks of the users seriously and regain the lost ground with respect to accessibility and overall products releases with no bugs for which apple was best known in the past.

Brian wrote:

Apple products are built with superiority, and convenience in mind. These devices are intuitive, easy and fun to use, and are a joy for many folks around the world. However, Apple needs to seriously stop trying to impress us with new innovations, and just spend time addressing all of the Hardware/software bugs that plague their systems. This has been said many times before, but go back to the days of Snow Leopard. Where Apple developed a solid operating system, that, at the time, ran on Mac's like a dream. That is what users want. That is what I want. Thanks for reading.

Conclusion

We greatly appreciate everyone who took the time to complete the 2025 Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card survey and share feedback. Your participation was vital to producing a meaningful and accurate report card that reflects the real-world experiences of blind, DeafBlind, and low vision users of Apple products and services. We hope that the 2025 Report Card will contribute to constructive conversations about the current accessibility and experience of using Apple devices for blind, DeafBlind, and low vision users; influence Apple’s 2026 accessibility roadmap; and be a positive force for change.

Notes

About the Survey

To determine the ratings for this report card and gather comments, we conducted a survey between February 2, 2026 and February 16, 2026. The survey was open to all blind, DeafBlind, and low vision individuals who used at least one Apple product during 2025. A free AppleVis account was required to complete the survey.

Before submitting a survey response, participants were kindly requested to please consider the following:

Before starting the survey, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with last year's Report Card.

When submitting ratings and comments, please only provide responses for questions where you have personal experience with the accessibility feature and platform in question during 2025. For example, if you have used VoiceOver on iOS during 2025 but used VoiceOver on macOS in 2024, we ask that you please only submit answers for the questions relating to VoiceOver on iOS. While we recognize that many in our community have opinions about Apple's platforms beyond those with which they have current lived experience, only submitting ratings for platforms that you used during 2025 will help ensure that the survey results are an accurate representation of current views and lived experiences of product end users.

The 1-5 rating scale we are using is a typical model where 5 is the best score. So, if you give a rating of 5, it means you are highly satisfied with the aspect being rated; a rating of 3 means you are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied; and a rating of 1 means you are highly dissatisfied.

In this survey and our Report Card, “vision accessibility features” refers to the available functionalities and capabilities of the software, while “user experience” refers to your overall satisfaction with and ease-of-use of the software.

In one question, we ask about the new accessibility features introduced in 2025. To help you answer this question, we recommend taking a look at the preview of these features and Scott Davert's blog post discussing what's new in iOS 26 accessibility for blind and DeafBlind users.

Before submitting the survey, please take a moment to carefully review your ratings and comments to ensure that they are a fair and accurate representation of your experience and opinions. By providing thoughtful and well-considered feedback, you can help ensure that the survey results are meaningful and constructive.

Each person may complete the survey one (1) time.

By completing this survey and including comments, you grant AppleVis permission to feature some or all of your comments in its Apple Vision Accessibility Report Card. You can opt to be attributed by your AppleVis account display name or quoted anonymously.

To ensure accuracy and authenticity of user content, AppleVis will not correct spelling, diction, capitalization, punctuation, or make any other grammatical modifications to comments included in the Report Card. Comments may be lightly formatted to ensure consistency of presentation and content accessibility.

Grading Scale

The below grading scale was used when determining grades for each rating:

4.4-5.0: A
3.7-4.3: B
3.0-3.6: C
2.3-2.9: D
1.0-2.2: F

About AppleVis

Founded in 2010 by David Goodwin and now a Be My Eyes company, AppleVis is the premier online resource for blind, DeafBlind, and low vision users of Apple products and services. AppleVis includes directories of accessible apps reviewed by blind, DeafBlind, and low vision users; a vibrant discussion forum where members of the community share their knowledge and expertise with all things Apple and beyond; a blog, covering Apple software and product releases; a podcast, including software demos, interviews, and a monthly Apple news talk show; how-to guides on various topics; and other resources for users of VoiceOver, braille, and low vision features on Apple products. AppleVis is a blind-led, community-directed organization and is run by a small team of employees and volunteers. All AppleVis resources are completely free to the community.

Media Inquiries

For media inquiries or if you have questions about the 2025 AppleVis Report Card, please contact:

Michael Hansen Michael@applevis.com

Options

Comments

Interesting report

Interesting report. Many of teh comments highlight user error or things beyond APple's control (inaccessible third-party applications for example). I'm also surprised by how high the ratings are concerning MacOS, which I think most would agree is a buggy mess at this point. I would say the report is fair concerning iOS but doesn't truly highlight my own frustration with the Mac. Whether someone in power at Apple, not just the accessibility teams, will aknowledge or listen remains to be seen, their total lack of public response to previous surveys suggest they probably won't.

