Explore best practices for creating inclusive apps for users of Apple accessibility features and users from diverse backgrounds.

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AirPlay connection to a large monitor
I created a desktop app for Mac using Xojo. The app has a controller in the main window and displays advertisements and notices on a connected external display. I'm currently connecting my iMac24 to a REGZA-55M550M via AirPlay, and displaying video from the iMac to the REGZA, but the connection occasionally drops out. Yesterday, the connection dropped about 3.5 hours after connecting. Of course, I have other apps running on the iMac, but I'm not using any operations that would put a strain on the network or memory. Does AirPlay connection to non-Apple products become unstable over long periods of time?
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614
Sep ’25
The screen of the watchOS app automatically turns off and pauses operation.
I developed a watchOS app to capture gyro data, save it in real-time as a CSV file, and send it to an iOS app. However, when I start writing with the watch on, the screen dims, and it stops working. It only resumes operation when I tap the screen again. Is there a way to let it run in the background and transmit files in real-time, even when the screen is off?
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624
Nov ’24
How to handle AX (Keyboard Access & VoiceOver) for AttributedString used in UILabel
I use AttributedString to create a string containing a link. And I set the AttributedString to UILabel. How should I set up the Accessibility feature to make sure that I can keyboard focus on the substring with link and use keyboard operation to open the link I can VoiceOver the whole string and VoiceOver the substring with link to open the link Thanks a lot.
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122
Mar ’25
Avoid trackpad gesture conflict between dragging and accessibility zooming when using three fingers
Double-tap three fingers and drag to change zoom” should suppress “Three Finger to Drag”. Currently these gestures are triggered simultaneously, for no real reasons. I saw different behaviors for different environments, but none is desired. Current and desired behavior: This seems an issue so I filed a feedback.
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713
Aug ’25
iPhone screen layers
I need to understand the different layers that are there in the iPhone X and later OLED screens as I am designing a hardware attachment. They seem to be projecting letters and images from a different layer than the subpixel layer. Is this proprietary information, or is there a resource that explores them?
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86
Apr ’25
MAS restrictions on file read-write for desktop electron apps
We have an electron app developed for Mac. We would like to restore the user data previously saved in downloads once user installs the app from store and first launch. But MAS has restrictions with ""com.apple.security.files.downloads.read-write". We have enabled the user access in Entitlement files and request user permission before access What options can be user to auto restore the data from downlodas?
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85
Apr ’25
When using UIScrollView and UITextView together, inserting a link causes the following text to disappear.
Since UITextView does not support the zoom function, the zoom function of UITextView with addSubview is used in UIScrollView. However, when I use the link here, the text behind it is missing. Ex) https://appstoreconnect.apple.com/login\nApple Developer Login -> The text “Apple Developer Login” does not appear. If anyone has experienced the same problem as me or knows a solution, please leave a comment. Note) It is working normally in iOS16, but the text behind the link disappears in iOS18. The text is not visible, but you can copy it and paste it to retrieve the missing text.
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224
Feb ’25
ARKit Eye Tracking Calibration Issues - Word-Level Reading Tracking Feasibility
Hi Apple Developer Community, I'm developing an eye-tracking application using ARKit's ARFaceTrackingConfiguration and ARFaceAnchor.blendShapes for gaze detection using Xcode. I'm experiencing several calibration and accuracy issues and would appreciate insights from the community. Current Implementation Using ARFaceAnchor.blendShapes (.eyeLookUpLeft, .eyeLookDownLeft, .eyeLookInLeft, .eyeLookOutLeft, etc.) Implementing custom sensitivity curves and smoothing algorithms Applying baseline correction and coordinate mapping Using quadratic regression for calibration point mapping Issues I'm Facing 1. Calibration Mismatch Red dot position doesn't align with where I'm actually looking Significant offset between intended gaze point and actual cursor position Calibration seems to drift or become inaccurate over time 2. Extreme Eye Movement Requirements Need to make exaggerated eye movements to reach screen edges/corners Natural eye movements don't translate to proportional cursor movement Difficulty reaching certain screen regions even with calibration 3. Sensitivity and Stability Issues Cursor jitters or jumps around when looking at center Too much sensitivity to micro-movements Inconsistent behavior between calibration and normal operation 4. I also noticed that tracking on calibration screen as well as tracking on reading screen works better as expected when head movement is there, but I do not want much head movement. I want tracking with normal eye movement while reading an Ebook. Primary Question: Word-Level Eye Tracking Feasibility Is word-level eye tracking (tracking gaze as users read through individual words in an ebook) technically feasible with current iPhone/iPad hardware? I understand that Apple's built-in eye tracking is primarily an accessibility feature for UI navigation. However, I'm wondering if the TrueDepth camera and ARKit's eye tracking capabilities are sufficient for: Tracking natural reading patterns (left-to-right, line-by-line progression) Detecting which specific words a user is looking at Maintaining accuracy for sustained reading sessions (15-30 minutes) Working reliably across different users and lighting conditions Questions for the Community Hardware Limitations: Are iPhone/iPad TrueDepth cameras capable of the precision needed for word-level tracking, or is this beyond current hardware capabilities? Calibration Best Practices: What calibration strategies have worked best for accurate gaze mapping? How many calibration points are typically needed? Reading-Specific Challenges: Are there particular challenges when tracking reading behavior vs. general gaze tracking? Alternative Approaches: Are there better approaches than ARKit blend shapes for this use case? Current Setup Devices: iPhone 14 Pro iOS Version: iOS 18.3 ARKit Version: Latest available Any insights, experiences, or technical guidance would be greatly appreciated. I'm particularly interested in hearing from developers who have worked on similar eye tracking applications or have experience with the limitations and capabilities of ARKit's eye tracking features. Thank you for your time and expertise!
