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Apple VoiceOver

VoiceOver reads headings, links and controls aloud on Apple devices. Use it to check how someone can find and operate parts of your website without relying on the screen.

Visit Apple VoiceOver

Which Apple device should you use for the first check?

Start with the device your visitor would use. VoiceOver is built into Mac and iPhone, and the browser and way you move through the page matter. A Mac keyboard pass can tell you what happens there. For a phone task, repeat it with VoiceOver touch gestures on iPhone.

What can VoiceOver tell you about a help dialog?

Listen for what opens and where you land. A visitor should be able to tell that Help opened and what they can do inside it. After closing, they should be able to pick up from the button that opened it.

Use the rotor, a menu for jumping by item type, if you need to find a heading or link without reading the whole page. A visual heading or button may sound different if its name or role was left out.

How can you check a Help button in Safari on a Mac?

Use a standalone page with a Help button and a dialog containing a heading and a Close button. Use fictional text and no sign-in, forms or live service. If you do not have a Mac, write the expected sequence and leave this device check open.

  1. Get comfortable with the controls
    Start VoiceOver with Command–F5. On the sample, hold Control and Option and use Left or Right Arrow to move between items. Press Control–Option–Space to activate the current control.
  2. Open and close Help
    Before opening Help, listen for its name and role. After opening, check that the announced title or focused item tells you where you are. Reach Close and activate it. Check that the next thing you hear identifies the original Help button.
  3. Record the point of failure
    If you hear the page behind the dialog before you can find Close, note how to reproduce it and which Mac and Safari versions you used. Repeat after fixing it. You can use Command–F5 again to turn VoiceOver off.