It’s actually because of things on here that I don’t want a Mac

It’s actually because of the things that I read on here about the fact that makes me not even want to look at one. I also wanted to come in here to come to think everybody yet Apple verse 1S for the hard work you did putting all this together so we can read about how people in our community are feeling about Apple products. Yes, we’re really only know if Apple is existing with different Nino updates to the operating system and see what happens but the only products who Apple that I have right now is my iPhone 15 and my iPhone SE third generation. I used to have an iPad mini six generation. I didn’t like that you couldn’t turn off the splitting apps on the screen at the view, but you can turn off the way that the apps are viewed with the left side of the screen is the right side screen parts of the app that was just too confusing for me as somebody who’s been totally blind since birth and it was just too much real estate on the screen to get lost in typing around. I traded in that iPad got my iPhone 15.

Sharing report

Hope that this is share in other platforms beside giving to Apple. The more others who are blind and do not belong to this service would benefit. We need more people who uses VO to share their issues and than apple take us more seriously regarding the bugs. Wonder how much apple pay attention to the report or just trash it or put it aside for a rainy day reading. Long live cats.

I think Apple does listen

I think Apple does listen. Remember folks good code isn't wrote in 5 minutes.

Listen

1 Trillion company can not get "Good code", developers! When was the last time VO was updated? Not talking a new features but managing bugs? If recent please let me know. Still like iPhones but it is getting to be a pain. Long live cats.

Apple does listen

Apple does listen. They just need to be told a few times what’s going on with certain bugs and honestly you’d have to think about it from their perspective. Would you really want to be them trying to figure out which part of the code screwed up which particular bug for you know a certain amount of the population and you know, especially for the bugs that are the random ones where it’s even harder to tell them when it’s gonna happen because you don’t know that’s why they’re still bug bugs. It’s not because they’re not listening and also do people forget every software has bugs and that’s just how a software is you know it’s made by humans. It’s going to get messed up so that’s just normal and yes, Apple does read these reports because there’s things that I’ve gotten better from the past years that they’ve done these report cards.

Singer Girl

If you believe that, I have a nice lake in Chicago, will let you have for $4 and it your. Long live cats.

Singer Girl

I completely agree with you. The ones that don't happen every time or that are device specific are even harder yet to reproduce. People don't take that in to account.

It’s amazing. These things are on as well as they do.

It’s honestly amazing that these devices run as well as they do. If you guys wanna be the one sitting here programming them then you can complain about how many bugs there are. Yes Apple listens to us. Yes, they do care. I’ve talked to so many people in Apple and they have literally been nothing but nice and helpful. And anything they weren’t able to figure out they were always really good about following up about it. I’ve also been really lucky that there’s people in my Apple Store locally here that do you know voiceover and I’ve actually gotten my phone directly from Apple so that they could help me set it up and if there were somebody who was helping me at a time that didn’t know they either looked it up or they found somebody else that day and it was really cool.

Singer Girl

I pay for my devices over 1000$ and I expect it to work well, just like a car. Do not need to be told that it is great that the devices work. They suppose to do so. Long live cats.

Mac is amazing

Maybe I am the odd one who thinks that MacBook is absolutely amazing. I am a voiceover user and I am proud to say that I earned my salesforce certifications with my MacBook. Yes, onvue had accessibility issues, but with lots of communication, they finally fixed the issues as well.

High-quality bug reporting is important

To fix a bug, software developers usually need to be able to reproduce it on their devices. This requires high-quality reporting, including detailed steps to reproduce the issue and sysdiagnose logs.

I've tried to reproduce some of the bugs reported on this forum and elsewhere, sometimes successfully and at other times not. Often, there isn't enough detail in the report to reproduce the issue - for example, it may depend on a specific configuration not described in the discussion. In a proper bug report to Apple, though, the details need to be included.

While I think Apple could perform better at identifying and resolving bugs, I also think more high-quality reporting would help to make best use of of their available software engineering time. Nor is it clear that employing more people to work on accessibility would solve the problem, and I know that accessibility expertise at the level required is not as easy to find on the job market as it should be. Large employers such as Apple may have to invest in developer training, if this isn't happening internally already.

Jason White

With respect many many people had reported bugs and nothing. There is an issue with reporting and those who are getting it and fixing them. Do not know what else could be. Even here people sometimes provide the number of the report so others can also report. Long live cats and they do not like bugs.

coverage

9 to 5 Mac covered this! I didn't have a mainstream Apple blog writing about this on my bingo card. Their headline sounded click baty, and they got a detail in the story wrong which bugs me as a guy with a degree in journalism, but hey, at least someone in the mainstream picked it up!

