Building VoiceOver-Friendly iOS Applications

Gennadii Tsypenko from Just Eat Takeaway reveals why VoiceOver accessibility often gets overlooked in iOS development—and shares the exact SwiftUI modifiers that fix it. Most teams skip this until it's too late.

VoiceOver has been part of iOS since 2009, yet many apps still fail basic accessibility tests. This practical guide walks through how VoiceOver actually works (gestures, focus, rotor controls) and provides concrete SwiftUI implementation patterns that engineering teams can adopt immediately.

Key Takeaways

• Use accessibilityLabel, accessibilityTraits, and accessibilityHint for every interactive element
• Group related UI elements with .accessibilityElement(children: .combine) for cleaner navigation
• Test with physical devices AND Xcode's Accessibility Inspector for accurate results
• VoiceOver gestures: single tap selects, double tap activates, swipe moves focus

The article includes a specific SwiftUI code pattern for handling focus state that solves a common bottom sheet navigation problem most developers encounter.