MS Word in iOS: A problem and question

By peter, 20 July, 2018

Forum
iOS and iPadOS

I am using the MS Word app in iOS with a bluetooth keyboard and VoiceOver.

Mostly the app is very accessible and works very well. However I have one problem that makes it difficult to use and I'm wondering if others are running into this and how they might be getting around it.

The problem is that with QuickNav off and when I hit the Option+LeftArrow key to navigate backward a word at a time in a document, the focus does not move and the previous word is not spoken. This keystroke does seem to work properly in all other app, i.e., when I hit Option+LeftArrow focus moves back one word and it is spoken.

Interestingly, when I hit Option+RightArrow focus does move to the next word and it is spoken. It is just the Option+LeftArrow keystroke that seems not to work.

Do others experience this problem? Is there another keystroke I can use to navigate backward by word? Is there a workaround people have found?

I tried talking to the folks at the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk and they think it is an Apple issue since, without a bluetooth keyboard I can navigate back a word successfully by flicking. They refused to file it as a bug. But this is hard to believe that it is an Apple issue since the keystroke does work properly in the Notes app, Mail, etc. Only MS Word seems to show this problem.

Anyway, thanks for any help or suggestions.

--Pete

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