Checking accessibility with a mobile screen reader
Screen readers are software that reads out all content on a screen, for example the home screen, browser content, app content and settings. Screen readers can be used on mobile or desktop. They are used by people who are blind, have low vision, or people with cognition impairments who prefer to listen to content rather than read it.
Touch screen devices
On touch screen devices we use gestures to navigate the screen. Screen readers also use gestures, however when a screen reader is enabled on a touch screen device all the gestures change. You don't need to know them all, but learning a few basic gestures for the purposes of testing is a good idea.
Screen readers
A good source of information about the use of screen readers on mobile devices is the WebAIM screen reader user survey. According to the survey run in 2019:
- 69% of screen reader users use iOS devices
- 27.5% of screen reader users use Android devices
Only one screen reader is available on iOS devices. It's called VoiceOver. There is a choice of screen readers for Android devices. The most common is called TalkBack and it's used by most Android users.
Screen reader gestures
The usual gestures change because the mode of interaction changes when a screen reader is enabled. Instead of visually scanning the screen and tapping once on something to activate it, you scan the screen by touch and then double tap to activate it.
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is the built-in screen reader for iOS from Apple.
Turn VoiceOver on or off
Use any of the following to turn VoiceOver on or off:
- ask Siri to 'turn on VoiceOver' or 'turn off VoiceOver'
- go to Settings, select Accessibility, select VoiceOver and turn it on/off
- triple click the side button on an iPhone with Face ID
- triple click the home button on an iPhone that has a home button
You'll need to enable triple click on the side and home button to switch on VoiceOver. To do this:
- Go to Settings.
- Select Accessibility.
- Select Accessibility shortcut.
- Select VoiceOver.
We recommend adding in another setting as well as VoiceOver. This means you're shown a menu to choose what accessibility setting you want when you triple click. This stops you turning on VoiceOver immediately if you accidently triple click.
Exploring the screen using VoiceOver
Drag your finger over the screen and VoiceOver will announce each item you touch. In addition if you:
- tap: VoiceOver will speak the name of the item that was tapped
- swipe right: VoiceOver will move to the next item and speak its name
- swipe left: VoiceOver will move to the previous item and speak its name
Once VoiceOver is focused on an item, you can double tap anywhere on screen to activate it.
To read using VoiceOver:
- two finger swipe up: VoiceOver will speak everything on screen from the top of the screen
- two finger swipe down: VoiceOver will speak everything on screen from the currently selected item
- two finger tap: VoiceOver will pause or continue speaking
To scroll using VoiceOver:
- three finger swipe down: Scroll up one page
- three finger swipe up: Scroll down one page
- three finger swipe right: Move left one page
- three finger swipe left: Move right one page
- two finger scrub in a Z shape: Returns VoiceOver to the previous screen
Actions when using VoiceOver:
- double tap: Activate the currently selected item
- double tap then swipe up/down: Activates a slider and increments/decrements the value
Typing using VoiceOver
Double tap the place where you want to enter text, drag your finger over the on-screen keyboard until VoiceOver speaks the character you want to enter, then double tap to select it.
VoiceOver rotor
The VoiceOver rotor makes it possible to access different settings and to navigate screens and web pages by different elements by using:
- two finger rotation: Moves to the next set of options within the rotor
- swipe up or down: Moves between items in the given set of options
The VoiceOver user documentation has more information about using VoiceOver on iOS.
TalkBack
TalkBack is the built-in screen reader for Android from Google. Some vendor specific versions of Android may not include TalkBack.
Turn TalkBack on or off
Use any of the following ways to turn TalkBack on or off:
- hold down both volume buttons for 3 seconds, if TalkBack doesn't turn on immediately, repeat for another 3 seconds
- go to Settings, select Accessibility, select TalkBack and turn it on/off
Exploring the screen with TalkBack
Drag your finger over the screen and TalkBack will announce each item you touch. In addition:
- tap: TalkBack will speak the name of the item that was tapped
- swipe right: TalkBack will move to the next item and speak its name
- swipe left: TalkBack will move to the previous item and speak its name
Once TalkBack is focused on an item, you can double tap anywhere on screen to activate it.
To read using TalkBack:
- swipe down then right: Opens the Global Context Menu
- swipe right: Until you hear 'Read from top' or 'Read from next item'
- double tap: Selects the chosen reading option
To scroll using TalkBack:
- swipe right then left: Scrolls down 1 page
- swipe left then right: Scrolls up 1 page
- swipe down then left: Returns TalkBack to the previous screen
Actions when using TalkBack:
- double tap: Activate the currently selected item
- swipe right then left: Increments a slider
- swipe left then right: Decrements a slider
Typing using TalkBack
Double tap the place where you want to enter text, and drag your finger over the on-screen keyboard until TalkBack speaks the character you want to enter. Lift your finger to enter it.
Navigating with TalkBack
To naviage swipe up or down. This will cycle between TalkBack navigation options.
The TalkBack user documentation has more information about using TalkBack on Android.
What to check
Make sure all content can be navigated to, understood and interacted with using a screen reader. Make sure that:
- on screen content can be navigated to using screen reader gestures
- all interactive items can be activated
- the screen reader tells the user what kind of content they're dealing with (for example link, button, heading, checkbox, list)
- when there is an implied visual structure (for example table, list, heading hierarchy), the screen reader announces it correctly
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