Accessible Mobile Apps (Bi)Weekly - Issue #34

Hey everyone,

I hope you're having a great week. As always, don't hesitate to reach out with any suggestions for the next issue via email (hello@accessiblemobileapps.com) or Twitter (or Mastodon).

- Robin

Automated accessibility testing of Android and iOS apps

"It is essential that developers incorporate accessibility features into their apps in order to provide a great user experience for all users. You can run automated accessibility tests to check if your Android or iOS app meets the accessibility requirements. This process can be used to detect issues that prevent users from using your app such as poor contrast, missing labels, or missing name, role or values." - appt.org

WCAG 2.1 for Native Mobile Apps

From Marco's post on Mastodon: "I take a crack at writing up an interpretation of the WCAG for the criteria that are applicable to native mobile apps, of course! I already had a WCAG study guide built, so I repurposed it and rewrote a lot of the entries to make them relevant for iOS and Android apps. Would love any feedback! https://marconius.com/a11yMobile"

How the best accessibility features on iOS compare to Android

"As tends to be the case with modern tech, certain features provide more value than others. Hence, we've curated a list of the best accessibility features on iOS and compared them to similar features on Android." - msn.com

iOS

Semantic Colors and Styles

"In SwiftUI, most colors are semantic colors that get resolved at runtime. [...] In general, stick to using .primary and .secondary colors when you can. Also use the semantic foreground styles and background style, and you will be well prepared to add dark mode support to your app." - chris.eidhof.nl

NYSwifty Conference 2023

I'll be speaking at @nyswifty about how to develop dynamic and adaptive apps, that are more accessible apps. I couldn't be more excited! There are so many speakers in the lineup that I really admire and I can't wait to meet them all and anyone attending the conference! https://t.co/x33DjYPM5i
— Daniel Devesa Derksen-Staats (@dadederk) February 4, 2023

Mastodon Accessibility

Today we've released a new update to our iOS app! It brings an improved sign-up flow, home screen widgets, and many accessibility improvements.https://t.co/rYpGcwH80u
— Mastodon (@Mastodon@mastodon.social) (@joinmastodon) February 8, 2023

Android

Making Airbnb’s Android app more accessible

"In this article, we highlight some of the efforts we have made to make the app more accessible, for example, labeling UI elements, grouping related content, supporting large font scale, providing heading and page names. The Airbnb app is one of the most popular travel apps with millions of users and supports many features. Making such a complex app more accessible is a huge endeavor that we are continuously working on." - medium.com

Android automated accessibility testing critique

"In this post I will be looking at automated user interface tests for Android that focus on accessibility, and make suggestions on how to improve their current state to benefit developers and users." - qbalsdon.github.io

Android 14: Non-linear font scaling to 200%

"Starting in Android 14, the system supports font scaling up to 200%, providing low-vision users with additional accessibility options that align with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)." - developer.android.com