Latest tvOS update fails accessibility again.

By MrBrokenEyes, 10 December, 2022

Forum
tvOS and Apple TV Apps

I just updated my AppleTV latest generation to the current OS version. Yet again, voiceover problems have not been corrected and quality of accessible voices has been degraded.

You can not access any enhanced or premium voice if you want to turn it off during playback on streaming services. It just automatically reboots. The sound quality of the standard voices has been downgraded yet again. I use Ava and she now sounds like she’s doing a Barry White impression.

I’ve Sent six emails to Apple about this since September and each time have been told it will be fixed. Yeah? When?

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Comments

By MrBrokenEyes on Thursday, December 22, 2022 - 17:48

Why should I have to throw a perfectly good LG TV that’s only nine months old away just because Apples accessibility team are failing to live up to their mission statement? I wouldn’t buy a Samsung anyway. I had a fridge from them that caught fire two weeks after I bought it and it took the threat of legal action to get my money back.

By Siobhan on Thursday, December 22, 2022 - 17:48

I'd start going to your apple store if it's near enough, or hell even if it's not, showing them, Then, call accessibility get a supervisor, show them via screen recordings or whatever, since I just remembered this was an apple TV. Oops? Can't kinda bring it with ya. lmao but seriously, be a pain in the ass and other body parts i can't mention or I'll get deleted. apple needs to step up their game. I am confident they do not have any person with a disability on their internal development team whatsoever. No one can convince me of this since apple writes huge checks their ass can't cash. sorry you're having such bad luck. I didn't update the Mac I'm writing this on because if alex is as choppy as it is on here as my phone? Nope.

By Saqib on Thursday, December 22, 2022 - 17:48

I quit using Apple TV a couple of years ago as My 2021 Samsung TV is fully accessible and I can use Netflix, Prime Video and Youtube without any problems. The added bonus is that I can record live TV and access the EPG. I know a few VI people who have gravitated to Samsung as they prefer an all in one solution. I also have an Amazon Fire Cube which is paired up with my Echo Stereo speakers and I couldn't have done that with my old 4th Gen Apple TV.

By Missy Hoppe on Thursday, December 22, 2022 - 17:48

I use Alex on my Apple TV. I currently own all three geneerations of the apple tv 4K box, and they all work the same way. I almost always turn off VO while I'm actively watching movies and TV shows, and there's never been a problem. I will definitely agree that VO on the apple TV is rather quirky, but for the most part, I've learned how to live with it and it doesn't seem to have any of the majorly annoying issues that my phone and watch plague me with on a daily basis. I could be wrong, but I think most of the issues on the apple tv are related to third party apps.

By Cobbler on Thursday, December 22, 2022 - 17:48

Hey Saqib, would you please share the model/series number of your Samsung TV, as I would be curious to check it out. Thanks

By MrBrokenEyes on Thursday, December 22, 2022 - 17:48

The problem has finally been fixed! You can now use all voices and versions there off and turn them off when needed without it automatically switching back on. This is fixed with the 16.2.1 update.

Now to the next problem. Fixing SIRI so it’ll tell you the time again.