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2w
The accessibility app keeps opening by itself on my iPhone 12 Pro. Can anyone please help me?
It’s very annoying but on my iPhone 12 Pro I keep getting the accessibility app with the microphone on and it keeps opening the app by itself and it’s a blank screen and every time I close it it just reopens. I don’t know why it keeps doing this, but it drives me crazy. Does anyone know what else to do? I also have the beta iOS 26 but it’s been doing this even with the past update.
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90
Jun ’25
Implementing App Clips with .NET MAUI
We have an iOS App built in .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI). This is a web view App. We wish to integrate APP Clips into this App. But we are unable to do it, due to less available resources online on such implementation. We do not wish to share code between .NET MAUI App and App clips. We understand it is not possible to add APP Clips without a parent swift/Xcode app. As an alternative solution we were thinking to Create a new APP in APP Store Connect using XCode/swift and integrate app clips to it. This parent app when downloaded by users will only redirect users to our MAIN .NET MAUI app to app store connect. We need to know if such apps will be approved by APPSTORE Connect? Please guide us on this. Also please do let us know if you have any other solution to integrate App clips to a .NET MAUI App
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95
Jun ’25
CFPrefsPlistSource Read Error with App Group Preferences
I am encountering the following issue while working with app group preferences in my Safari web extension: Couldn't read values in CFPrefsPlistSource<0x3034e7f80> (Domain: [MyAppGroup], User: kCFPreferencesAnyUser, ByHost: Yes, Container: (null), Contents Need Refresh: Yes): Using kCFPreferencesAnyUser with a container is only allowed for System Containers, detaching from cfprefsd. I am trying to read/write shared preferences using UserDefaults with an App Group but keep running into this error. Any guidance on how to resolve this would be greatly appreciated! Has anyone encountered this before? How can I properly configure my app group preferences to avoid this issue?
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631
Feb ’25
Japanese “Hattori” TTS voice missing from Settings > General > Read & Speak > Voices > Japanese on iOS 26
Japanese “Hattori” TTS voice missing from Settings > General > Read & Speak > Voices > Japanese on iOS 26 Steps: Open the path above → “Hattori” is not listed and cannot be downloaded Expected: Hattori is available to download and select Actual: Hattori is absent from the catalog Regression: Was available on iOS 18.x on the same device
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356
Sep ’25
App in Unlisted Language
I am building a language learning app for a Unlisted Primary Language. Any suggestions or heads ups? My plan is to select english and go with it. Its unfortunate that I have to list a language learning app incorrectly and a tag for that language probably does not exist across the apple system.
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155
Jul ’25
ApplePay Merchant Session - Could not create SSL/TLS secure channel issue
As part of apple pay implementation we are trying to create a merchant session by trying to connect to apple endpoint https://apple-pay-gateway-cert.apple.com/paymentservices/startSession. While trying to do so we are facing an error “An error occurred while sending the request. The request was aborted: Could not create SSL/TLS secure channel.” . I call the validation url by passing to a C# .Net Framework 4.8 Web API. The API setups an HttpClient with the Merchant Identity Validation Certificate found in my apple account and calls the validation url passing in the required Json Validation Object. When I call PostAsync() I get an exception with the above error message Code is working successfully on my local machine but facing this issue while deployed on Dev / Model environment for testing. We have used Azure app service for deployment and TLS version 1.2 already present here. We have used the Merchant Identity certificate that was issued and have also checked with networking and infrastructure team to make its not an issue from our side. Does anyone have any other idea what could be causing this error. Thank you, Supriya
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96
Jun ’25
iOS: How to maintain good app icon contrast in grayscale mode?
I’m developing an iOS app, and I’ve noticed that when the user enables Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Color Filters → Grayscale, my app icon loses a lot of visual contrast. The original colored version looks fine, but in grayscale it appears “flat” and harder to distinguish, unlike a pure black-and-white design. What I want to achieve: Ensure the app icon remains visually clear and high-contrast even when iOS renders it in grayscale. Ideally, provide an alternate “high-contrast” app icon version when grayscale mode is enabled. What I’ve tried: Increased color contrast in the original icon design. Added outlines and stronger shapes. Tested with grayscale filters in design tools. Researched Asset Catalog and alternate icons, but found no documented API to detect or respond to grayscale mode. Questions: Is there any API in iOS that allows detecting when the system is in grayscale mode so that I can programmatically switch to an alternate app icon? If not, are there Apple-recommended best practices for designing app icons that still look clear in grayscale? Are there any accessibility guidelines specifically addressing icon design for grayscale or color-blind modes? Additional info: iOS version tested: iOS 17.5 Development in Swift + SwiftUI, using Asset Catalog for icons. I am aware that iOS supports alternate icons via setAlternateIconName, but I haven’t found a trigger for grayscale mode.
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392
Aug ’25