Could probably improve bug reporting with AI

Unfortunately, we’re getting a lot of different bug reports from all different types of people with varying skill levels. And we are exactly all able to communicate in a clear way. I suggest using AI to essentially clean up spelling errors, Gramar, the way the report is written so that it much clearer and usable by the engineers. So, you can write your report, feed it to AI, let it clean it up for you, and then submit it.

AI

Why they do not ask AI to kill the bugs!!! Call exterminator. Long live cats.

Re: Ash Rein

I completely agree, quality of bug reporting is extremely important.
And, while absolutely not trying to offend anyone who participated, I couldn’t help but notice when sitting here and reading through all of the comments that so many of the loudest when it comes to complaints, were also the ones lacking the most detail and filled with spelling and grammar mistakes and errors.
Also, just from reading a couple of the comments, it is very clear that there is a fundamental misunderstanding on how a company’s market capitalization works.
Yes, Apple’s market capitalization is almost always somewhere between 2 and 4 trillion dollars, and on paper this sounds like an absolutely ginormous number, because it is.
However, it’s a lot more complicated than that. What it absolutely *does not* mean is that Apple has four trillion dollars in cash sitting somewhere, because they absolutely do not.
And even if they did, anyone who knows anything about how complex these operating systems are internally absolutely knows that throwing money, a flood of new employees and the kitchen sink at VoiceOver isn’t necessarily a productive solution and actually can end up making things significantly worse.
I mean, just look at Meta. They literally spent years and years and years just dumping billions and billions into projects like the “Metaverse” and “Meta AI”, only to have to come out this week and announce that their “meta-verse” horizon world thing will be closing, and their big huge new AI models are being delayed because, surprise surprise, throwing incomprehensible amount of money at a problem is rarely a productive solution that’s going to lead to quality results.

@macOS_Skyline, re: Metaverse

🎵 don't forget Zuckerberg's latest lawsuit... 🎶😇🙄

@Holger Fiallo

I hate to be that kind of guy, but must you always clap back with such cynical responses? Maybe it's just me, but they don't really add much to the discussion.

On another note, I think that iOS has been pretty stable as far as it goes. Mac isn't quite where I'd personally like it to be, but the more people that give detailed bug reports, the more quickly those bugs can be fixed. It's also worth noting that even with specific reproduction steps from bugs, not everything is able to be reproduced. As others have said, system configuration matters to some degree, among other things.

@Joseph King

I completely agree with you.

@macOS_Skyline

I completely agree with you.

@Holger Fiallo

Well, someone has to do it, most here love kissing apple and follow like little sheep. I need a phone that works all the time and not sometimes. For a 16 pro max that price over $1000, I expect it to be good. If you feel is something else, well I respect your view. We will disagree and more power to you even so you are wrong. Long live cats.

Apple Vision Accessibility: The 2025 AppleVis Report Card

Executive Summary

Cumulative Rating

Ratings At-a-Glance

All 2025 Ratings

Highest and Lowest Ratings

Most-Changed Ratings

VoiceOver

VoiceOver Features

Do you have any comments regarding the VoiceOver accessibility features offered on Apple products? Please feel free to share them here.

VoiceOver User Experience

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Braille

Braille Features

Do you have any comments regarding the Braille accessibility features offered on Apple products? Please feel free to share them here.

Braille User Experience

Do you have any comments regarding the Braille experience on Apple products? Please feel free to share them here.

Low Vision

Low Vision Features

Do you have any comments regarding the low vision accessibility features offered on Apple products? Please feel free to share them here.

Low Vision User Experience

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Other Ratings and Comments

The New Accessibility Features Introduced by Apple in 2025 for Blind, DeafBlind, and Low Vision Users

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Apple’s Performance in Addressing VoiceOver, Braille, and Low Vision-Related Bugs in 2025

Do you have any comments regarding Apple's performance in 2025 in addressing VoiceOver, Braille, and Low Vision-related bugs? Please feel free to share them here.

Additional Questions

What suggestions do you have for improving Apple's vision accessibility features and the user experience, and how do you think Apple could better serve the needs of their blind, DeafBlind, and low vision customers?

Do you have any additional comments about your experience as a blind, DeafBlind, or low vision user of Apple products? Please feel free to share them here.

Conclusion

Notes

About the Survey

Grading Scale

About AppleVis

Media Inquiries

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