TelegramMessenger
“Telegram on iOS Is Not Usable with VoiceOver (Blind Accessibility Issue)”
Multiple UI elements in Telegram for iOS are not exposed correctly to VoiceOver, making the app partially or fully unusable for blind users. The issue is caused by missing or incorrect accessibility properties in custom UI components, custom gesture handlers, and dynamic screens.
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Missing accessibilityLabel and accessibilityTraits on Interactive UI Elements Many tappable elements (buttons, message actions, tabs, icons) are announced by VoiceOver as “button” or “unlabeled button” with no descriptive label. Technical Cause Custom views appear to be created without implementing basic accessibility properties: swift Copy button.isAccessibilityElement = true button.accessibilityLabel = "Reply" button.accessibilityTraits = .button If Telegram uses custom drawing layers (e.g., CALayer, UIView subclasses), they must explicitly declare accessibility elements: swift Copy override var isAccessibilityElement: Bool { get { return true } set {} }
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Message Cells Are Not Exposed as Valid Accessibility Containers VoiceOver cannot consistently navigate messages in a chat. Focus jumps unpredictably, and some messages are skipped entirely. Technical Cause UITableViewCell or custom chat cells do not expose sub-elements to the accessibility tree using UIAccessibilityContainer. Correct structure: swift Copy override func accessibilityElementCount() -> Int { return accessibilityItems.count }
override func accessibilityElement(at index: Int) -> Any? { return accessibilityItems[index] }
override func index(ofAccessibilityElement element: Any) -> Int { return accessibilityItems.firstIndex(where: { $0 === element }) ?? 0 } When this container interface is missing, VoiceOver cannot linearize chat content.
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Custom Gestures Block VoiceOver Rotor and Swipes Some screens use custom gesture recognizers that override/swallow VoiceOver gestures. Technical Cause Gesture recognizers do not respect accessibility: swift Copy gestureRecognizer.cancelsTouchesInView = false gestureRecognizer.allowedTouchTypes = [NSNumber(value: UITouch.TouchType.direct.rawValue)] They must implement: swift Copy gestureRecognizer.isAccessibilityElement = false gestureRecognizer.accessibilityTraits = [] And must not override system gestures required by VoiceOver (swipe left/right).
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Missing Accessibility for Media Elements (Photos, Videos, Attachments) Media items are announced as “image” without any description. Fix Example swift Copy imageView.isAccessibilityElement = true imageView.accessibilityLabel = "Profile photo: John Doe" imageView.accessibilityTraits = .image If dynamic alt text is available, it should be provided from metadata.
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Inconsistent Focus Order During Navigation VoiceOver focus moves unpredictably between UI regions (header → bottom bar → random element). Technical Cause Elements are added in a visual order that differs from the accessibility order. Correct approach: swift Copy view.accessibilityElements = [ headerView, searchField, messageListView, bottomBar ] This ensures linear reading order.
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Lack of Accessibility for Custom Components Telegram uses heavy custom UI (animated views, layers, transitions). If these elements do not expose a semantic role, VoiceOver cannot interpret them. Fix Approach For custom containers: swift Copy customView.isAccessibilityElement = true customView.accessibilityLabel = "Chat options" customView.accessibilityTraits = [.button] For toggles/settings: swift Copy toggle.isAccessibilityElement = true toggle.accessibilityTraits = [.button, isOn ? .selected : []]
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Why the App Is Currently Not Accessible • Custom UI elements bypass standard UIKit accessibility. • Accessibility tree is incomplete and not ordered. • Essential metadata (labels, hints, traits) is missing. • Gestures conflict with VoiceOver. • Chat screen is built with custom components that are not exposed through UIAccessibilityContainer. Apple’s accessibility guidelines require all interactive elements to implement: swift Copy isAccessibilityElement accessibilityLabel accessibilityHint accessibilityTraits Telegram currently violates these requirements in multiple screens.
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How Telegram Can Make the App Accessible (Actionable Fixes)
Audit all UI elements with Apple Accessibility Inspector. 2. Add proper accessibilityLabel + accessibilityTraits for every button. 3. Implement UIAccessibilityContainer in all custom message cells. 4. Ensure focus order with accessibilityElements. 5. Update custom gesture recognizers so they do not override VoiceOver gestures. 6. Add alt-text for media items. 7. Test continuously using VoiceOver’s rotor and swipe navigation.
Yes, this problem is really a big problem. I leave this comment like a blind person, that the Telegram program really does not work in any of its versions and in any of the versions of the iPhone phone, and if this problem is solved, there will be a big change in the life and use of the phone and the Telegram program for the blind people all over the world.
