Accessibility (a11y)

Windows uses the UI Automation framework to provide accessibility information to screen readers.

Microsoft UI Automation is an accessibility framework for Windows. It provides programmatic access to most UI elements on the desktop. It enables assistive technology products, such as screen readers, to provide information about the UI to end users and to manipulate the UI by means other than standard input. UI Automation also allows automated test scripts to interact with the UI.
UI Automation Overview

Uno.UI implements a subset of UWP's UI Automation APIs, to make your applications work with each platform's built-in screen reader or accessibility support:

Windows Android iOS macOS WebAssembly
Narrator TalkBack VoiceOver VoiceOver OS or Web Browser Integrated

Read this guide to learn how to use the AutomationProperties supported by Uno.UI:

  • AutomationProperties.AutomationId
  • AutomationProperties.Name
  • AutomationProperties.LabeledBy
  • AutomationProperties.AccessibilityView

SimpleAccessibility mode

While we were trying to replicate UWP's behavior on iOS and Android, we realized that iOS doesn't allow nested accessible elements to be focused. For example, if you select a list item, the screen reader will automatically read the accessible name of all inner elements one after the other, but won't let you focus them individually (unlike Windows and Android).

While this behavior comes with its own set of limitations (e.g., you can't nest buttons), it greatly simplifies the implementation of accessibility. By comparison, on UWP, the user would need to navigate through every inner element of every list item, unless the developer manually disables focus for each inner element and aggregate their accessible names into a single string to use as the accessible name of the list item.

Instead of trying to replicate UWP's behavior on iOS (which might be doable using the UIAccessibilityContainer interface, although we haven't tried it yet), we decided to go along with the iOS behavior and bring it to Android as well. We called this mode SimpleAccessibility.

Here's how to enable it:

// App's constructor (`App.cs` or `App.xaml.cs`)
#if __IOS__ || __ANDROID__ || __MACOS__ || __WASM__
FeatureConfiguration.AutomationPeer.UseSimpleAccessibility = true;
#endif

We highly recommend using this mode, as iOS still won't let you focus nested accessible elements even if you don't (see known issues).

Disabling accessibility text scaling

You have the option to disable accessibility text scaling of iOS and Android devices but Apple recommends to keep text sizes dynamic

Here's how to disable it

// App's constructor (`App.cs` or `App.xaml.cs`)
Uno.UI.FeatureConfiguration.Font.IgnoreTextScaleFactor = true;

AutomationId

The AutomationProperties.AutomationId attached property can be used by UI Testing frameworks to find visual elements.

To avoid performance issues, this property only has an effect when either the IsUiAutomationMappingEnabled msbuild property, or Uno.UI.FrameworkElementHelper.IsUiAutomationMappingEnabled is set to true.

Setting this property does the following:

This property is generally used alongside Uno.UITest to create UI Tests, and is particularly useful to select items using data-bound identifiers.

Windows.UI.ViewManagement.AccessibilitySettings

Some external libraries or UI toolkits may depend on the AccessibilitySettings class to check for high contrast settings. As Uno Platform targets cannot check for this via accessible APIs, the properties only return predefined defaults, unless you override them manually via WinRTFeatureConfiguration.Accessibility:

var accessibilitySettings = new AccessibilitySettings();
accessibilitySettings.HighContrast; // default - false
accessibilitySettings.HighContrastScheme; // default - High Contrast Black

// Override the defaults
WinRTFeatureConfiguration.Accessibility.HighContrast = true;
WinRTFeatureConfiguration.Accessibility.HighContrastScheme = "High Contrast White";

accessibilitySettings.HighContrast; // true
accessibilitySettings.HighContrastScheme; // High Contrast White

When the value of WinRTFeatureConfiguration.Accessiblity.HighContrast is changed, the AccessibilitySettings.HighContrastChanged event is raised.

Known issues

  • Hyperlink in TextBlock is not supported.

  • TextBox and PasswordBox don't use Header and PlaceholderText.

