Native UI controls have accessibility built-in as standard, and custom controls can be accessibility-enabled without difficulty. When it comes to testing, there is no substitute for using your app on an iOS device with VoiceOver turned on. When your app (or prototype) is in a fit state to be deployed on a device, testing it with VoiceOver, or better still asking VoiceOver users to test it, will give you realistic feedback.Īccessibility Inspector (available in the iOS Simulator) can then be used to debug any problems you discover. Accessibility Inspector lets you simulate VoiceOver interactions, and examine the accessibility information that’s available for the controls in your app. Testing with VoiceOver and debugging with the Accessibility Inspector is a good approach though.Īccessibility Inspector doesn’t have speech output, so it’s a debugging tool rather than a testing tool. You can turn VoiceOver on/off at any time by triple clicking the home button, but the first time it’s a good idea to go to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver and tap the switch to turn it on. At the same time check that Speak Hints is enabled (it’s on by default). Hints will help you use VoiceOver, and you’ll also want to test any hints included in your app. When VoiceOver is turned on you’ll need a different set of gestures. The following basic gestures will help you test your app: Move finger on screen Causes VoiceOver to announce whatever is under your finger. Single tap Causes VoiceOver to announce the selected control. Double tap Activates the selected control.
Flick left/right Moves to the previous/next control. Three finger swipe left/right Moves to the previous/next screen. When you test your app it’s a good idea to simulate the experience of a VoiceOver user as closely as possible. Triple tap to turn the screen curtain on/off. This disables the visual display on the device, letting you explore your app using VoiceOver alone. To turn on Accessibility Inspector, run your app in iOS Simulator, go to Home > Settings > General > Accessibility and slide the Accessibility Inspector switch to on. This opens the Accessibility Inspector panel.Īccessibility Inspector will remain available until you use the switch to turn it off. However, you can temporarily turn it on/off using the toggle in the corner of the panel (a circle with an X). When you use iOS Simulator you can mimic touch gestures with a mouse.
#Iphone safari inspector emulator mac simulator
A single click simulates a tap, and scrolling simulates flicking or dragging. With Accessibility Inspector turned on, a different set of gesture replacements is used: Single click Selects a control. Double click Activates the selected control.ĭragging or flicking can’t be simulated with Accessibility Inspector running. You need to temporarily disable it (toggle the close control in the upper left of the panel), then scroll the mouse to the desired location before enabling Accessibility Inspector again. In the Accessibility Inspector panel you’ll find two types of information: properties and notifications. You can examine the accessible label, value, hint (if available), accessibility traits and frame co-ordinates for each control. #Iphone safari inspector emulator mac updateĪs you update your code the changes are reflected in real time, helping you experiment with different solutions. #Iphone safari inspector emulator mac simulator.#Iphone safari inspector emulator mac update.