  • ItemsControl doesn't use AutomationProperties.Name on its DataTemplate's root.

  • There are XAML code generation conflicts between x:Name and AutomationProperties.Name.

  • A child with the same accessible name as its parent is accessibility focusable.

  • Control doesn't receive focus when accessibility focused.

  • TabIndex is not supported.

  • [iOS] Nested accessible elements are not accessibility focusable.

  • [Android] Both ToggleSwitch and its native Switch can be accessibility focused.

  • [Android] Both TextBox and its native EditText can be accessibility focused.

  • [Android] Control without a non-empty accessible name is not accessibility focusable.

  • [Android] The accessible name of the native back button can't be customized.

  • [Android] TextBox and PasswordBox don't hint "double tap to edit".

  • [Android] You can tap to focus an accessible child of an accessible element that has never been focused even if UseSimpleAccessibility is enabled.

  • AutomationPeer.GetLocalizedControlType() is not localized.

  • FlipViewItem reads "double tap to activate" even if it's not interactive.

  • Navigating through accessible elements can slow down when the UI is complex.

  • You can't cycle through FlipView items using accessibility focus.

  • There is no way to control or predict accessibility focus following a navigation (page or modal).

  • Controls don't announce state changes.

  • Only the following elements support accessibility:

    • Button
    • CheckBox
    • FlipViewItem
    • ListViewItem
    • HyperlinkButton
    • Image
    • PasswordBox
    • RadioButton
    • TextBlock
    • TextBox
    • ToggleButton
    • ToggleSwitch

  • Only the following AutomationProperties are supported:

    • AccessibilityView
    • LabeledBy
    • Name

  • [WASM] Only the following elements support accessibility:

    • Button
    • CheckBox
    • Image
    • RadioButton
    • TextBlock
    • TextBox
    • Slider

  • [WASM] PasswordBox is not currently supported due to external limitations.

Tips

  • Always set and localize AppBarButton.Label (even if it's not displayed on Android and iOS). It is used by the screen reader for accessibility.
  • Always localize AutomationProperties.Name. The name of the resource should look like this: MyButton.[using:Windows.UI.Xaml.Automation]AutomationProperties.Name.
  • Avoid using Opacity="0" and IsHitTestVisible="False" when you can use Visibility="Collapsed". The screen reader can still focus the former, but not the latter.
  • Avoid stacking TextBlocks inside a Panel when you can use Inlines inside a TextBlock (using LineBreak if necessary). This allows the screen reader to read all the text at once, instead of having the user select every part manually.
  • Use a converter to trim long text. While a TextBlock might ellipsize long text, the screen reader will read the entire text provided.
  • Avoid creating custom controls when you can use built-in ones. If you must, make sure to implement and provide an appropriate AutomationPeer.
  • You can disable accessibility focus of native elements using android:ImportantForAccessibility="No" and ios:IsAccessibilityElement="False".
  • ContentControl based controls (Button, CheckBox, ...) automatically use the string representation of their Content property. In order for the AutomationProperties.AutomationId property to be selectable, add AutomationProperties.AccessibilityView="Raw" to the control as well.

Enabling the screen reader

Narrator (Windows)

  1. Press Windows key and Enter at the same time.

VoiceOver (iOS)

  1. Launch the Settings app from your Home screen.
  2. Tap on General.
  3. Tap on Accessibility.
  4. Tap on VoiceOver under the Vision category at the top.
  5. Tap the VoiceOver switch to enable it.

TalkBack (Android)

  1. Launch the Settings app from your launch screen.
  2. Tap on Accessibility.
  3. Tap on TalkBack.
  4. Tap the switch to enable it.
  5. Tap the OK button to close the dialog.

VoiceOver (macOS)

  1. Launch the System Preferences from the macOS logo.
  2. Tap on Accessibility.
  3. Tap on VoiceOver under the Vision category at the top.
  4. Tap the Enable VoiceOver switch to enable it.